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Seven Dates and a Cup of Milk

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

17 November 2009 Washington DC Suburb

Private Home

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.

Dastoor yaa Sayyidee, madad.

In every meeting we have to ask for support or else when there is no support, you will be failing. In a computer company, if they don't have technical support everything crashes. So technical support is very important because it will be the backbone of the company. A company can produce software, but if people are not the backbone for what is given as software because if it fails and no one to support it, the whole company will fall down. Awliyaaullah they are the spiritual technical support, heavenly support. If they are not giving support, the whole system will fall down. Their ways are only known to them because as in engineering every system has its own language and its own way of producing information. So if that person who is a technical support is not knowing, that system will not work. Awliyaaullah, Allah (swt) gave them a different way to follow. That is why Imam Muhammad al-Busairi said, "Everyone is requesting to be given from the secrets from Sayyidina Muhammad (s). Some of them are given oceans and some are given from rivers." It means that some are given a small handful of knowledge or a big ocean of knowledge.

So awliyaaullah are very careful to keep their support reaching to their followers at any moment, and if they are not reaching their followers will be lost. And when someone is lost, it is very difficult to bring him back because he might fall into a valley that has no ladder to come up from it and he cannot reach back to where he was. So awliyaaullah are the ones that have been chosen to reach Ummat an-Nabi (s) wherever they are, however far, and support them through their hearts.

So as a presenter in a conference gives a presentation, his whole presentation comes from his mind or books. You have no references except from books. A professor who is giving a lecture in a conference or class, from where does he brings his information? It must be from books; there is no other source. That is why they bring scholars to speak on certain subjects, but all their references go back to books. Awliyaaullah, to whom Allah (swt) gave a heavenly technical support, are not limited to get information from books. Books have already expired. You are in a time that in every moment it is changing. So in every moment Sayyidina Muhammad (s), no one can limit his mi`raaj, ascension, as he is in continuous ascension. As you ascend, you get more. What the Prophet (s) gave to the ummah is a drop of an ocean. What he gave to his Sahaba (r) is more than what he gave to the ummah, because the ummah cannot carry what the Sahaba were able to carry. What he gave to awliyaaullah is more than what the ummah can carry and less than what the Sahaba could carry.

So as you are in a school you teach according to the classes. If in elementary class, or university or college, you teach accordingly. So as you are improving in dunya education you will give from that level to students. Similarly, awliyaaullah are able to get knowledge from the Prophet (s) directly, as he is in continuous ascension. That is why the Prophet (s) said, “My death is stronger to give knowledge and support than my life.” So as the Prophet (s) is ascending, he is giving more fresh knowledge to awliyaaullah who have a direct connection through their own advanced heavenly computers and heavenly software, that they can update their computer. It is always upgraded. It means that they are alert in every moment. If they want something, they take from the heart of Sayyidina Muhammad (s).

Sayyidina Abu Hurayra (r), one of the greatest muhaddith, said, “I have learned from the Prophet (s) two kinds of knowledge: one I shared with everyone, and the other if I share it they will cut my neck.” He did not explain more because people cannot digest it or understand it and immediately they will say, “We never heard it from the Prophet (s), so kill him.” So many awliyaullah were killed throughout history because they exposed knowledge from the Prophet (s) that the people could not understand or digest. So what you can learn from the Prophet (s) now through his ascension was not available before to awliyaaullah. That is why awliyaaullah can expand and explain different verses of the Holy Qur'an and ahadeeth, sayings of Prophet (s), and on solid bases and on realities, not like academics who interpret verses of the Holy Qur'an or ahadeeth according to their imagination. They might give false descriptions because this is how they think about it, and it might be completely false, and people may have a misunderstanding and deviate from the right way. For awliyaaullah, there is no possibility for them to be wrong because any question that is being asked they get the answer from the heart of Sayyidina Muhammad (s). That is why Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur'an:

وَابْتَغُواْ إِلَيهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ

wa 'btaghaw ilayhi 'l-waseelah.

Seek for Allah’s (swt) Divine Presence a means, a waseelah. (5:35)

You cannot come to Allah (swt) without a vehicle. These means are important because you cannot jump. You can jump from an airplane if you have a parachute. Other than that, how can you jump? So to jump, you have something to save you: these are means and the only means to Allah (swt) is Sayyidina Muhammad (s).

So awliyaaullah are able to connect and see what kind of a technical, heavenly means they can take from the Prophet (s) for their students to cross forward and reach the other side of the ocean. You need a vehicle to cross the ocean. If there is no boat, no way to reach the beach. How can you get to see the other side of the beach? The other side is through awliyaaullah. An example, one of the greatest awliyah in history, the story is well known. He was visiting a village and at that time there was no electricity. So they liked to reach the villages before maghrib, before dark. But unfortunately they reached a cross section. Between them and the village, there are two possibilities: either they have to go around that huge river to the reach the city and it becomes midnight, or they use a boat to cross one side of river to reach the village. The shaykh looked, no boats. If he takes the road it will take a long time. He said to his student, “You follow what I am doing.”

Follow the footsteps, always you have to follow the footsteps of the teacher. If you don't follow his footsteps, you will be lost. Who is following that today? Everyone has their own footsteps. Everyone has their own shoes. They don’t like to wear their shaykh’s shoes. They like $300 shoes. Why 300 dollars? Oh, there is a name there. What is the name? It is a brand name, designer, his name is under my feet. I am paying him 300 dollars and his name under my feet! What is this? His name might be on your head! (Laughter) So your shoes cost $400-$500, and not only that, he is punishing you with money and you are punishing him by standing on his name, especially ladies. (Laughter) Their shoes are $500 to $600 and how many pairs do they have? Allahu akbar! (Laughter) I know some people who are high standard if you look in their closets, one closet is the size of this room and only for shoes and bags. Everyday the shoes must be the same as the bag.

So you have to follow the footsteps of the shaykh immediately or you will lose when you follow your mind and it will jump quickly without thinking. And you want to convince everyone that this is correct. This is how we behave. You are not able to see what the shaykh can see. He experienced that in a very simple way. (Mawlana refers to someone in the audience.) Something that struck him in a visit to Mawlana Shaykh in Cyprus. For him it is a miracle; to the shaykh it is nothing, like a toy or a candy. I am sorry to say that expression but this is the right word. Diamond, still you did not get the diamond, still on the candy side. They keep the diamond for you, and when you reach the highest level they give to you. So he saw something, some spiritual, heavenly incidents and he was stunned with it. Correct? But really Mawlana did not open anything yet. If they opened, you will see Mr. Ziad would have a long beard running like someone lost in the jungle, in a desert or mountain, calling on awliyaaullah, dunya would drop from his eyes and nothing will be in his heart except Allah (swt) and His Prophet (s).

So that shaykh said to his student, “You follow me, don’t use your mind, and what I do, you do except one thing. I am going to repeat on my tongue ‘Yaa Allah, yaa Allah.’ You say, ‘Yaa shaykh, yaa shaykh.’” He said, "Okay I am saying yaa Allah, what do you say?" "Yaa shaykh," he is teaching. It is not necessarily that he wants him to say, "yaa shaykh." Because I am worried some people may go and say "shaykh said this." He is teaching him a lesson, to follow - ittiba`.

He began to go on the river. It is deep river, both of them don’t know how to swim, and the shaykh is saying, "Yaa Allah, yaa Allah, yaa Allah" and walking on the river. Is a boat better than a human being? Why do we sink and a boat doesn’t sink? Although the boat may weigh hundreds of thousands of tonnes, it doesn’t sink but we sink because our density is greater than the density of the boat. If our density is like the density of wood, it means that you completely left your ego and there is no more gravity pulling you down and you will raise up.

Why was Jalaluddin Rumi whirling? They were whirling like turbines, producing like energy and that energy was bringing them up. Gravity can't pull them down because their ego is under their feet. Their designer name, because everyone thinks they are designers, they put that under their feet. It means they step on their personalities, "You are not worth anything, you are zero and less than zero." When you step on your dignity, because there is no dignity except to Allah and His Prophet and to the believers, so when you become a real believer they will dress you with dignity from the heavens. You cannot dress yourself with dignity and people cannot dress you with dignity. It has to come from heavens. Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur'an:

الْأَعَزُّ مِنْهَا الْأَذَلَّ وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

al-'izzatu lillahi wa li-rasulihi wa lil-mumineen.

Respect, honor is for Allah, the Prophet and the believers. (63:8)

Until you reach that maqaam and you hear it, then we have dignity.

So that shaykh threw his ego already but the student had not. When the shaykh says, “Yaa Allah,” it is reaching directly because he has no more ego. As long as you have ego, you have a bad smell coming from your mouth and angels cannot carry what you say or recite or pray - they cannot approach you. Like they say, don’t eat garlic or onion and come to the masjid because you smell, and people might not like it. Although there is a cure in garlic and onion but you cannot have it and come to a gathering because of the smell. Also human beings because they have not stepped on their ego they have a smell, and angels cannot approach because of the smell. Awliyaaullah can smell the smell of their followers and that's know what kind of wild characteristics you have.

So he said, “I say yaa Allah” and my prayer will reach directly but your prayer will not reach. So, “You say yaa shaykh, it will reach me and I will send it." So they began to say, "Yaa Allah," and, "Yaa shaykh" and they were moving on the water. Then the mureed had some doubts he began to say, “He is saying 'yaa Allah," why can't I say 'yaa Allah' also, I'm walking on the water already. My shaykh is not better than me.” He began to say, "yaa Allah, yaa Allah" and began to fall. The shaykh said immediately, “Say yaa shaykh" He said it and he was up. He said, "O my son, when I say, 'yaa Allah,' it goes directly, when you say it, it doesn't go anywhere. You have to have means and Allah makes me your means to the Prophet and from the Prophet to Allah (swt) then that prayer can reach" and then they crossed the river to the other side.

So means are important. If we don’t have means, we cannot have support. So if you want to sit and give an advice, and you are speaking from your own ego, from your own self, it will be from your sickness instead of going to be light. It is going to be sickness instead of a light. So unfortunately people today think they are `ulama, and they begin to write what they like to write or analyze and give fatwa on it but is it a fatwa coming through their ego or from heavenly sources? That is important. A fatwa coming from heavenly sources is a fresh one. That is why awliyaaullah today they cannot speak on many subjects, prefer to keep quiet because if they speak people cannot understand it.

Like Sayyidina Abu Hurayra (r) said, "I learned from the Prophet two kinds of knowledge, one I shared it with everyone and the other I cannot say it or they will cut my neck." So awliyaaullah are restricted on what they have to say because if they say, people might not accept. Because the knowledge of people is very limited. Awliyaaullah’s knowledge is unlimited, but restricted. It means: don't spread it, don't give it. They restrict them but it is unlimited. They can take whatever they like, it's open, but restriction means you cannot give it out because it is classified material. So it is classified material, you cannot broadcast or expose it, because if you do, you will be in danger. Unless you, as an individual, have a teacher whom you become very close to, and he might tell you more than what he tells everyone because he knows you can carry his secrets - not all of his secrets but you can carry some of what he says. He knows he can trust you and he knows this will benefit you and you can keep it within yourself and not spread it out. For the rest he cannot because he cannot trust how much they can keep to themselves and how much they will give out.

If you look at the Prophet (s), you will be surprised. He said many ahadeeth and the Holy Qur'an mentioned many verses referring to two kinds of knowledge. The first is the knowledge of Shari`ah and the second is scientific knowledge, but the Prophet (s) kept the scientific unexposed in the ahadeeth and the Holy Qur'an, he didn’t explain it. He only explained the Shari'ah side because at that time people were like gangs. There were no principles, no law, and it was like a jungle. The strongest survive. So he came with laws and principles in order to build a community that has a constitution that they can follow. So he did not open up what the Holy Qur’an and the holy ahadeeth mentioned about sciences because they were not ready. What is the Prophet (s) going to say about mobile telephones? But he mentioned in one of his ahadeeth about mobile telephones. That in the coming days your hip will inform you about many issues around you. What is that hip? Where do you put your mobile phone today? On your hip! So he gave it in a very subtle way that you cannot understand it at that time but now you can understand it if you are having a heavenly technical support, as we mentioned before, you can interpret these ahadeeth in many ways. Not one academician explained the scientific ahadeeth in such a way because they don’t have that ability. Some of them did but very few because they have been connected.

For example, the Prophet (s) used to take at 11 in the morning, as brunch seven dates and one cup of milk. This is very well known in the seerah of the Prophet (s). Everyone who is following sunnah is taking seven dates and one cup of milk. Today some scientists from Egypt say, “Why did the Prophet (s) do that? Their must be a wisdom. Why seven dates? Why not six or eight? And why only one cup? Why not more?” They were thinking about it and they decided to perform an experiment. So they took seven dates and one cup of milk. They put it in a system which looked like the stomach with the digestive chemicals similar to the human stomach and they put in the milk and dates and were observing. They found an unseen purple color coming from that combination of the milk and dates that goes all the way to the head and the mixture of milk and dates goes all they way under the skin from the pancreas. They realized that this color is very effective for those who are mentally sick. It brings them back to normal.

Today, don’t tell me people have a normal brain. Everyone is sick with different psychological problems. Some might be completely sick, that's why we say they are mentally disturbed, they lost their minds. But we are disturbed in a minor way, but we have a problem. Everyone has a problem and to fix that problem you have to fix your mind which is the mechanism that orders all the different arteries, veins, and sends orders to the whole nervous system to act. So the Prophet (s) was drinking that combination because it will give strength to the mind and to the nervous system. And the mixture goes under the skin because any poison that comes goes immediately under the skin, so then that mixture will eat that poison. That is why you see allergies under the skin. Why under the skin? Because you ate something that makes that sickness. So this way in the desert, there are many poisons, snakes, scorpions. Why did the Prophet (s) always carry a stick? Because of the snakes and scorpions in the desert. Why did Sayyidina Musa (a) carry a stick? To protect himself from scorpions and snacks and many deadly animals that might kill a human being. That is why we carry this stick to protect ourselves from our wild characteristics. We don't have those dangers anymore, we are in buildings but your behavior is an animal's behavior and poisonous behavior. So when you carry a stick, make sure you say, "That stick on my head! To beat my ego, my self." Some people carry a stick but they don't know why they are carrying it.

So scientific knowledge was not being spread because at that time they would never understand it. If the Prophet (s) would have explained it scientifically, they would not see it. They might believe but scientifically only now in the past 50 or 60 years they are beginning to see the ahadeeth of the Prophet. That is why Allah said in the Holy Qur'an:

سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ

sanureehim ayaatina fi 'l-aafaaq wa fee anfusihim.

We are going to show them Our Signs in the horizons and in themselves. (41:53)

It means in the future it is coming, the scientific signs. That is why you find many verses in the Holy Qur'an that indicate scientific issues that the Prophet (s) did not explain. Do you think that the Prophet (s) did not know it? Of course he knows it! That is why the predictions in the ahadeeth of the Last Days, this era relate to the sciences that you can read and see.

So people are not focusing on these scientific issues today because if you do, you will see the greatness of the Prophet (s), which will give 'azama to the Prophet, it will give love and greatness to respect the Prophet more. But people are busy with issues, with this and that, why is this person doing this, the hadith says this, this is a violent person, this is an extreme person. Go make people to love the Prophet (s) more by showing his predictions that are coming in the future. There are 1000 ahadeeth on this that were printed in a book and it was printed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. So they cannot say: no we do not accept. Even those who are different in their approach, they cannot say no because that book is printed in Riyadh.

So it is a compilation of ahadeeth they compiled from hundreds of thousands of ahadeeth, and they came with these 1000 about the signs of the Last Days and the predictions of sciences. So that is why awliyaaullah are more into the greatness of Sayyidina Muhammad (s), and the description of the mercy of the Prophet (s). They are more interested in what the Prophet (s) gave to humanity rather than in punishment here and punishment there, or this one is like this and that, etc.

These are very few people who are like, I'm sorry to say. Can I say it? Because last night I was informed by Mawlana Shaykh through spiritual means to speak on these issues. Such as the issue of apostate. How many people are being killed because they are apostates in this time? We don't see anyone. I try to recall from 30 years or 40 years ago, to see how many were executed because of being apostates but I didn't find any. Do you have facts? It is not because the government said, "You are an apostate so we cut your hand," no. So what he said, what was being technically supported by him, is that we are spending our efforts in bringing explanations but it is not going to change anything because nothing is being done about it. No one killed anyone because of that. It is better to use our time and effort in bringing the picture of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) as a mercy to humanity. It is more important than apostate because today there are people outside, in different areas, bringing the name of the Prophet (s) down and they are exposing the Prophet (s), astagfirullah, as someone who is not good. Which is better, to save an apostate, who I never saw being executed for or to save the picture of the Prophet (s) in the eyes of Muslims? This one, you will get a reward from Allah (swt) and this one, you may or may not get reward but it is not a common situation in the world. Like because of one person, Salman Rushdie, who said something against the Holy Qur'an and they called him an apostate, so we have to come and clean his position where the Prophet (s) is made as a terrorist in cartoons or whatever. Which better to work on, the picture of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) in the eyes of westerners or picture of an apostate?

So what is needed is a division or a study like Waleed bin Talal who gave something like 25 million dollars to Georgetown University to establish the Waleed bin Talal Chair for Islamic Studies. What is important is to make a chair from `ulama, from academicians, and from politicians but not for apostates only but to at least make our effort to bring back the good portrait and greatness of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) which every Muslim is in need of. It has to come from responsible `ulama, academicians and politicians. That why it is necessary to establish an academy called the Academy of the Greatness of the Muhammad to speak about him, his features, his greatness and about everything that shows a heavenly picture of the Prophet (s) because this is what will benefit the Muslims in the eyes of the west. And Allah (swt) will reward and compensate more and more when someone stands up for His beloved servant Sayyidina Muhammad (s). (Mawlana stands.)

As-salaatu wa salaamu `alayka yaa Sayyidi, yaa Rasulullah. As-salaatu wa salaamu `alayka yaa Sayyidi, yaa Habeebullah. As-salaatu wa salaam `alayka yaa Sayyideei, yaa Shafee`i 'l-mudhnibeen. Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar kabeera wa 'lhamdulillahi katheera wa subhaanallahi wa bi hamdihi bukratan wa aseela. Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasoolullah. (Mawlana sits.)

So to awliyaaullah this is what is important. To the people of the spiritual realm, this is what is important; for the greatness of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) to be shown to those who don't know about it, to educate and enlighten them because this is what will save them and save us. Not for people to diminish the greatness of the Prophet and Muslims stay quiet. Who is speaking? They go and make a demonstration. What is the benefit of demonstrations? There have to be papers and books written on the issue from `ulama who are standing up, politicians, and academic groups coming together to show greatness of the Prophet (s).

May Allah (swt) forgive us. May Allah bless us. We are weak servants. We try our best and we say, "Yaa Rabbee, we are weak servants. We can speak, but we cannot influence. We need heavenly influence and power that comes from You in order to change this situation.

وَقُلْ جَاء الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

Wa qul: ja'a al-haqq wa zahaqa al-batil in-nal baatila kaana zahuuqaa.

Say (O Muhammad), “Haqq has come and falsehood has perished.” (17:81)

We want haqq to come and falsehood to disappear. May Allah (swt) bring haqq to the people of haqq and bring baatil down against the enemy of haqq. And the enemies of haqq are Shaytan and his demons that go after human beings to bring them down. May Allah (swt) forgive us and bless us and bless this association and bless our teacher Sayyidi Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al Haqqani, the Sultan of Awliya and bless all of us.

Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Faatihah.

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