Thank you, Shaykh Luqman. May Allah (swt) also bless your heart. May Allah (swt) open the doors of Rahmah into your heart and into the hearts of those who are present. May Allah (swt) keep us on the Sunnah of Rasoolullah (s). That is the way to Allah (swt)’s Love. There is no other way to the Love of Allah (swt) except through the path of Rasoolullah (s),
First we say, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. We try to keep that one away, the source of evil whisperings, the source of evil ideas and thoughts. Always ask Allah (swt) to shelter you away from the wicked one, the cursed one, from the one who disobeyed. The first one who disobeyed Allah (swt) in His Holy Presence was Shaytan. May Allah (swt) keep us away from him and keep him away from us and our children. He comes to the young ones. The old ones like me, there’s not much left. Be careful, he is after the young ones, to spoil their hearts, to corrupt their hearts. The young ones have to be more into saying, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, men and women. May Allah (swt) forgive us and support us against him.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said, if you were attacked by a dog, what would you do? On some houses is written, “Beware of dogs.” Do you fight the dog or call the owner? It’s easier to call the owner. You don’t want to fight the dog, especially if it’s a pitbull. You don’t want these kinds of dogs around you.
You call the owner and the owner says, “Shh,” and the dog runs away. It is the same thing with Shaytan. He is like a dog. He barks too much, he makes you scared, he makes you do things that you don’t want to do, so you say, “Yaa Rabbee. He is still Your servant.” Shaytan is not out of servanthood. Nobody is out of servanthood but he is a bad servant so you say, “Yaa Rabbee. Shelter me from him. He keeps coming at me. He keeps coming after me. He never leaves me alone. During the day he is with me. During the night he is waiting for me to wake up. Yaa Rabbee, take him away from me.”
That is, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Always, the young ones, the old ones, whatever it is, you have to start your day, your night and everything you do with, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. That is the door of Rahmah. The Doors of Mercy open by the Name of Allah (swt), The Merciful, The Compassionate, the Benevolent. The more you ask for Rahmah, Allah (swt) will give. May Allah (swt) immerse us in His Rahmah. Ameen.
Alhamdulillahi Rabbi ‘l-`Alameen wa ‘s-salaatu wa ‘s-salaam `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `alaa alihi wa as-haabihi ajma`een wa man tabi`ahum bi ihsanin illa Yawmi ‘d-deen. Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee. Madadakum, yaa RijaalAllah.
We are coming to the end of the trip. It was very nice to see all of you here, those who are coming for love and those who are coming for something else. Allah (swt) knows. The doors of this hall are open. The doors of masaajid and musallas and other places of worship are open. Allah (swt) is asking people to come to His Presence. Alhamdulillah, they opened this space for us and we thank them. Yesterday they opened ICCP, so we thank them. They opened Maqaame Ibrahim Islamic Center, so we thank them. Zulfiqar Bhai opened his house, so we thank him. Also, Ehsan Bhai and his family opened his house today and we thank them. Raihan and his wife, Atiya, offered the picnic and everything that came with the picnic. We thank them.
We are happy that people are honoring and loving not myself, but I see it as they are loving my father. I know that love is to Mawlana Shaykh Hisham (q) and that love that was for Mawlana Shaykh Hisham (q) was also for Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) and the love of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) was for the love of his shaykh. That is how you reach love. You go through the revolving doors. When the doors open for you, you keep going. We thank everybody who has supported this visit, Zaiem and those who opened their hearts and their houses and whatever they had to honor us. May Allah (swt) be pleased with all of you. May Allah (swt) always allow you to be in the service of the Ummah of Rasoolullah (s). Again, I say thank you.
Now to the topic. He talked about Sayyidina Siddiq (r). He was the sahib of Rasoolullah (s). Sahib means “friend, companion,” a very close one. Allah (swt) mentioned Sayyidina Siddiq (r) as sahib in the Qur’an. Asta`eedhubillah. Idh yaqoolu li saahibihi. When he said to his companion...
إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ثَانِىَ ٱثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِى ٱلْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَـٰحِبِهِۦ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَنَا فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُۥ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱلسُّفْلَىٰ وَكَلِمَةُ ٱللَّهِ هِىَ ٱلْعُلْيَا وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
If you help not (your leader), (it is no matter): for Allah did indeed help him, when the unbelievers drove him out: he had no more than one companion; they two were in the cave, and he said to his companion, "Have no fear, for Allah is with us": then Allah sent down His peace upon him, and strengthened him with forces which you saw not, and humbled to the depths the word of the Unbelievers. But the word of Allah is exalted to the heights: for Allah is Exalted in might, Wise. (Surah At-Tawba, 9:40)
Sayyidina Siddiq (r) was a perfect companion to Rasoolullah (s). The one who wants to accompany someone has to find someone like Siddiq, a truthful one. What does Siddiq mean? A truthful one. It comes from sidq, truth. Who do you befriend? A truthful one. A Muslim, mu`min, Muslima, mu`mina, ladies and men, gals and guys, little ones and big ones, your friend has to be a truthful one.
Sayyidina Zain al-`Abideen (r) said, don’t accompany five groups of people. They are all here in DC. They’re all in Michigan as well. They’re all in Europe, US, Canada and Mexico. Wherever you look, you will find these five groups of people. Don’t accompany them. Sayyidina Zain al-`Abideen (r) was the great grandson of Sayyidina Rasoolullah (s). He was the son of Sayyidina Husayn (r). He said, don’t accompany five groups of people and don’t take them as friends.
He was telling his son, Muhammad al-Baqir (r). Don’t accompany a corrupt one. Don’t befriend a corrupt one. Why? Because he will sell you for a dollar. He will sell you at the earliest convenient moment. It means he will let you go.
We were talking about two people in the car ride down here. We don’t need to mention their names. They were best buddies, companions, friends. They were at the top together. They sold each other for the slightest thing. A corrupt one will sell his friend anytime. Don’t follow a corrupt one. Don’t befriend a corrupt one. Don’t take a corrupt one as your companion. He will sell you.
The second one is a stingy one because he will not help you when you need it most. When you need your buddy to save you, to help you, that stingy one will never give you anything that will help you through. Don’t accompany a stingy one. Leave them alone.
Don’t accompany a liar because he will make the one who is near to you far away because he will make problems. He will make you far away from those who are close to you. He will change your circle of friends and family. If somebody is lying, don’t accompany them. Accompany siddiq, a truthful one. Who is your truthful friend? If you have a truthful friend, glad tidings to you. If you don’t have a truthful one, seek one, find one. They are still among us.
Fourth, don’t accompany an idiot. That is how it goes, don’t accompany somebody who has no mind. Why? Because he would want to help you but inadvertently he might harm you. It’s called ahmaq in Arabic. Ahmaq doesn’t mean someone with a low IQ, it can mean other things, especially those who are only into dunya.
The last and most important one and this is the one I am always afraid of is the one who cuts his kinship, cuts the ties of family, cuts the ties of brotherhood, his cousin, his uncle, his aunt or whatever it is. He said, don’t accompany the one who cuts ties of kinship because I found him cursed in the Holy Qur’an. Allah (swt) curses the one who cuts family ties. Allah (swt) does not like that. You have to see if your friend is good to his family. Start there. How does he treat his brothers, his sisters, his parents? Once you finish with the immediate family, how does he treat his uncles, his cousins, his nephews, his nieces? Does he keep the bond of family together? Does he keep that kinship or does he try to cut it off from every angle.
This is the first thing you see. “Do I take this one as a friend, as a teacher, a guide, a companion?” Look how he treats his family. If he does not treat his family well, what is he going to teach you? He will tell you, “You also cut your ties off with your brother. You also cut ties off with your uncle. You also cut ties with this and that.” You will also be cursed because Allah (swt) does not like you to cut silatu ‘r-raham. He wants you to connect with your extended family and your immediate family. Try to find that one who is trying to connect with his family and you also try to connect with your family.
Does he lie? If he lies, it is another sign that you should quit him. Is he stingy and collects everything for himself and does give anyone who needs help? The fasiq, corrupt one. Wherever you look, there are corrupt ones who sell out their friends right away. These are the five categories that you have to be aware of. Allah (swt) does not like them. That is what Sayyidina Zain al-`Abideen (r) told his son, Muhammad al-Baqir (r).
We are here. We are friends. I would never sell you out. Would you? I would never cut my ties with my family. Would you? I would never lie or cheat or backstab or betray. Would you? You shouldn’t. What do you need to learn from `ulama or anyone who claims to be a holy one, what is he teaching you? Is he teaching you to connect with people or abandon people? You decide. This is the kalaam of Ahlu ‘l-Bayt. It’s not from my own imagination. That’s what they have said. Ahlu ‘l-Bayt are Ahli ‘r-Rasool, from the Household of Rasoolullah (s). They are tahir, pure, muttahar. They have shunned away all the bad characteristics that tie them to worldly desires and pleasures and they have taken on the good characteristics that make them reach the highest levels of Jannah. You will reach the highest level of Jannah with your best akhlaq.
Rasoolullah (s) said, the one closest to me on the Day of Judgement is the one who has the best manners, the best conduct. How can a teacher be a teacher and he has the worst conduct? That is ahmaq, not the one with a low IQ. It is the one who is doing these kinds of awful acts, thoughts and ideas and he teaches others to do it. Why do you accompany them? You should be ahmaq too. You’re also an imbecile to follow another imbecile who teaches you how to be a bad one. There are so many of them, in high levels and low levels, in the east and the west.
My advice to everyone, including myself, is to try to find a truthful one, try to find someone who is good to himself, good to his family and good to others. He doesn’t cheat, lie, betray, gossip, backstab and plot and is generous. The best akhlaq of a human to another human is two things: al-`afuw wa ‘s-sakhaa, forgiveness and generosity. You have to carry these two characteristics with you when you are dealing with mankind. You have to be somebody who overlooks their faults, that conceals their faults, that forgives their shortcomings. You have to follow that and be somebody who is generous. Whoever needs help, you are there to help them, whether they are in the east or the west, local or abroad. You are always ready with your pocket and with yourself. If you don’t have money, you can give your time. That also belongs to you.
That is how you should deal with people, with pardoning and generosity. When you are dealing with Allah (swt), the best two things are tasleem and ridaa, submission and acceptance. Submission to His Will and accepting what is coming from His Divine Presence. This is what our teachers teach us.
The more you practice, the more you are on the way of Rasoolullah (s), but some people don’t like that. They say, “Shaykh, what are you talking about? We don’t want to hear that. We want tit for tat.” No, we don’t want tit for tat. Today at the picnic area Raihan was reciting:
وَلَا تَسْتَوِى ٱلْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا ٱلسَّيِّئَةُ ٱدْفَعْ بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُۥ عَدَٰوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌ
Udfa’u billati hiya ahsanu fa idha ‘l-ladhee baynaka wa baynahu `adawatun ka annahu waliyyun hameem.
Nor can goodness and evil be equal. Repel (evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and you was hatred become as it were your friend and intimate! (Surah Fussilat, 41:34)
When the Qur'an is being read, you have to listen. Don't listen to yourself and your thoughts, “What am I doing next?” Listen to what Allah (swt) is trying to tell you on the tongue of the reciter, the qari.
Counter badness with what is better. This is the correct akhlaaq. Whatever is bad that you are encountering, rather than encountering it with badness, Allah (swt) is saying, push away the badness with what is better. Fa idhaa ‘l-ladhee baynaka wa baynahu `adawa. And then you will see that the one who you have enmity between will become best friends, when you show them goodness.
Human beings have mirror neurons. Have you ever heard of that? If you smile at a person, automatically they smile back. Have you ever tried it? If I smile at him, he will smile back. If I frown at him, he will frown back. Mirror neurons take in whatever they see. I read this a long time ago but it stuck in my mind. It was cards. You put the image of a happy person on a card and the person feels happiness. If you look at a card that shows a sad person, the person looking at the card will get feelings of sadness. This is mirror neurons.
If you meet somebody with kindness, Allah (swt) says that one might become your best friend after he was your worst enemy. That is where you pardon and show them better akhlaaq, better morals, better etiquette, better conduct. And then Allah (swt) says, these two people who were enemies, ka annahu waliyyun hameem, as if they are very close friends. But who gets these?
وَمَا يُلَقَّىٰهَآ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَمَا يُلَقَّىٰهَآ إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ
Wa ma yulaqaha ila ‘l-ladhina sabaroo wa ma yulaqaha illa dhu hazzin azheem.
And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint,- none but persons of the greatest good fortune. (Surah Fussilat, 41:35)
What does that mean? They are patient. “Shaykh, no, we need justice.” Allah (swt) says, patience. Yes, justice will come. Allah (swt) will not leave an unjust one uncompensated. Allah (swt) will get him. At the end, Allah (swt) will give everybody their rights. Don’t worry about that. Allah (swt) is saying, if somebody encounters you with a bad act or bad behavior or conduct, try to find a kind conduct that you know, a good conduct that you know. The problem is nobody has that in themselves anymore. “What good conduct? If he punches me, I will punch him back.” Allah (swt) says, you have to be patient. The patient one, the one who practices goodness will be able to perform that.
The best actions with Allah (swt) are submission to His Will and acceptance of what He has sent to you from good or bad from the Divine Presence. That is our way. Our way is tasleem and ridaa. We know that Allah (swt) is a Just One. Allah (swt) will not leave the unjust not given his punishment, whatever it is. At the end, you will see. It might take twenty years or thirty years.
Did you ever see these people who were cruel fifty years ago? You saw what happened to them twenty years ago. It took thirty years. There's no need to mention names but Allah (swt) will get that one. You have to be patient with people. Our way is to pardon, forgive, overlook and ask Allah (swt) to help you do that. Be helpful, be supportive, and be generous.
There was a Waliyullah named Dhu al-Nun al-Masri (q). He was a Muhadditheen, fuqahaa from the old times. I think it was the third Hijri century. He was traveling. `Ulama used to travel. He found a person and he said, “As-salamu `alaykum.”
It was a holy lady. She said, “Wa `alayka ‘s-salam, yaa Dhu al-Nun.”
He said, “How did you know me?”
“Allah (swt) has made us meet.”
In Dallas there was a smart one. “Smart” as in clever. I entered the majlis and I saw him. He was a new face. I said, “As-salamu `alaykum. Did we meet before?” He said, “Yes, we met upstairs.” I said, “Mashaa-Allah, you’re an awake one.” Yes, it’s true because upstairs Allah (swt) had our spirits, our souls. Whoever came together upstairs will come together downstairs too. This is the Hadith of Rasoolullah (s). Whoever repelled against another upstairs will repel against them downstairs.
That lady said, “Allah (swt) made us meet.” She said to Dhu al-Nun, “I want to ask you a question.” He has `ilm.
“What is generosity?”
“Generosity is to give whatever you can.”
“That is the generosity of the people of dunya.”
Yes, you prepare food like Raihan. He gave everything he could today. Zulfiqar Bhai gave everything he could yesterday. People give from their generosity.
She said, “What is the generosity of deen? What is generosity in the way of Allah (swt) or of the way of Allah (swt)? What is the generosity of religion?”
Basically you have to give from your money and from yourself. Giving from yourself means to give from your time in the way of Allah (swt). He said, “If you don’t want that part of ahlu ‘d-dunya who give from their wealth then we run to the obedience of Allah (swt), so I'm giving my time, I’m giving my days, i’m giving my nights. Some people give their lives in the obedience of Allah (swt).”
She said, “Are you kidding me? Don’t you get ten to one?” For every hasanah you do, Allah (swt) promises ten.
He said, “Yes, I get more than what I give.”
You give your time but Allah (swt) says, if you give one hasanah, I give you ten. She said, “What kind of generosity is that? You’re expecting something in return. That is not generosity. That’s investment.”
Invest in the world of Akhirah, not in the World Bank, in the Akhirah bank. How do I invest? Send one salawat and you will find ten there. Send one good deed and you will find ten there or maybe unlimited depending on the Karam of Allah (swt).
Sakha of the people of dunya is when they offer what they have to host you, let's say and sakha of Allah (swt) is to give my time to my Lord.
She said, “No, you get ten to one. That is not generosity I’m asking about.”
He said, “What is the generosity according to you?”
“The generosity according to me is when Allah (swt) looks in my heart and He finds I have emptied it from everything else.”
You have given away everything that is in your heart, discarded everything. You discard your gold, your silver, your dollars, your time. You are emptying what you have. She said, “The real generosity is when you remove everything in your heart that is other than Allah (swt). You empty your heart from everything except His Love. That is the true generosity.”
When we say al-`afuw wa ‘s-sakhaa, pardoning and generosity towards people, it means remove everything that is in your heart that is enmity, hatred, cruelty, anger, love of dunya, love of this and that. Everything has to be gone when you are dealing with people. Who is with you? Who is always with everybody? Allah (swt). Isn’t that true? He is with you wherever you are.
وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ
And He is with you wherever you are. (Surah Al-Hadid, 57:4)
When the true Waliyullah looks at you, he notices the Maker with him, he notices the Creator with him, he notices the Designer with him. That lady gave away everything that was in her heart. Nothing existed in her heart except Allah (swt) so wherever she looked, she saw the Creator with His Creation, even the dogs, cats, trees and stars. Everything in existence is by his Creator, her Creator or its Creator. A true Waliyullah doesn’t notice the person he looks at, rather he notices the Maker, the Designer, the Fashioner of that person, the one who is supplying that person with whatever they need. He is giving you food and drink. He’s allowing your heart to pump, your eyes to see. He is giving you everything you need. A true saint doesn’t see you or you, he sees, “Allah, Allah, Allah.” Everything reminds him of Allah (swt).
That is what Sayyidina Muhiyyidin ibn `Arabi (q) said. Wa lahu fee kulli shay’in ayah. Have you ever heard that before? In everything He has a sign. Fa dhullu alaa annahu waahid. That sign points that He is One. When you put us all together, we all point to Allah (swt). When you separate us, we still all point to our Maker. Who made this book? Al-Muhaddith `Abdur Rahman Dayba’i.
Who made you and you? You have to see the Designer, the Maker. That is how your eyes start leaving dunya and start focusing on Mawla. That happens by tikraar, repetition of, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, repetition of, “Allah, Allah, Allah,” repetition of, “Hu.” After a while, there are no more names. You don’t need names anymore to say who you mean. When I say “He,” who do I mean? You say, “Shaykh, which ‘he’? What is ‘he’?” When the true Dhaakir says, “He,” he does not need to say what he means by “He.” When he says, “Hu,” there’s nothing else in their minds and hearts.
When you reach that level of Dhikrullah, everything becomes Him. When you say Hu, you only mean Allah (swt). You don’t mean anything else. That is the highest level of Dhikrullah. That’s why Allah (swt) says, Laa ilaaha illa-Hu. You have to see Him everywhere. He encompassed everything. He created everything.
That lady was from those who reached Muhabbatu ‘l-Llah. When Muhabbatu ‘l-Llah entered her heart, it burned everything else. That is why we seek Muhabbatu ‘l-Llah and Muhabbatu ‘r-Rasool (s). When it enters the heart, dunya starts to fade and Muhabbatu ‘l-Llah starts to rise. It burns. Prayer is supposed to do that too. Prayer is supposed to burn every bad characteristic we have. If you are not reaching that at the end of prayer, your prayer is not a true prayer. With everybody, see Allah (swt). We can’t see physically, of course, but you can see with the heart, with iman. You believe in Allah (swt) being with everybody. Practice. Allow your heart to see Allah (swt) with everybody.
That’s why Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said, if you reach that level, you will not dare hit any person. You will not dare touch their skin. You will not dare pluck their hair because you know you are dealing with the Owner Who is with him. When a Waliyullah reaches that level, he is gentle to all creation. That’s why the servants of Ar-Rahman walk on earth gently. They don’t even step on an ant for no reason. Did you ever see a Waliyullah step on an ant for no reason? They don’t because it’s making tasbeeh. Why do you want to cut off that tasbeeh of Allah (swt)? May Allah (swt) forgive us.
You can learn so many things from our shuyookh. They were fountains. They were springs. May Allah (swt) bless them and to always allow them to send their `ilm and their Noor to us. May their hearts open up to our hearts. May Allah (swt) allow that flow.
Mina ‘l-qalbi ila ‘l-qalbi sabeel, “From heart to heart there is a way.”
I see these billboards. Chevrolet Silverado. If there’s a will there’s a way. They put the big truck. If there’s a will for you to find Rasoolullah (s), they will show you the way. If there’s a will for you to find Allah (swt), they will show you the way. May Allah (swt) allow us to find them.
Who is the best among people? The white one? The black one? The yellow one? The red one? The beige one? They asked Sayyidina Isa (a), “Which among people is the most honored, the best?” He took two fistfuls of sand and then he threw them. He said, “Which fistful of sand is better than the other?” And then he let them go. He said, “You are all from Adam and Adam is from sand. The best among you is the one with the purest heart.” Which one is the purest heart? The heart of that lady. She emptied everything out of her heart. She didn’t see anything but Allah (swt) in existence. She gave everything away.
Empty your heart from all the gunk, junk, filth and whatever is lurking inside the hearts of people. How do you empty it? Dhikrullah. Our way is Dhikrullah. Allah (swt) always says: fadhkuroonee, “Mention Me.”
He will clean up that darkened heart. Empty your heart, O insaan. Let the others go and be only for Allah (swt). It is said that Allah (swt) asked Dawud (a): faarigh lee baytan, “Empty for Me a house that I can stay in.” He said, yaa Rabbee, subhanak, “Do You stay in a house?”
“Yaa Dawud, empty for Me your heart so I can be in your heart.”
Empty the heart. It is Baytu ‘l-Llah, the House of Allah (swt). In that heart you can take all the love and all the Rahmah and all the Light that Allah (swt) can send to you to carry. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
Go back to the original one. Siddiq is the saahib. The truthful one is the companion. Find a truthful one who will teach you how to empty your heart, who will teach you to pardon, forgive and overlook the shortcomings of others. To forgive you have to be generous with others, helpful and supportive of others. He will teach you how to keep family kinship and teach you not to be a corrupt one and a liar. That’s what you need. We run after all of the corrupt people and liars and we leave the honest and truthful ones. That’s our mistake. May Allah (swt) forgive us. Ameen, yaa Rabbi ‘l-`Alameen.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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