March 1, 2009
As-saalam `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh.
a`oodhu billah mina ‘sh-shaytani ‘r-rajeem
Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem
As-saalat wa ’s-salam `alaa rasoolihi ’l-kareem wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallam
atee’oollah wa atee’oor-rasula wa uli’l-amri minkum .
Allah asked us in Holy Qur'an to obey him and to obey His Holy Prophet and to obey those in authority.
This month is a particular month in the year. An important month in the year that Allah swt has sent His Messenger to earth through sending his soul to the womb of his mother Sayyida Amina Alayhissalam and to deliver him in this month on 12th Rabi` al-Awwal which is coming in front of us the next Monday, not this Monday but the next one, Insha-Allah.
So it was the beginning of Islam when the Prophet (s) was born. Islam is Allah swt’s religion. It is Allah swt message to humanity. Sayyidina Nuh came with Islam. Sayyidina Ibrahim came with Islam. Sayyidina Musa Alayhissalam came with Islam. Sayyidina `Isa Alayhissalam came with Islam.
Sayyidina Muhammad came with the full picture of Islamic rules and constitution and came with all that is necessary for human beings for this life and akhira, the next life.
The Prophet (s) is not like us. We are weak servants. Sayyidina Muhammad (s) was a strong servant of Allah swt. When he was in the presence of the Divine Presence Allah asked him, “who am I and who are you?” and Sayyidina Muhammad (s) what did he say? Listen carefully. It is something that I never heard it before and it is something that it is in our shaykh’s notes, Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani; it is in the notes he used to explain to us and I used to write. Allah asked him “Who am I and who are you?” I never read it in such a way. He said, “Ya Rabbee, Anta al-Qahhaar wa ana al-`abd - O my Lord, You are the Subduer and I am the servant.”
“You are the Subduer.” You know what is Subduer? Huh? [no] Do you know what is the meaning of subdue? [no] Do you know the meaning of al-Qahhaar? [no] Then go learn and come back. I didn’t know the English of the word, I asked. Because Allah one of His Beautiful Names and Attributes is al-Qahhaar, so I know the Arabic meaning but I don’t know the English meaning. The simple meaning of al-Qahhaar is the Crusher, the one who can crush everything down. For example someone crushes a stone and makes it powder. Subdue means crush everything make them non-existing even. Al-Qahhaar. That is why all prophets are afraid on the Day of Judgment from al-Qahhaar, from that Beautiful Name of Allah swt. That means if Allah wants to crush everyone He will crush everyone, by punishing them all. That is al-Qahhaar. So He is the one who destroys everything. The Destroyer. In this country they call it the Terminator. Terminate everything. Are you afraid of al-Qahhaar on the Day of Judgment if He calls you and ask you what you are doing in your life. You are afraid huh?
But Allah is merciful. Allah swt Huwa r-Rahman ur-Raheem. He will forgive. Not like us. If we hate our brother we don’t forgive him. If we hate our sister we don’t forgive her. If he hate our wife we cheat on her. If we hate our husband…
But Allah is not like us. Al-`azhamatu lillahi. Greatness is for Allah. Allah created perfection. He is merciful. Like women are so merciful for their children, more than husbands. Who is better this side or that side [points to women, then men]? This side, huh? [point to women] What about this side? [points to men’s side]? Weak, huh? Which one. [Sahib points to women’s side]
That means he listens to his wife. Sayyidina Adam (as) listened to his wife and he came to earth. We have to make the men happy [too].
So which side is better now? This side. Balance. A plane has two wings. A bird has two wings. It cannot fly without two wings. You need the mother and you need their father.
He said, “O Muhammad who am I?” He didn’t say “You’re the Merciful, the Kind.. “ any one of these 99 Names. He said, “You are al-Qahhaar. You cannot name your son `Abd al-Qahhaar. That is allowed but not recommended. Don’t name your child that. So he said, “You are al-Qahhaar and I am the servant.”
What does that mean? The Prophet (s) explained that “when Allah asked me and I said ‘You are al-Qahhaar,’ it means you are the One who can and the only one who can, crush the sins of Your servants. You can crush the big and small sins without it affecting You. And, Ya Rabbee I believe You are that one who crushes the sins of Your servants and bring them to Paradise without any account. That is what I understand.”
SubhanAllah if the Prophet (s) thinks like that and people think like that do you not think Allah is higher than that? Because no one knows the limit. Because even Sayyidina Muhammad (s). Who knows the most of all creation still he doesn’t know everything. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta`ala is Creator and Sayyidina Muhammad (s) is servant. The servant. What is the meaning of “the servant” or “a servant”? The meaning is “Ya Rabbee, I am weak, I am helpless. I am the one that is in need of Your Endless Mercy in every moment of my life. If one moment of my life it will skip from my mind that I didn’t remember You are the Merciful it means I will be lost.”
So that means in every moment of his life... How many years did the Prophet (s) live? 63. How many moments are there in this 63 years?
And what is the definition of a moment? Is it a second. Is it a breath? Because a breath might be 2 - 3 seconds, the time it takes to go in and come out. We go with the definition of the Prophet (s): which is every breath that goes in and comes out, that takes 2-3 seconds, if with every breath I don’t see Your mercy on me and if in every breath I don’t remember that You are the Merciful One, my life will be lost.”
Oh how many times during our day do we remember that Allah is Merciful. We are busy, we are busy in this dunya and Allah said this dunya doesn’t have the value of wing of a mosquito to Allah and us we are running after dunya, dunya, dunya. If Allah gives us one we want two, and if he gives three, we want four. And we always want more. We are not content with what Allah gave to us. The problem is not there. The problem is we look outside. Don’t look at the one higher than you, then you get envious. Instead look down. Look at those less fortunate than you. Then you feel fortunate. When you make prayers where do you look? You look down to the place you put your forehead. You cannot look up and pray like that - you aren’t seeing anything. But when you look down you are looking to the place of sajda that is a holy sajda to Allah swt. Allah is happy when His servant makes sajda.
Sayyidina Muhammad (s) when he was born as soon as he came from the womb of his mother he slipped from the hands of his mother and she was worried and he went into sajda. And he said, “O my Lord I am asking you my nation, my nation.”
And three ladies Allah sent to help Sayyida Amina Alayhissalam , as her husband died and she was a widow they came to help as he was an orphan. Then his mother died and he had no father and no mother. What the Prophet (s) carried no one carried.
Three ladies Allah sent from Paradise to assist Sayyida Amina Alayhissalam in the birth of Sayyidina Muhammad (s): Sayyida Hawa (as)
the mother all human beings. And Asiya, the wife of Pharaoh, and she we a believer, her husband was not. And Sayyida Maryam Alayhissalam mother of Jesus Alayhissalam – the three of them they came to assist at the delivery of the Prophet (s) and he went into sajda. Saying: “Ya Rabbee, my nation, my nation. If you want to punish them, I will intercede for them. I will carry their responsibilities.”
Don’t think the Prophet (s) was sent for nothing. He was sent to carry his nation. Not only his nation but Sayyidina Adam Alayhissalam and all prophets will come seeking the intercession of the Prophet (s) in Judgment Day.
You must be a happy nation. You must be thankful, making sajda in every moment saying Alhamdulillah, shukran lillahi. Are we saying Alhamdulillah, shukran lillahi? We might say it for one hour but then we forget to say it later.
And the Prophet (s) said that “the meaning of servant is that he is saying Alhamdulillah and shukran lillahi in every moment.” Are we doing that? No. can we do that? Yes. Innama al- `amaal bi ’n-niyyaat – surely actions are by intentions. If you rintention is to do that then Allah will write it for you, you did it. But you must have good intention to do that.
O Muslims! We are in a day and a time that it is very difficult for all of us. There is no more knowledge on earth. There is ignorance everywhere. Not ignorance in science - that is slowly slowly improving. But ignorance in running away from Allah. And Allah says in Holy Qur'an, “run to Me - Firroo il-Allah.” This event - why is it a blessed event? Because you are running to Allah. You are running to Sayyidina Muhammad (s) you are running to sincere, pious people to run to them you are not coming for nothing. You are coming for love of Sayyidina Muhammad (s).
You must be happy that Allah brought you here, brought you to celebrate the birthday of Sayyidina Muhammad (s).
Every year they bring me a cake. “O what is that for?” I ask. “That is for your birthday.” They celebrate. Ask this side [men] “do celebrate or they don’t?”
This side celebrates? [Yes . ] All of you. Yes. O they respect themselves.
Does this side [women] celebrate their birthdays? Yes. If you celebrate your birthday, why we don’t celebrate the presence of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) every day? If that light is in every one of us why don’t we celebrate that . `alamoo anna feekum Rasul - you must know that the Prophet (s) is in you. Not as they explain “he is among you.” Bayanakum is “among you.” Feekum means “in you.” That light that Allah created Sayyidina Muhammad (s) from before creation when Jabir asked the Prophet (s) “what did Allah create first?” and he (s) replied, “the first thing Allah created is the light of your prophet, Ya Jabir!”
So we are here to feel the presence of Sayyidina Muhammad (s). Why they have all these qasidas here? Qasidas in English, qasidas in Arabic. Qasidas in Urdu. You find thousands and thousands of poems written for what, for the love of Sayyidina Muhammad (s).
So the love of these people who wrote these poems it must be in us, we must feel it in every moment. Ala inna awliyaullah la khawfan `alayhim wa la hum yahzanoon. These awliyaullah always feel the presence of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) . In their lives. That is why you go to visit them in your country or wherever you are. You have lot in your country; you have a lot in the Indian subcontinent. You have thousands of them. How many you have in Bangladesh? Too many of them. Are you visiting them when you go to Bangladesh? This side? [yes] this side [no] very few. Whatever you have to keep the love of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) in your heart.
[balloon pops] this is a sign. That means if you don’t keep love of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) in your heart your heart is going to blow up.
I will end with this story. One day the Prophet (s) because they said they like stories, they were whispering here, a story, a story. One time the Prophet (s) in Madinat al-munawwarrah ` Ala saakiniha afdal as-salat was-salaam. One day the Prophet (s) went to Jabal Uhud with his Sahaba. Do you know mountain of Uhud. Did you visit Jabal Uhud. How many went for hajj, how many went for `umrah. I saw two many men. Don’t they take their wives? It is obligation on the husband to take his wife and children. Not the wife take the husband. The husband has to take his wife. Did you take your wife? No. When do you want to take her? When you die. Go early it is better you don’t know when Azraeel is coming.
So the Prophet (s) took the Sahaba and went to Jabal Uhud and it was early morning when sun was rising and he stood before his companions and said, “Put the sun at your back and look to the mountain.” So the sun was at their back and the mountain in front. And he said to them, “what do you see in front of you?” Because when the sun is coming from the back yo
u see your shadow ahead of you. Did you see your shadow in front of you. Yes or no. I want to hear because I never saw my shadow. Did you see your shadow? No. Do you have no shadow?
So they looked and saw their shadow. He said, “Anyone who can catch their shadow, run and whoever can catch their shadow I will give my jubbah.” So can you catch your shadow? [no] but Sahaba, whatever Prophet (s) tells them they do. Whatever he ordered don’t question and whatever he prohibited don’t do it.
And they ran to catch the shadow and of course they cannot catch the shadow. So they ran towards their shadow and until they reached the mountain and the shadow went onto the mountain and disappeared.
Then the Prophet (s) said, “turn around and look at me. Then run towards me.” They ran towards him and their shadows ran behind them.
Then the Prophet (s) said to them, “O my sincere companions, when you run after the dunya - like one who runs towards the mountain where the mountain represents this world - you will never catch it.” “Shadow represents dunya. You will be all your life slave to dunya.”
Today are we slave to dunya or not? Yes.
Husband and wife fight for dunya. This lady says this and that one says that and they fight for nothing. The lady doesn’t fight her husband when he is reading Quran. But they fight for dunya. This one says, “you didn’t do the food.” This one says “you didn’t do the laundry.” This one says” you didn’t go to work.” All for dunya.
Then they ran until they reached the mountain and they stopped. Then the Prophet (s) said, “Turn towards me and run.” They did that and what happened? When they faced the Prophet (s) and ran towards him, their shadows ran after them.
So what we learn about from this story. To run towards Allah and his Prophet.
So I say what I said in beginning. “Fa firroo il-Allah - Run to Allah” you will be saved. Run to the Prophet (s) you will be saved. Run to awliyaullah you will be saved.
Run to find a guide someone who can guide you to the right way. Alhamdulillah we found our shaykh Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani. Find someone you can depend on.
You go to medical school you need a teacher. You cannot become doctor without a teacher. You go to law school, you need a teacher. You think in Islam you don’t need a teacher?
And may Allah bless us and that those who died in Bangladesh who died from cruelty of others, may Allah send his mercy on them, and forgive them.