Sufism and Tasawwuf - Naqshbandi Sufi Way

Sayyidina `Ali, the Gate of Knowledge

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

14 December 2012 Burton, Michigan

Jumu`ah Khutbah at As-Siddiq Institute and Mosque

Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillahee nasta`eenuhu wa nastighfiruhu was nastahdeehi wa na`oodhoo billaahi min shuroori anfusinaa wa sayyiaati `amaalinaa wa nashadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa nashadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa habeebuhu wa rasooluh...

ayyuha ’l-mu’minoon al-hadiroon.

????? ?????? ???? ????????? ????????? ???????????? ??? ????????????

Ittaqullaha wa ati`ooh. Inn Allah ma`a ‘Lladhina at-taqaw wa ‘Lladhina hum muhsinoon.

O you who believe! Fear Allah, for Allah is with those who restrain themselves and those who do good.

(Surat an-Nahl, 16:128)

O Believers! The Prophet (s) didn’t leave anything that he didn’t explain, and he guided us by means of his Companions (r), especially Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r), Sayyidina `Umar (r), Sayyidina `Uthman (r) and Sayyidina `Ali (r).

The Prophet (s) said:

?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ???????

As-haabee ka 'n-nujoom bi ayyihim aqtadaytum ahtadaytum.

My Companions are like stars (on a dark night); whichever of them you follow, you will be guided.

(`Abd ibn Humayd, ad-Daraqutnee, ibn `Adiyy, ibn `Abd al-Barr, with unsound chains but the meaning is sound.)

They were mountains of knowledge and no one was able to understand Prophet (s) as these four khulafah did. Prophet (s) made Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) his own Companion when he migrated from Mecca to Madinah, and he said that the imaan of Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) is more than that of all the Sahaabah (r). And about Sayyidina `Umar (r), Prophet said, “If there were to be a prophet after me, `Umar would have been it.” And Sayyidina `Uthman (r) is called, “Dhi 'n-Nurayn,” Grantee of the Two Lights, for he married two of the daughters of the Prophet (s). He also compiled the Holy Qur'an and put each verse in its place. And for Sayyidina `Ali (r), who is the topic of today’s khutbah, about whom the Prophet (s) said:

??? ????? ????? ? ??? ????

Anaa madinatu 'l-`ilmi wa `Aliyyun baabuha.

I am the City of Knowledge and `Ali is its Door (or Gate). (al-Haakim, Tirmidhi)

Allah (swt) has granted Sayyidina `Ali (r) many things. It is related by Sayyidina `Ali (r) in Sahih Bukhari:

?? ??? ??? : ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????

Anaa awwala man yajthoo’l-khusoomata bayna yadaayi ’r-rahmaana yawm al-qiyamah. Qaala Qays wa feehim nazalat haadhaan khasmaan ‘khtasamoo fee rabbihim. Qaala humu’Lladheena baarazoo yawma badrin: `aliyyin wa hamzata wa `ubaydata wa shaybata bin rabi`ata wa `utba bin rabi`ayata wa’l-waleed ibn `utba.

“I will be the first to be between the Hand of The Merciful on the Day of Judgment.” Qays said of the verse, “These two antagonists dispute with each other about their Lord” (Surat al-Hajj, 22:19) was revealed about them; they were the ones who dueled individually on the Day of Badr: `Ali, Hamza and `Ubaydah and Shaybata ibn Rabiyy`ata and `Utba ibn Rabiyy`ata and al-Waleed ibn `Utbah.

At that time, Allah (swt) will give him the power of shafa`ah to intercede for the people.

Ibn `Asakir (r) mentioned that Sayyidina `Ali (r) has been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an more than everyone else and that more than 300 aayaats were revealed regarding him, which means Sayyidina `Ali (r) was someone whom Allah honored! How can it not be so when he is the son-in-law of the Prophet (s) and one of the big scholars that Allah sent to humanity, as after the Prophet (s) there is no other prophet. Sayyidina `Ali (r) was one of the `ulama ar-Rabbaniyyoon,’ the great scholars that came after the Prophet (s).

Umm Salama (r) related from the Prophet (s), “Sayyidina `Ali (r) is with the Holy Qur'an and the Holy Qur'an is with Sayyidina `Ali (r),” which means he carries the entire Holy Qur'an in his heart, not like we read the Holy Qur'an, but he can extract meaning from every ayat of Holy Qur'an, from every word and letter he extracts meanings. You might ask, “How does he extract meaning from a word?” There are many letters in the Holy Qur'an that begin some surahs and they are codes. Also, every ayat and every word in the Holy Qur’an has codes and Sayyidina `Ali (r) was able to extract those secrets. Today you have a code for a plastic card you use in ATM machines. Similarly, these letters are sacred codes that Allah (swt) revealed to the Prophet (s), who revealed them to some of his Sahaabah and we know Sayyidina `Ali (r) was one of those able to extract meanings of those letters.

One time they asked Sayyidina `Ali (r) about `ilm and he said:

????? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ??????.

Al-`ilmu yarfa`u 'l-wadee` wa 'l-jahl yada`u 'r-rafee`

Knowledge will raise the one who is in a lower level.

When you learn dunya knowledge, even if you come from a very poor family or a family that is not fulfilling its duty to observe Shari`ah, then everyone sees you as if you are coming from a low-class family, but if you have knowledge then no one can say anything. You might be a professor and no one can then say anything bad about your family, as Allah (swt) raises them from a lower class to a higher class. So what do you think about someone who has knowledge of Islam and the reality, about which the Prophet (s) said, “I am city of knowledge and Sayyidina `Ali (r) is its door.” This means no one can give the knowledge that Sayyidina `Ali (r) gives and no one can be like him!

Sayyidina `Ali (r) said:

Ignorance and arrogance will bring down the high ones.

It means `ilm brings you up and ignorance brings you down.

Sayyidina `Ali (r) said:

????? ??? ?? ?????

Al-`Ilm khayrun min al-maal.

Knowledge is better than money.

One day you will die and take nothing with you. In the past, a mud house was considered a palace and others had straw houses, and today they don’t accept that because they want nice homes; however, go to Africa and you still find mud houses or go to Cyprus and you will find that even Mawlana Shaykh Nazim’s house is made of mud! That is a simple house and today people want palaces because they are full of Shaytan if they are not following Shari`atullah. Mud houses are peaceful and relaxing and when you live in them you don’t have arrogance in your heart, because you are living in a simple mud house, while someone living in a big home might say, “I am better than others, I am rich.”

So Sayyidina `Ali (r) said, “Knowledge is better than wealth,” as you will not take your wealth to the grave and knowledge is something from which people will learn and it is Sadaqat al-Jariyya, a flowing donation, as the Prophet (s) said:

????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????: ???? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??

Yanqati` `amal ‘bn Sayyidina Adam (as) illa min thalaath: sadaqatun jaariyyata wa `ilmun yantafi`u bihi wa waladun saalihun yad`oo lah.

The deeds of the Children of Adam are cut off except three:

1) a flowing donation, (such as building a masjid, a home for orphans, a hospital, etc.);

2) knowledge that people benefit from

3) a righteous child who prays for you [and when that child recites “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem,” the reward of them reading Holy Qur'an is written for you in the grave].

So to leave behind knowledge from which people benefit is to learn and teach others, not to learn and keep it to yourself. It is an order in Shari`ah to teach what you know and not keep it to yourself.

Sayyidina `Ali (r) said, “`Ilm is better than money.” Money has to be guarded: you are always looking at the safe box or worrying if the bank kept your deposit safe, and all kinds of gossips come to your mind. You are looking after your money. What did he say? “Knowledge will keep you safe, while you have to guard money,” so on the other hand, knowledge will keep you safe.

Al`ilmu haakiman, “Knowledge will command,” and so someone with knowledge will be able to give judgment, although not with money. And we will finish with the last one.

??? ???? ????? ???? ????? ????? ?????

Qasama zhahriyy rajulaan, `aalimu mutahattiq wa jaahilun mutanassiq.

Two kinds of people broke my back: a scholar that was proud and rude to people, and an ignorant one who is an ascetic.

The latter is someone lazily sitting in a corner only remembering Allah, but Allah wants His servant to help, to work and be good, not to sit in corner being lazy and extending his hand begging! The first one, the `alim who is proud of himself, will make people run away from him as he is proud, and the one sitting in corner, whom people think is big wali, a saint and `alim, makes people deviate from the way of Shari`ah to his way. So people have to be very careful, and Sayyidina `Ali (r) did not say something for no reason, he said it as a warning! Knowledge is the reservoir of civilization, not how they define civilization today, not this dunya of today that is taking us nowhere; previously people were ‘civilized’ because they had knowledge of Akhirah and they had all been promised Paradise. All Sahaabah (r) will enter Paradise, so we must follow in their footsteps!

???? ??? ??????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????????? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ??????????? ???????? ??????? ????????

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)

Today there are many practices in the West that came from Islam that we are not using, such as freedom of speech and religion. The Prophet (s) gave freedom to the Jews and Christians for many years in Madinah and he tried to build peace and good relationships, as Allah (swt) said:

?????????????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ????? ????????????

W `atasimoo bi hablillaahi jamiyy`an wa laa tafaraqoo.

Hold fast to Allah's rope and don't separate. (Surat Aali-`Imraan, 3:103)

O Muslims! Our Islamic duty is to keep peace, acquire knowledge and be humble.

Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.

http://www.sufilive.com/Sayyidina_Ali_r_-4731.html