Suhbah at Private Residence (1)
A Message of Happiness for the New Hijri Year
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani ‘r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. Salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi ta`ala wa barakaatuh.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaada, nawaytu 's-salook, lillahi ta`ala al-`Azheem fee hadha 'l-makaan.
First, inshaa-Allah this coming year, 1436, will be a year of happiness for everyone and a year of love and harmony! May Allah (swt) dress us from His Endless Divine Light, the dress of the Light of Prophet (s)!
Every meeting has a beginning, it has an end, you begin but you end. There is no way on this Earth to have a meeting that is continuously moving; it ends by something that it is not in our hands, like every person by himself, all his organs are working together, synchronizing. This is a meeting, the form is like a room, and inside the room there are different activities; also the human body is a form and inside that form, Allah (swt) with His Greatness has created organs that work together. If one organ is missing it means that place is empty and needs to be filled up, so that’s why every organ is very important for life, like you cannot have a meeting with an empty chair.
We are Protected in Our Obedience and Silence
Also we are in a world that a lot of difficulties and problems, and that’s why we ask Allah (swt) to clear us from these difficulties. We must remember that when someone is angry, we cannot face him or face her, because they will become more angry. That’s why Sayyidina `Ali (a) said, “Maqaam al-Ihsaan, the State of Perfection, depends on four qualities and the first is, as-sukoot, to keep silent.” It is better to keep silent, al-sukoot, better to keep silent, not to talk, because as soon as you begin to talk lot of criticism comes from here and there or lot of appreciation coming from here or there, and everyone,
كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ
Kullu hizbin bimaa ladayhim farihoon.
Each party rejoices in that which is with itself. (Surat al-Mu’minoon, 23:53)
Each group sits in his own group meeting. That’s why Allah (swt) gave Prophet (s) the Sahaabah (r), who always listened to him, following the ayah of Holy Qur'an:
سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا
Sami`naa wa ata`naa.
We hear and we obey. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:285)
There is no in-between! Today they say you have think about it, you have to decide, but in reality we all need to do tasleemiyya, surrender ourselves to our shuyookh and from them to our Prophet (s), from him to Allah (swt). Tasleemiyya means the level of annihilation, complete submission, to Allah’s love, to Prophet’s love and to Awliyaullah’s love. That’s why according to Prophet (s), Allah (swt) said in a Holy Hadith (Qudsi):
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إذا مررتم برياض الجنة فارتع. قالو وما رياض الجنة؟ قال "حلق الذكر"
Qaala Rasoolullah (s) idhaa marartum bi-riyaadha ’l-jannatu farta`oo. Qaaloo wa maa riyaad al-jannah? Qaala hilaq adh-dhikr.
Ibn `Umar reported that the Prophet (s) said, "When you pass by the Gardens of Paradise, avail yourselves of them." The Companions asked, "What are the Gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "The circles of dhikr.” (Tirmidhi)
Associations of dhikrullah, like this association. “Sit” means to enter that meeting, because meetings pull Allah’s happiness, such circles which today they call ‘meetings’, but they are not meetings, they are sitting for circles, but technically they say ‘meetings of people’, meeting together for reciting, reading, speaking, or watching, but Prophet (s) said, “When you pass by these circles, these meetings, sit, because it is a Garden from Heaven that Allah (swt) transformed immediately to a place of Paradise when people sit together for dhikrullah.” Who doesn’t like to be in Paradise? All different kinds of people, all their different religions, different beliefs, everyone wants to be saved, except some people who are secular and they don't believe in any religion. So everyone in this world wants to be saved and these meetings teach us how to be saved and how to save ourselves.
The Two Words that Save Us
Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an, to save yourself is very simple, it’s two words, if you have them you save yourself and like such meetings as this, these two words symbolize meetings of dhikrullah, because you are remembering Allah (swt). What are these two words? It’s very simple but needs lot of ‘azm, power, strength or dedication if you want to do it, because your dedication to do it will be challenged and lots of obstacles come, the whole world’s obstacles come on your head from Shaytan! I will give you small example: as soon as soon as I open to read Qur'an, too many phone calls come and when you are not reading no one calls! That is because these two words are within the Holy Qur'an. So follow these two words that Allah showed us in Holy Qur'an, and you will be saved, but expect lots of obstacles; however, in the end you will be in Paradise and such meetings take us to Paradise!
Allah (swt) said there is only one way to achieve that Paradise, there are not two ways, and all `ulama are running to teach their students these ways, all Awliya are teaching their students this way! Awliyaullah can take you all the way to the end! It’s like a tunnel: you cannot see through to the end, you need a flashlight. `Ulama prepare you from their teachings, their knowledge, and they can take you through that tunnel but with them alone you will never reach the other side. With the noor that Prophet (s) dressed on them, Awliyaullah became noor, Light, and they can cross that tunnel because they illuminate it and take you by your hand all the way through that tunnel to reach the end; they are like flashlights and you see and then run toward your destiny!
`Ulama al-Ummah, the scholars take you to a certain level, but not beyond. Awliyaullah can take you completely to the end, not because they have `ilm or no `ilm, but because through their piety they have been dressed by Prophet (s) with al-Noor al-Muhammadi, the Muhammadan Light, which takes you to these two words and you cross through the tunnel and reach that place outside the tunnel on the other side. What is that? Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an:
فَفِرُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ
Fafirroo ‘ilaa-Allah.
Run (away immediately) to Allah (from harm)! (Surat adh-Dhaariyaat, 51:50)
Those Dressed in al-Noor al-Muhammadi Guide Us to Our Destinations
Your safety is that ayah, fa firroo ila ’Llah, run to Allah (swt). There is no other way except to run to Allah (swt). Fa firroo ila ’Llah! But when you begin to run to Allah (swt), Shaytan does not like that; he wants to stop you in order to make you face obstacles, but such associations, such meetings can transform you from earthly life to heavenly life, which means you will be dressed from Gardens of Heavens. That’s why Prophet (s) said, “When you pass by these associations on your way, bi riyaadh al jannah, through the Garden of Paradise, sit, don’t leave it, don’t listen to Shaytan and run away, you sit, because you will be dressed from al-Noor al-Muhammadi, which is like a rocket that takes you far forward, not slowly, slowly, but it will boost you up to reach your destiny. For example, if it takes you one hour to reach on your own, with al-Noor al-Muhammadi it might take one moment and you be on the other side!
So fa firroo ila ’Llah, “run to Allah” means there is no other way to save yourself because if you are going to listen to your ego, then as Sayyidina `Ali (a) mentioned: fa ’l-zim as-sukoot, if you want to sit with people, don't talk and if you hear something you don't like, don’t answer, fa ‘l-zim as-sukoot, keep quiet, because when you keep quiet Allah defends you.
O Muslims! We are in a time of too many obstacles, too many fitna in east and west are on Muslims. Are we on Haqq or baatil? Because we are Muslim, we say we are on Haqq, but if we really are, then why are we facing this problem today? Muslims are under the feet now and every place speaks badly of Muslims, which means there is something wrong within the Muslim community in general. What is wrong we don’t want to discuss because it is not going to benefit. What is wrong within the Ummah is that we are not fa firroo ila ’Llah, running to Allah (swt), we are running towards ourselves! So alhamdulillah with our shuyookh barakah, inshaa-Allah we can learn how far we have to go running toward the Divine Presence, because we will be enabled to be the mazhar, significance, mazhar al-hadith, a manifestation of the Hadith of Prophet (s):
عن أبي هريرة قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن الله قال من عادى لي وليا فقد آذنته بالحرب وما تقرب إلي عبدي بشيء أحب إلي مما افترضت عليه وما 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 وإن سألني لأعطينه ولئن استعاذني لأعيذنه وما ترددت عن شيء أنا فاعله ترددي عن نفس المؤمن يكره الموت وأنا أكره مساءته
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،
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)
It means you are not anymore seeing with your physical eyes or hearing with your physical ears, Allah (swt) will give you vision to see with, He will give you power to see through it, and that will be very strong to take you to the other side. Also He will give you hearing with which you hear inspirations and knowledge that can take you to the other side.
May Allah (swt), through this beautiful Hijri year, the migration of Prophet (s) from Mecca to Madinah, may Allah (swt) give us the barakah and blessings of that year and give the Muslims around the world happiness and peace, and everyone living on this earth to be happy and to be guided inshaa-Allah.
Wa min Allahi ‘t-tawfeeq, bi hurmati ‘l-Fatihah.
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