Oakland Zawiya
Some people Allah made earth slave to them. Most people they are slave to earth. They work in order to receive sustenance.
Awliyaullah Allah made dunya to be slave for them.
Because Allah has purchased from the believers.
إِنَّ اللّهَ اشْتَرَى مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الجَنَّةَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ وَمَنْ أَوْفَى بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللّهِ فَاسْتَبْشِرُواْ بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُم بِهِ وَذَلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
Inna Allaha ishtara mina al-mumineena anfusahum wa amwaalahum bi anna lahumu ’l-jannata yuqaatiloona fee sabeelillahi fa-yaqtuloona wa yuqtaloona wa`dan `alayhi haqqan fee at-tawraati wa ’l-injeeli wa’l-qurani wa man awfa bi`ahdihi minallahi fastabshiroo bibay`ikumu alladhee baya`tum bihi wa dhaalika huwa al-fawzu al-`atheem
Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Qur'an: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah. then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the achievement supreme. At-Tauba [9:111]
Allah bought from believers anfusahum wa amwalahum - Themselves and their wealth. How He bought? And what He gave to them in return.
Allah needs to buy? No Allah doesn’t need to buy. We need to sell. Allah said will buy from you. He said “you sell I buy.” Allah doesn’t need to buy. We buy we sell but we are dependent on Allah our Creator.
So to show us that even you want to sell me what you want, I will buy it from you.
The brothers of Sayyidina Yusuf, what were they doing?
فَلَمَّا دَخَلُواْ عَلَيْهِ قَالُواْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْعَزِيزُ مَسَّنَا وَأَهْلَنَا الضُّرُّ وَجِئْنَا بِبِضَاعَةٍ مُّزْجَاةٍ فَأَوْفِ لَنَا الْكَيْلَ وَتَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْنَآ إِنَّ اللّهَ يَجْزِي الْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ
Falamma dakhaloo `Aalayhi qaloo ya ayyuha al-`azeezu massana wa ahlana ad-durru wa jina bi-bida`atin muzjatin faawfi lana al-kayla wa tasaddaq `alayna inna Allaha yajzee al-mutasaddiqeena
Then, when they came (back) into (Joseph's) presence they said: "O exalted one! distress has seized us and our family: we have (now) brought but scanty capital: so pay us full measure, (we pray thee), and treat it as charity to us: for Allah doth reward the charitable." Yusuf [12:88]
Bi-bida`atin muzja. We are coming to you, Ya Yusuf, though they didn’t know he is their brother. Bringing for him whatever they brought because they had a drought, they want to buy crops, wheat. They said, "we came with something to sell, but it is of no value, something torn apart.- Tasadaq `alayna - give us something.” At that time they knew he is their brother.
They knew what they are offering, as they are prophets. So what human beings can offer to Allah is what? Money? But Allah will take it. That is zakaat. Allah will take. That is sadaqa. But if you give yourself that is more precious.
People give their wealth, 2.5 percent. Some on top of that give sadaqa. But those whom Allah called believers, Allah bought from them their souls and their bodies: “Ya Rabbee we don’t want anything from this dunya. Whatever it takes we give you our bodies and we give You our souls. We are not after pleasurely life, we are after You.”
Allah bought from you to give yourselves up: “I give you Paradise. Bi anna lahum al-jannah.”
Allah bought from them even their selves even if it doesn’t worth anything. But if you dedicate your life to Allah swt, Allah will buy it. There are so many pious sincere people - but they might be homeless. Who knows. They might be sitting in their homes and it is one room and you look at them and say, "what is this?” They are poor people. You don’t give them respect. Awliyaullah people don’t give them respect as they are out of style they are out of the age, like Stone Age. They live very humble way. That is not valuable to us as we are arrogant but that is valuable to Allah. So Allah give them paradise. Akhira Paradise everyone is getting [from Muslims]. Bi anna lahum al-jannah. They get dunya Paradise. Allah will make your dunya for you at that time. Your dunya will become jannah means He will make a connection to you with heavenly creation and you will be able to connect yourself with angels and you will be able to connect yourself with the unseen realm of awliya and prophets and the Prophet (s). because you cannot see them, anbiyaullah you cannot. You are blind there is no connection. What you are giving is sadaqa here, sadaqa there. This will take you to Paradise but not make your dunya paradise.
Awliyaullah are not looking to be rich. Richness is not in their heart even they have millions they don’t care. What they care is that Allah happy with them or not. Is Allah rewarding them or not?
Awliyaullah - look at Rabi’a al-Adawiyya, or Sayyidina Bayazid al-Bistami. He said, "I am not worshipping You for Your paradise and I am not afraid of Your hellfire but I am worshipping You because I love You.”
Those who control their anger. Today if you want to know if you are on the right path then look if you are angry or not. If you are angry then Shaytaan plaything with you. If you are not an angry person or you don’t get angry then it means your focus is on how to reach Allah’s Presence. Other than that you are, we are, wasting our time and saying, "O we are doing this and we are doing that.”
When tests come Allah swt sends to you what do you call it? Some kind of nuisance in French, noisance, when He sends a nuisance on you and it disturbs you what do you do? Are you going to be calm or are you going to be angry? Check? Audit yourself. Check yourself - you don’t need anyone to teach you. Do you get angry or not? If you get angry then
لاَّ يُحِبُّ اللّهُ الْجَهْرَ بِالسُّوَءِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ إِلاَّ مَن ظُلِمَ وَكَانَ اللّهُ سَمِيعًا عَلِيمًا
La yuhibbu Allahu al-jahra bi’s-sooi mina ’l-qawli illa man dhulima wa kaana Allahu same`an `aleeman
Allah loveth not that evil should be noised abroad in public speech, except where injustice hath been done; for Allah is He who heareth and knoweth all things. An-Nisa [4:148]
Allah doesn’t like anyone to bring up his problems and to criticize - it means to get angry, except in only one case, when he has really been oppressed and he knows he has been oppressed.
That is the only case. Allah said in Holy Qur'an. Allah doesn’t like you to speak up and come against anyone in anger. Only in one case when you are oppressed. If someone took your wealth with no reason you have right to defend. Someone spoke something to you bad.
One time someone was saying something bad about me. I was young. I went to Mawlana and said, "Mawlana someone is saying this and this and this about me and it was false.” I thought Mawlana will come against them. And he looked at me and said, "you did it. Since you came to me complaining then you did it. Wa la tuzakoo anfusikum - Don’t try to make yourself high to give your ego a chance to play with you.”
Because as soon as you think you have been oppressed the ego plays to come against and to fight and then you have a problem.
And the other meaning of wa la tuzakoo anfusikum - Tell yourself you did something that Allah doesn’t like and Allah sent them to say something against you, in order to teach you discipline and keep your anger down.
So Allah gave one condition to get upset, that is if you want to go on the level of `awwaam an-naas - that is the common level. But on the higher level then follow:
وَجَزَاء سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِّثْلُهَا فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ
Wa jaza’u sayyiaatin sayyiatun mithluha faman `afa wa aslaha fa ajruhu `ala Allahi innahu la yuhibbu adh-dhalimeena
The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah. for ((Allah)) loveth not those who do wrong. Ash-Shura [42:40]
So you don't need to go and fight. You are tariqah person you have a guide and a teacher you have to follow the way of seekers.
Rabi`a al-Adawiyya every night her husband comes home drunk and every night he beats her. And every night he calls for water. It is not like today - to get water then it was a big work. And she goes and gets the water and she keeps standing with the water in her hand waiting to give him the water. And when he wakes up he beats her. She was patient, patient. And Allah gave her sainthood. She was communicating directly with the Prophet (s) every day and she came 500 years after the Prophet (s).
You want to follow that way? Men and women if they are patient on each other; or brothers and sisters or parents [and children], if you are patient Allah will give you more.
So Allah is not looking at what you are selling Him. Allah knows what you are giving him is worth nothing to Him. To us it is worth something. But He is accepting and saying, ”if you give yourself, I give you Paradise.”
So if we struggle with ourselves because Shaytaan plays with everyone.
The Prophet (s) was always ordering the Sahaba to work, not to sit and do nothing. Some people you ask them what they are doing, they say, "I am managing how I am going to work, or how I am going to do the next step.” And they are wasting their time thinking and saying, “I am putting together my plan.”
This is all from Shaaytan. Go work anything. Move this carpet from here to there and move it back from there to here. Keep yourself busy against Shaytaan. Laziness is the way with Shaytaan.
Awliyaullah they don’t let you be lazy - they keep you running. Not sitting. “O I open the TV and I watch.” Movie after movie. Because there is nothing to do, so Shaytaan is ready at home: open TV and watch.
In the war, you know there was a big war in the 20s between Turkey, the Ottomans, against them all these countries: France and British and Greek, whatever. They were coming against Turkey for the khilaphat to fall down. So they were very near to attack the village of our Grand Grandshaykh Sharafuddin in Yalova.
At that day, they knew they were nearby, but the people came to Shaykh Sharafuddin saying to him, “what will we do?” He said, "go to your fields and plant crops.” They said, "They are coming!” He said, "go and plant! They are not coming.” Next day they went and planted and did everything. And after two days the enemy came and destroyed everything. They asked Shaykh Sharafuddin and he said, "I don’t like to have lazy students.”
Go and do something. People today sleep for days and days, weeks and weeks. They don’t think “we have duty to do or obligations we have to do something.”
That is a problem. And Allah swt sending us different tests in order to see how much we will be able to achieve and do in order to have our life. Because not everyone can be a wali. Only awliyaullah give themselves to Allah swt. So we have to work. Allah gave 24 hours. 8 for work, 8 for sleep and 8 to be with your family.
Today [people are doing] 8 hours to sleep, 8 hours to be with Shaytaan movies, and 8 hours to be roaming in their streets. People are not sitting with their families they are not taking care of their children. They are roaming in the streets doing what Allah doesn’t like. And now they introduce something to fight all the time. Video games. Why are you playing there and shooting? We are shooting there and we are accepting what Shaytaan is doing. Those who are playing so many games like that they are losing their faith. And unfortunately we parents are leaving our children to do that and not thinking that in future they are going to lose their prayers and lose their social life. Look how far these video games they teach only how to fight. Everything I am seeing is fighting. Never I saw one teach you to behave well. Did you see any game to teach you to go to see a sick person or this one you have to take to hospital or this is homeless persons? No. Only showing you shooting. May Allah swt forgive us and may Allah bless us and guide us to the right way.
Bi hurmatil habeeb bi-hurmati 'l-Fatiha