7 December 2013 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammad.
Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammad.
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`alaa fee haadha 'l-masjid.
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)
Salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Alhamdulillah we are approaching the happiest, best event that happened in this universe, the holy birthday of the Prophet (s), and I am calling it holy inspite of the noses of those (who deny it). Sayyidina Muhammad (s) is Sayyid al-Bashar, the Master of Human Beings and the master of everything that Allah created and he with all that likes to be called servant of Allah (swt).
As long as we keep his love in our hearts, Allah (swt) will bless us and bless even those related to us, not only you but your ancestors, and His Dhikrullah, Allah makes it so that when we sit for dhikrullah, that dhikr will be engraved on the hearts of those who sit for dhikrullah. Amrullah an yuhfar kulli harfin fee quloobihim, every letter of the dhikr they do will be engraved on the hearts of those who do dhikrullah.
Also, Sayyidina `Umar (r), when he accepted Islam he asked his sister to show him what she is reading from. He didn't tell her to read, but he asked her, "What do you have in our hand?" and she had in her hand some narrations, say on the skin of an animal that had some verses of Holy Qur'an, or leaves of a tree on which were written verses of Holy Qur'an,and she extended that to him. Then he read it and the Light entered his house to enter Islam and he saw, if wecan say he saw something similar to a paper with his eyes, and as soon as he saw it with his eyes, he read. This is the paper, there is writing there and you can read them, but if upside-down (or the opposite side of the page) you cannot read, it is white (blank), nothing is written. So I try to read here and even if I write with a pen with white color, you cannot read that, but here you can read. So it means, as Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an:
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍَ
Yaa Banee Adama khudhoo zeenahtakum `inda kulli masjid.
O Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer.
(Surat al-A'raf, 7:31)
“O human beings!” speaking to the Muslims from the human beings but, in general, He is addressing everyone to enter into Islam. “Take your zeenah, your ornaments, the things you are proud of, take them to the entrance of every masjid, take those things you look great with. Don't go empty-handed.”
If Allah is ordering us to take our zeenah, the best of what we have to the masjid, why then, like for example, people say, “I am going to the museum,” to do what, why do you go to the museum? To see all the artwork that makes that place, that building a museum. Allah is telling us, for people of dunya, they take their ornaments with them to their buildings and that makes the building a museum. What do you think of taking the best of what you have to the masaajid? Do you see a museum hanging its pictures on the floor? No, only on high places; they are hanging it high and that is dead artwork and artists consider it lively. So consider what Allah said in Holy Qur'an, “Take your zeenah, don't leave your masajid empty of Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes and verses of Holy Qur'an that are written in order to make the House of Allah, where these Beautiful Names and Attributes will be manifested because of the verse of the Holy Qur'an that are written on the wall or hanging in the frames. Because as soon as you enter a masjid you look around and you don't see anything but a wall, but if you see verses of Holy Qur'an you try to read it. What do you get? You are reading Allah's Words. But in masajid today, what do you see? Bulletin boards (with ads), who wants to hire a helper, who wants to hire a driver, but inside it is blank.
So these zeenah, decorations, when you put it in writing Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem in a very nice way, you are making the Muslim and non-Muslim to enter Islam. How many non-Muslims entered Islam from calligraphy, because they see with their eyes that Light that Allah as put in His Words! So when I see written there "Allah" I remember to say "Allah" and when I look there to see “Muhammad” I will be aware to say “Muhammad” (s). But when it is empty, Shaytan doesn't let me to see. So there are things in Holy Qur'an that have to be understood, not the way that blind (people describe them).
وَمَن كَانَ فِي هَـذِهِ أَعْمَى فَهُوَ فِي الآخِرَةِ أَعْمَى وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيل
Wa man kaana fee hadhihi `amaa fa-huwa fi 'l-akhirati `amaa wa adalloo sabeela.
But those who were blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter and most astray from the Path.
(Surat al-'Israa, 17:72)
Allah (swt) said, Khudhoo zeenahtakum `inda kulli masjid, “Take the best decoration of what you have to My Home,” and it is said:
قلب الموءمن بيت الرب
Qalb al-mu'min bayt ar-rabb.
The heart of the believer is the House of the Lord.
So it means “take the best decoration that you have to the House of Allah that is within you,” and that is your heart. If you cannnot take it to your heart and your heart is dead, there is no light in it and your life will be dead, but if you take what Allah makes lively, Allah's Words to Allah's Home, which is your heart, that heart will become alive with Noorullah! We are putting things together, we are not trying to innovate, but putting things together, taking it and analyzing it and then you undersand that “take the zeenah to every mosque” and “the heart of the mu’min is the House of Allah,” and take these equations and cancel from here and from there, then you get (the understanding), “decorate your heart with Holy Qur'an.”
Zayyinoo masaajidukum bi ‘l-qur’an.
Decorate your hearts with Holy Qur'an.
So I remind the parents to teach their children to learn to read Holy Qur'an and every time you read, more enlightenment comes, more of Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes come to you, and when you read in your home by yourself, in your home all that Manifestation comes to your heart, because that is the House of Allah, the qalb al-mum’in. To do this, to decorate your heart, you become like a spotlight and everyone wants to look at you, but the light coming from your face attracts them. You cannot control it; even if you are ugly, but that light...it might be someone in your eyes is ugly or disgusting, but to Allah, if he asks Him He will respond to Him, because of what? Because he has put the zeenah of Allah's Words in his heart!
Today people are only busy with which school he has to go, to what university he has to go, is my son studying, is he going to pass his exam? But did you pray for his Eternal Life? I receive tens of emails every day to “pray for my son to pass his test.” Only two days ago, I received an email stating, “O thank you, thank you! Today I passed my drivers license test,” (from someone) very happy, making a celebration, to celebrate it.
So they build, instead of a long time ago, their life was simple life. Since like six months ago until today, sometimes with Mawlana's baraka I can share this with you, as if everything opens and I see in the corner: a person sitting in deep meditation and sitting normally on cement, not cement but pebbles or soil, and he has nothing, a little bit of water here and a little bit of fruit here, and his only concern is how to make dhikrullah, not talking to anyone. This will pass and then in three or four hours later I see them again, but a different person. This is happening now and it has a meaning, and it reminds me of old times or the stories of the ascetics, how they are living their lives with nothing and Allah supports them with nothing. Their food and drink are dhikrullah and salawat on the Prophet (s)!
And Grandshaykh (q) used to say, “If I will stop eating, if I don't eat I don't need it as I can not eat for a year.” These rijaal, called in Arabic “ar-riyaadiyyoon,” the athletics, the one who is fit, I have that. I am fit for everything, ar-riyaadiyyoon, “I am surviving from Words of Allah.”
إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ
Inna Allaha Huwa ar-razzaaq dhu ’l-quwaati ’l-mateen.
For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance, Lord of Power, Steadfast (for ever).
(Surat az-Zariyaat, 51:58)
“I don't want to be fed from anyone,” Allah saying, “But I will feed everyone, even if he doesn’t do anything but he is on My Way looking how to reach Me, I will feed him.”
So we have to take ourselves in that direction, the direction of ascetism. This dunya is moving towards Akhirah, it is ending. Can you tell me anyone that died and came back? Can you tell me anyone that is still living from the time of Sayyidina Adam (a)? No way. So since that is the case, so we have to put our objectives to work, we are not saying not to work, but to work and thank Allah (swt) and to help who needs help and to guide who needs guidance, because that is what is needed: to guide for peace. Because when you bring peace to your heart through dhikrullah, then Allah makes you a guide to bring peace to other people.
That is why to bring, Allah said in Holy Qur'an, because many of us, not many but all of us, we have something wrong: there must be something between each other that we don't like and the other has something we don't like. Do you like what he has and do you like what he has? So for sure you will find people have something to criticize that makes you angry. Ask here if anyone doesn't have anger in his heart. Taher, do you have anger? All of us have anger in our heart. So how are you going to bring decoration when you want to make perfection to your heart through dhikrullah when, on the other hand, you are getting anger in your heart toward someone else? It doesn’t work. So what to do then? If you cannot fix the problem, then it is going to be a big problem, chaos. Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an, to solve this problem:
فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ
Faman `afaa wa aslaha fa ajruhu `alaa ’Llah.
Who forgives and makes up between people, his reward is with Allah. (Surat ash-Shura, 42:40)
Who will forgive and make peace, aslah, the one that forgives: faman `afaa wa aslaha, who forgives. Can you forgive each other? [Yes.] Say Fatihah! Faman `afaa wa aslaha fa ajruhu `alaa ’Llah. First you have to make peace, then from your side to forgive them, but when you confront them you cannot make peace, so you forgive them, saying, “Go, I am forgiving you if there is any problem between me and you.” Who will give you the rewards? Allah. The reward for those who forgive and make peace is from Allah, fa ajruhu, your payback has no limit. When we make forgiveness, then Allah pays us back.
They do interfaith. How many times we did interfaith? Too many. What is the benefit? First do interfaith within your heart and fix yourself between you and Allah: make things to work out. That is interfaith, to go deep into your imaan, faith is imaan. Are you doing what is necessary to do or are you coming against Allah (swt) and His Prophet (s)? So you go to make peace with others when you are doing against Allah and His Prophet; so interfaith must be within yourself first, that you take your best to Allah in the Divine Presence. When you say “Allahu Akbar,” you enter with decoration, with a beautiful heart. We are looking at interfaith with other beliefs, but first we must make interfaith within ourselves and after that we must make interfaith withing our communities. (Others condemn) “Oh! This one is making qaseeda praising the Prophet (s), but he must only make qaseeda praising Allah (swt)!” They don't want you to make qaseeda praising the Prophet (s)! Sit and make interfaith (within yourselves)! Come, we forgive you and you forgive us, to fix ourselves and we take our ajar from Allah (swt).
Sulh. So you know what is sulh in Arabic. Peace. Sulh is to bring two entities to make between them peace. First agreement, then that leads to peace. You have to make agreement with Allah (swt) and with the Prophet (s) and saying, “Yaa Allah! I am following that agreement.”
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)
Agreement with the Prophet (s) is:
وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا
Wa maataakumu ’r-rasoolu fakhudhoohu wa maa nahaakum `anhu fantahoo.
Leave what Prophet (s) forbade and take what he ordered. (Surat al-Hashr, 59:7)
So that word, sulh, those who make peace. They say salaam is peace, as in salaam `alaykum, but to bring peace first you must make sulh, an agreement towards peace. Do we have any agreement between ourselves and our shaytan to put him down? We have to make agreement with our Prophet (s) that, “Yaa Rabbee! I made agreement to put Shaytan down.” That Shaytan is running between people to destroy people, families and countries even. That word sulh is mentioned in Holy Qur'an more than fifty times, about the importance of peace in bringing communities together.
وَإِن طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِن بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَى فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّى تَفِيءَ إِلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَإِن فَاءتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ
Hence, if two groups of believers fall to fighting, make peace between them, but then if one of the two (groups) goes on acting wrongfully towards the other, fight against the one that acts wrongfully until it reverts to Allah’s commandment, and if they revert, make peace between them with justice and deal equitably (with them), for verily, Allah loves those who act equitably! (Surat al-Hujaraat, 49:9)
“If two groups fighting each other support the group that is on right and bring them back together to make sulh,” is that not right? So Allah (swt) emphasized in Holy Qur'an, fa in faa'at fa aslihoo baynihima bi ‘l-`adl, “If two groups are fighting, try to bring them together in order to bring reconciliation and when that paper or secret document has been signed, then make peace.” So islah is first and peace, salaam, is second; it is in the meaning of sulh.
وَالصُّلْحُ خَيْرٌ
Wa as-sulhu khayran.
Peace is better. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:128)
“And when it is said to them, ‘Don't make corruption in the Earth (don't attack and kill with no reason),’ they say, ‘We only want to make peace.’” What are you seeing today? You are seeing people killing each other and communities fighting each other, and that is why Allah (swt) said:
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لاَ تُفْسِدُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالُواْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ أَلا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَـكِن لاَّ يَشْعُرُونَ
Wa idhaa qeela lahum laa tufsidoo fi ’l-ardi qaaloo innamaa nahnu muslihoona alaa innahum humu ’l-mufsidoona wa laakin laa yash`uroon.
And when it is said to them, “Don’t make mischief throughout the Earth,” they say, “We only want to make peace!” Certainly they are the ones who make mischief, but they realize not.
(Surat al-Baqara, 2:11,12)
Don't turn Earth into a battlefield! What did they say? They say, innamaa nahnu muslihoon, “No, we are bringing peace, we are peacemakers.” And we can see that they claim this one is kafir, that one is mushrik, that one Jabhat an-Nusrah, and they say, “We are correct!” but they are the wrong ones.
So the muslih is the one that brings people together and fixes the matter between Muslims, fixes the matter between non-Muslims or between human beings, because Allah (swt) mentioned in general:
وَالَّذِينَ يُمَسَّكُونَ بِالْكِتَابِ وَأَقَامُواْ الصَّلاَةَ إِنَّا لاَ نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُصْلِحِينَ
Wa ‘l-latheena yumassikoona bi ‘l-kitaabi waaqaamoo ‘s-salaata innaa laa nudee`au ajr al-musliheen.
As to those who hold fast by the Book and establish regular prayer, never shall We suffer the reward of the righteous to perish. (Surat al-A`raf, 7:170)
وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ لِيُهْلِكَ الْقُرَى بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا مُصْلِحُونَ
Wamaa kaana rabbuka liyuhlika ‘l-quraa bithulmin wa ahluhaa muslihoon.
Nor would your Lord be The One to destroy communities for a single wrong-doing if its members were likely to mend. (Surah Hud, 11:117)
So Allah (swt) likes islah: faman `afaa wa aslaha fa ajruhu `alaa Allah, “Whomever forgives and makes peace, Allah rewards him from His rewards.” And there are like fifty verses on muslihoon in Holy Qur'an, andall of them indicate that you have to be a righteious person to make peace. So ‘peace’ in the understanding now from the word “peace,” salaam, islah is peace. Islah is what leads to peace: if there is no islah then there is no peace. You cannot waste your time with interfaith programs if there is no islah. Arrange to bring people together and drop what they have of corruption and enmity, then peace will come easily like on a golden plate!
So salaah is the verb and muslih, sulh is indicating that someone wants to make peace to entire communities. Grandshaykh `AbdAllah (q) used to always use that verse to make peace. So from now we are going to call ourselves al-Muslihoon, the ones who make peace on Earth, and we do islah, because Naqshbandiyyoon, on their hearts is engraved Allah's Name, so someone whose heart is engraved with “Allah” cannot be but a peacemaker, so inshaa-Allah we are.
This is coming from hidden meanings from high levels, that today anyone calling himself muslih and working hard for the benefit of humanity, Allah will bless him with endless rewards, so we are al-Muslihoon.
Sayyidina Salih (a), who had the camel, Allah called him ‘Saalih,’ which means “righteous.” So we hope and pray Allah will dress us with his miraculous power and bring that islah within us to everyone and we will be muslihoon from this day forward.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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