Maghrib Suhbah
كلمتان خفيفتان على اللسان ثقيلتان فى الميزان حبيبتان إلى الرحمن سبحان الله و بحمده سبحان الله العظيم
There are two words that are very easy to say, yet very heavy on the Scale, most beloved to The Merciful, “SubhaanAllah wa bihamdihi subhaanAllahi ’l-`Azheem.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
So short an advice, so small, but a power so great, so long, in only two words the Prophet (s) sent to the Ummah to try to save them from punishment and Hellfire. What are they? These two words: Kalimataan khafeefataan `alaa ’l-lisaan. They are very light on the tongue, and very heavy in the Scale.
Today there are so many centers that teach different kinds of knowledge, but no one opened a center to ‘punish’ others, in terms of what the Prophet (s) said:
اخشوشنوا فان النعم لن تدوم
Live a rough life because favors do not last forever.”
(Ibn Abi Shaybah; at-Tabarani with different wording.)
Live rough, because favors might not last: feel uncomfortable, feel pain, as for dunya pain you are rewarded in Akhirah. Pain in the Way of Allah (swt) is, for example, if someone is sick and cannot pray standing, they pray sitting. That is pain doing what Allah ordered us and what the Prophet (s) taught us. To save us from this, Allah sent that Hadith to the Prophet (s), these two words that will save the whole Ummah from Hellfire, and send the whole Ummah to Paradise, even if you just say it once a day.
Kalimataan khafeefataan `alaa ’l-lisaan thaqeelataan fi ’l-meezaan habeebataan li ’r-rahmaan: SubhaanAllah wa bihamdihi subhaanAllahi ’l-`Azheem, and some Hadith add “astaghfirullah.” There are centers devoted to Allah and His Prophet (s), not those that make their founders big peacocks who think their knowledge is so great and complete, when they did not yet begin in Tariqah. Don't look at your prayers and fasts, look that at-Tariqah kullahaa aadaab, Tariqah is full of adab, and everything that makes you improve is in the end adab.
So, there were people like us here, a hundred to two hundred people, who were with their shaykh for a long time. But unfortunately some now call themselves “shaykh” when actually it’s better to call yourself “beginner.” Don't be arrogant and call yourself “shaykh,” a title you will not take with you (when you die), so don’t be arrogant; rather, be in the level of Taslimiyya. Now they use computers day to day, stealing from here and there, looking at pictures, and everything bad is from these computers.
So there was a group of people like our group, like us. One day, the mureeds were sitting happily with the shaykh and one man came and said, “I have a question, can you explain something to me?” That was adab from the level of ordinary people, but in reality it’s not adab, because you shouldn’t ask the shaykh: if he likes, he will ask you, but you must only surrender. Tariqah is surrendering; there is no need for much explanation.
He said, “O my master, I have a question.”
The shaykh replied, “What is your question? You never asked a question before.”
He said, “I have been with you for twenty-seven years, praying, fasting, cleaning, listening, writing lectures, doing everything that pleases you. But I see myself the same, not improving, I achieved zero. What you did for me? I see my friends doing miracles, and I don't do anything!”
This is not in reference to anyone; we are repeating what Mawlana Shaykh (q) said. Awliyaullah teach their students with this story.
The shaykh said, “Do you want to be like the others who surrendered already and are performing miracles?”
He said, “Yes, that is why I asked you.”
The shaykh said, “Before I give an answer, go to the market, buy a basket, and fill it with walnuts. Then sit by the entrance of the masjid, and observe everyone coming in and going out.”
Is this Tariqah? Yes, listening to what the shaykh is saying is Tariqah.
“Take the basket, go to the masjid, and when adhan is called pray with jama`ah, and after the prayer go to the market and fill the basket with walnuts.”
Do you want a small basket or big basket? [Big.] Why? Because there will be so many walnuts in it!
He said, “I gave you that story as a parable to learn throughout your life. After you buy the walnuts, come and bring the basket to me and I will tell you what do with that it. If you do it correctly, I will give you your Amaanah.”
The mureed was dedicated and wanted to achieve something, but it required adab and heavenly permission. You cannot open a center by yourself [without authorization], and proclaim it a center of a Sufi order. That has no `ijaza, permission: in Islam and Tariqah, you must surrender to Allah and His Prophet (s), not to anyone else, nor to steal what is not to yours, that is not our way. Give everyone their rights, respect them! Love is our way.
Salman al-Farsi (r) said:
اعط كل ذي حق حقه فأتى النبيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فذكر ذلك له، فقال النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم :"صَدَقَ سَلْمَانُ
“U`tee kull dhi haqqin haqqahu, give everyone their right.” He mentioned this to the Prophet (s) who said, “Salman has spoken truthfully.” (Bukhari)
So that man bought the walnuts and came back; he was very happy the shaykh gave him something to do, and he said, “I did it.” He was expecting the shaykh to give him something very special that he didn’t give the others.
The shaykh said, “All of these went and fulfilled what I asked them to do, but you did not.”
He said, “What shall I do, O my shaykh? I will go and do it now!”
The shaykh said, “Go to the masjid with the basket and tell everyone coming out, ‘Hit me on the head with your shoe. Hit me once and I’ll give you one walnut, two hits and I’ll give you two walnuts, three hits and I’ll give you three walnuts!’ You must shout, ‘Free walnuts! Free walnuts!’”
He said, “Is this Tariqah, my shaykh?”
The shaykh said, “Yes. Tariqah is submission, and the others submitted to my orders, but you did not yet submit. When you have submitted you will be like them, then come to me.”
May Allah make us surrender and give us the best in dunya and Akhirah. May Awliyaullah make us submit to Allah and His Prophet (s)! If He says to pray five prayers daily, we must pray five prayers, not shorten it to three prayers. There are some Muslims who pray only three prayers daily, like the Nation of Islam used to do, with my respect to them; now they pray correctly. We like to do everything correctly, and may Allah (swt) forgive us and give us more examples about this kind of submission. For every walnut he was ordered to take a hit on his head. Although he was a good person, he was arrogant, because he saw himself as a big `alim.
Knowledge in front of Awliya is nothing! Scholars’ knowledge in front of Awliya is nothing, because Awliya’s knowledge is far above that of any scholar. That’s why Ibn Ajeeba said, al-ʿilm ʿilmaan ʿilmu’l-awraaq wa-ilmu’l-adhwaaq, “Knowledge is of two kinds: Knowledge of Papers (books) and Knowledge of Taste (spirituality).” We want the taste. When we buy honey we check its taste, but submit to Allah’s will, say, “Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem” and eat the honey of Heavens and Paradises.
Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
[He wants walnuts!] Walnuts? Tomorrow we will bring a lot of walnuts...but without getting hit with shoes the walnuts do not mean anything! [Laughter.] Who wants to be beaten by shoes? [Mawlana raises his hand.] For the love of Allah and His Prophet (s), we will do anything for them to be happy with us.
Wa min Allahi ‘t-tawfeeq bi hurmati ‘l-Habeeb bi hurmati ‘l-Fatihah.
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