After Dhuhr
As-salaam `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakutuhu.
Yawman jadeed suhbatun jadeeda - A new day a new association.
We were discussing the importance of halaqah, last Saturday, was it not? after Dhuhr. So we continue some of it now.
It is said that in 1330 Hijrah this story, 2nd of Sha`ban was mentioned by Sayyidina Shaykh Sharafuddin, great Grandshaykh. He said, “There was a deceased person and they wanted to pray on him and to bury him. As soon as they put him in the coffin and they want to carry him, after they prayed on him, they have to carry him and take him to the cemetery they were not able to.”
That is an event that happened a long time ago. That person was someone that was important in the community. That is the one who died, he was a good person but they cannot carry anymore his coffin to take him to the cemetery. No one knew why, one man, two men, three, five, fifty people tried, no way. It is stuck, glued on earth. No one can take that deceased person.
Before we go in that story I want to say a story that happened with me and my brother. There was in Tripoli, Lebanon a wali called Ahmad as-Sayyaadi originally from Homs, Syria. And anyone goes to him, he has his house and he has his place, but he likes always to stay there in a shop, down in the downtown market. He likes to stay in that shop that it might be from that window to here, that small (10 feet square). And in winter he has a container, a barrel, and he puts wood in it (to burn) and gets warm from the (burning) wood because it is cold and the whole place he has is full of smoke from the wood. And he is sitting doing dhikr and people come and ask questions. “This one sick, this one dead, this one needs this” and he gives different awraad to do when they have difficulties. And his age was 115 when he died. We know him a long time before he died, 15 years.
He has a lot of followers. I remember that one day they said... (At that time) there is war in Lebanon. And Tripoli (where we lived) was in the north side of Lebanon, which is a big town which with at least 2 million people. And they said “Shaykh Ahmad Sayyaadi’s home was hit by rocket!” and everyone was concerned that he might die. And we went to see him and alhamdulillah, he was ok. The rocket came inside the house and you see the hole and it exploded inside the home. And nothing happened to him, not one injury. When Allah protect, he protects. Allah protects his awliya.
He was such a person that a lot of miracles used to happen in that city. Lot of awliya. Mawlana like that city a lot. There is a cemetery that is called “Cemetery of Awliya.”.. only awliya are buried in that cemetery.
One of these awliya, and they say this happened in the Second World War, that his son was telling me, that when there was, because of the war, the government ordered for the French army - because there were the French inside (the country) - they ordered a huge vessel from France full of wheat, in order to bake bread and cook. And that was huge vessel, 20,000 tonnes, was carrying food for the French army.
I tried to remember his name but it went out of my mind.
So when that vessel was approaching there was a war (battle) inside the city and as it approached and came to the shore, in order to empty its load and they (authorities) asked, they ordered the boat, the vessel to move out. And that wali, that shaykh - and it is a well known story in Tripoli - he was sitting by the ocean, fishing. He doesn’t care - war or no war - sitting by the shore fishing. And suddenly they saw him take his fishing pole, because the boat still at the shore, and he throw it on the boat as if fishing the boat. And the neighbor homes are asking him to come in (due to the intense bombardment). He said, “No, I am not coming in.” He throws it and left it on the boat and from the windows they said, “What are you doing?” He said, “I am fishing the boat.” They said, “You are fishing the boat?”
So when order came to move the boat they cannot move the boat. They used all the engine power to move the boat and they could not move the boat.
Then he said, “This boat is confiscated until all the food in the boat is distributed to the poor and not to the army.” And whatever they want to do no one can move his hand, hundreds of army (soldiers). And then they emptied the boat completely, then he moved his hand and the boat was allowed to move.
So that Shaykh Ahmad as-Sayyaadi - that relates directly to us - he was the one who was deceased. So he died and his students decided to bury him in an area outside the city, so you have to walk from masjid to his area walking one hour and you have to carry the janazah one hour and it is a normal highway and it called Bab ar-Raml - it is all sand - and you have to walk that way and then you have to go up a hill about half an hour to reach that cemetery. They want to bury him there because they want to build for him a huge maqam and mosque or something.
So me and my brother told them, “It is better not to bury him there, but better to bury him in his own mosque and by his mosque is the cemetery that is full of awliya.” They said, “No way, no way!” They want to take him up. We said, “No it is better to bury the wali where he wants to be buried. Use your mind.”
So, they said, “no,” and what to do? We have to go with them. So about 100,000 people came for his janazah and they took him to the main mosque, the big mosque of Tripoli and the people could not fit, they had to pray outside in the streets.
And then, they were carrying the janazah all the way to hill and they want to go on the hill and (suddenly) it was not able to move. The coffin is resisting. 10 people, 20 people, 30 people and he was so slim and he doesn't weigh more than 100 lbs. because he was big worshipper and he doesn’t eat except 3 dates per day and some water, and (yet) no way to move him. They tried their best to move the coffin and the coffin is moving him back. They don’t know what to do.
We said, “Take him back to his own place might be he wants to go to his own place, the cemetery of awliya.” They said, “No it is impossible.” We said, “try!”
Then, as soon as they turned to go in that direction the coffin moved. When they turn back towards the hill then it stops – he doesn't want.
So they decided to go back and they went back to bury him and his will was to bury him by his mosque and street so people can see him and he sees them and they recite Fatiha for him. That is to tell them “I am nothing. You see me, I am by the street.” And to remind them…” , so behind him the mosque.
So awliyaullah have that kind of power when they die they resist if they don’t like (something). Like today they don’t let you open a grave. A government may want to open a highway and they want to take the shrine or grave of the wali, (but) they find resistance.
One time there is in Damascus, near the family of the Prophet (s), where they are buried and Sayyidina Bilal and many other Sahaba are buried in that cemetery, outside the cemetery there is a small cemetery where is buried in Hitte, a Shaykh of Ahl al-Bayt, Saad- ad-deen Jibawi, and also they want to open a road and there is mosque there with a grave (inside). How do you pray in mosque with a grave? Allah said in Holy Quran “build a mosque on their graves.” Build a mosque on their grave, in Surat al-Kahf too make it a place where people can come and read Fatiha and do dhikr.
So that Saad-ad-deen Jibawi was in the middle of the road and the government decided to open a highway, so they have to take away his grave. And they brought bulldozer to take away the grave and it comes to the wall and it freezed. They push and it freezes. And they come to grand mufti of Damascus and said “what we have to do?” and that grand mufti loved Grandshaykh Abdullah and he went to Grandshaykh and asked him, “What do we have to do?” Grandshaykh said, “You cannot take him. If you want to take him you have to make dhikrullah all night. With dhikrullah then he will accept.” So they took advice of Grandshaykh and gathered many people and scholars and they went down to his grave and there they did dhikr all night long. Then next day they brought the bulldozer and it was able to move, it took down the cemetery wall and then they came to grave and they opened the grave and they got a beautiful smell coming out. It was as if he was buried today. And they built the new masjid by the side of the highway and put his grave there.
Awliya have that power that in their life and in their death Allah gave them freedom.
So that man in that story that Great Grandshaykh Sharafuddin mentioned about a long time ago, no one can carry, no one can take him out. So they decided to bring more men and more men came and no way to take him up. Then one said, “The Shaykh is sending a message.” Then Shaykh Sharafuddin was sending a message, Sayyidina Shaykh Sharafuddin, that “if you want to take him you have no choice but to do what Imam Shafi`i used to do.”
What he used to do? One time, in the time of Imam Shafi`i, a person died and no one knows who is that person. So according to Islamic Shari`ah they have to take care of him. So they washed him and took his coffin but they were not able. So Imam Shafi`i ordred the people to come and sit in a circle and do dhikrullah. Then they were able to take up his coffin and take him to the cemetery. Then Shaykh Sharafuddin said “do the same and then you will be able to take his body to cemetery.”
So they called all `ulama and all student and they sit in circle and they recited 70,000 times dhikrullah and they gave the reward of that recitation to that janazah, that person deceased in the coffin. As soon as they did that and give that reward to the person in coffin then that coffin, was as if something frozen and now it is moving. And they felt that coffin was shaking. And they approached to carry it and it was light like a feather, they were able to raise it up. They asked, “what is the wisdom that deceased person, 50 people were not able to carry him before and now with this recitation he was able to be carried?”
I am speaking on the importantce of halaqah for dhikrullah. Halaqah dhikrullah is important to attend it is clean you from your sins. Wherever it is, attend, and if not do it by yourself. The only valid excuse not to attend is when you are sick or you are hosting an important guest or when you are traveling. Then you are not obliged to go to the circle of dhikrullah. Other than that in normal life then go attend as there is lot of baraka in that for your life.
That is why Grandshaykh never accepted anyone to miss dhikrullah, once a week at least. That dhikrullah that we are doing today, the khatm, small khatm we call it Khatm as-Sagheer, after Grandshaykh passed away usually Mawlana Shaykh does that in Western countries. There in Damascus he does the big dhikr, big khatm where we count on pebbles. He advised the small dhikr to be done every day even. The big one is done once a week.
There is lot of baraka in dhikrullah as it will clean all the sins and mistakes we have done from past week to this week. And they asked “what was worng with this person that we could not carry him from the floor?” Shaykh Sharafuddin said, “That man was very pious, with very few sins, he didn't do anything wrong in his life. But his main problem he was not yet yahtam, take care, of his obligations. He does it, but carelessly. He doesn’t do sins but he doesn’t take care, careful of his obligation. He goes to his work, goes home, not doing any backbiting and not doing sins but he was careless for his obligations. Because he was careless he fell into innovations.”
When you are careless in obligations, you begin to make fatwa to yourself and make excuse to yourself why not to take care of obligations. This will make within you an innovation on why not to make your obligation.
We find now on the internet “grand muftis”. They don’t accept to be mufti only – they have to be grand mufti and they are on the internet and bringing new stuff in Islam. Subhanallah, this came now in Grandshaykh’s notes and to tell those on the Internet and to say that too many of these so-called shaykhs they are falling and making their followers falling into innovations as they never studied Shari`ah and never knew Shari`ah and they were only given authority to do dhikr and given permission to do dhikr. (Instead) they begin to give irshaad (guidance) and they begin to innovate excuses on themselves that their followers also follow.
And they are going to face huge problem and that mistake is they mislead their followers and mislead from right way, from tariqah. Tariqah is azeemat-ash-Shari`ah . Tariqah is not rukhsah. The lowest level in Shari`ah is you give excuse to yourself in every aspect of Shari`ah . Azeema is not to accept any excuse in your obligation. So tariqah is more stringent teachings of awliya. (It) is strict way of complying with eveything that Shari`ah is asking. Tariqah keeps the highest level of strictness and purity on yourself and to be good person and in adab and along with your obligations. That is why we say tariqah is azeemat ash-Shari`ah the highest level that Shari`ah can be performed with not the lowest level.
That is why many people, with my respect to everyone, people are falling into misleading ways, deviation. They are not deviated, they are praying but they do things that are innovations.
Kullu bida`tun dalaah wa kullu dalaalatan fin-naar. I am not saying like these people who (around) repeating (without understandign) kullu dalaalatan fin-naar - And every deviation is in the fire.”
Yes, in tariqah people must not go into bida`. People going into bida` because of these misleading shaykhs they want to sit and give teaching to their students.
And Wahabis accuse people of bida` and we in tariqah say “that if you are not following Shari`ah you are making bida` you are making your own way.” They are the ones making bida`. But it is correct, you cannot make your own way.
So the importance of dhikrullah is to clean. So he said to them that “this man was from pious people, he never did something wrong. He tried his best, though people make wrong of course, but he was not giving importance in his obligations so many innovations were coming from him. Sso when he was leaving dunya and the angel of death was taking his soul, Azraeel (as), that person opened to him (to his vision) all kinds of, all the innovations that he did in his life. When that opened to him and he felt that he is from the people of hellfire because he didn’t take `ala mahmal al-jadd very seriously, his obligations. He used to say like people do today, “O never mind, my shaykh will defend me. O never mind this sunnah, no need. O never mind, don’t need to do that.” Like many people today they do many innovations.
Sorry but you have to have self-criticism. Many people connected to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, may Allah give him long life Mawlana doesn’t do any innovation, I know half century, 50 years with him. But those around they do lot of innovations. They don’t know what they are doing. And I feel bad to mention what they are doing, no live what they are doing.
So he felt that he is going to be from the people of hellfire. When he felt that, at that moment the prophet’s inctercession came for him. Because he was pious person. No, from whoever said la ilaha ill Lllah will enter paradise. For sure, everyone even doing bida` if he is Muslim he will enter paradise that is Allah mercy and prophet mercy that Allah gave to him.
So as we said when they put him in the coffin and he was in coffin and they begin to recite that coffin was shaking. What was happening was that he was feeling he was from people of hellfire so he was resisting to move to grave before intercession of the Prophet (s). Becase he didn’t have a shaykh. So he was calling for intercession of the Prophet (s). The importance of having a shaykh is to have one to defend you in that critical position. And we ask Allah to keep us under mercy when he is taking back the soul and to be under protection and intercession of the Prophet (s) when we are in that position.
So when intercession of the Prophet (s) came he was feeling free now and the coffin begin to move and shake.
So that intercession was due to the dhikrullah that was done and that intercession of Prophet (s) coincided with the dhikrullah. And that intercession came.
So we go over that next time with importance of dhikrullah in circle next Saturday or we see when is next time.
Bi-hurmati 'l-Fatiha.
(One asks, "Mawlana, when you say obligations is it religious obligations or obligations to family?")
When I was speaking about the grave, in Somalia they went and destroyed so many graves of awliya and Allah doesn’t like that. That is why punishment is coming on them. Man adhaa lee waliyyan adhantahu bi ’l-harb. Allah declared war on those who come against a wali. Allah will come against those who are destroying the graves of awliyaullah.
Allah said in Holy Quran: “build on them a building” in Surat al-Kahf. That is why it is accepted in Islam to build a masjid over a grave. Let them go and read Surat al-Kahf.
Fa qaal ‘bnu `alayhim bunyaana. Rabbahum `alaamoo bihim.
They said build on them a building that is place of remembrance that they are Ashaab al-Kahf..
That means if a prophet goes away, build on them a building and he didn’t say build on them lawha (panel, sign). Qaala alladheena ghalaboo `ala amrihim la natakhidhanna `alahyim masjida. So bunyaana, means building. Those the others said, “Build a masjid over them.” So you have two choices. How do you say no? This is sign of Islam. The Turkish, all around Europe, they build all around masajid. Even in Andalusia, everyone knows Islam was there, all these different writings and even graves of Sahaba are there. Some known and some not known. Lot of them died there.
Fatiha.
Insha'Allah we can keep it always broadcasting from Cyprus. Although there are many problems going there, physical and political. Some people tried to stop it and some to keep it and we are in a struggle. May Allah make it easy. Mawlana is happy, and that is most important. Addressing everyone and reaching everyone. Of course he can reach people by spirituality, we understand that, but people like to see him in his house. They came and said, "We don’t want any broadcast from here." The stupid ladies who think they are the bosses. "We don’t want Mawlana, we can tape him and you can put on your website in evening." That is what they tried to do .... but makaroo wa makarullah. Allah planned and destroyed their plan as they are Shaytaan's plans.
The Prophet (s) they poisoned him and made sihr on the Prophet (s). So don’t say in Mawlana’s house there is no Shaytaan. There are lot of them. Many in human shape, there are lot of munafiqoon even. Yaqoolun bi afwahiim ma laysa fee quloobhim men and women. Not lot, 2,3 4 trying to dominate everything. But this time people were open eyes and they knew makr, in Arabic it means something really bad, daahiya, means in Arabic someone is part of conspiracy but with bad intentions, a plot with hatred, with enmity, with jealousy, that is makr.
This is the character of Shaytaan. Because when the Prophet (s) was calling people to say la ilaha ill-Llah and Shaytaan entered into statues Hubal and Bal and Lat and began to speak and say, “O we are your gods.” Who are you going to believe? The statues are speaking and the Prophet is saying “la ilaha ill-Llah.” Allah guided the Sahaba. Allah protected the Prophet (s). There are some statues there still, in Mawlana’s house. Not physical statues, but they are men and women, whom they talk with Shaytaanic talk. May Allah take them!
They poisoned the Prophet (s) even; they gave him poisoned meat. They did sihr on him by taking some of his hair and clothes by one of his helpers. And they wrapped it and do sihr on it and put it somewhere. Then Jibreel (as) came and told the Prophet (s), “That sihr is in a certain well and it is in a jar there.” Then they sent someone to get that and found it and there were 11 knots in it. Then they recited Surat al-Falaq which was revealed for that purpose. And he recited one time and one knot opened; recited second time second knot opened until all of them were opened and the sihr was removed. That is teaching as the Prophet (s) can remove that (without recitation) but it is teaching for us.
I don't want to mention who they are. May Allah protect Mawlana from them. Don’t say, “O, they are so near the shaykh.” Every day I am there and every day Mawlana is shouting and cursing them. They don’t care and they don’t listen! What they want to do, they do. Sorry for talking that, As-salaam `alaykum. They are not going to change with 100 chances even. But Mawlana is submitting.
(On the Internet they are saying “we love you sayyidee”)
We love them all who are behind the Internet screen, may Allah bless them all and give them happy life.