Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
25 July 2013 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Fajr Suhbah
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)
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. Alhamdulillahi Rabbi 'l-`Alameen, wa ’s-salaatu wa ’s-salaamu `alaa ashrafi 'l-mursaleen Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.
We are in the session of dhikrullah and dhikrullah is very important for us and for every mu’min and Muslim, because it is the instrument, if we can say that, or it is the way to polish the heart that has already been ‘oxidized’ and too much dirtiness is on it.
As it is narrated by Mu`adh ibn Jabal (r) that the Prophet (s) said:
عَنْ مُعَاذٍ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " مَا عَمِلَ ابْنُ آدَمَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ أَنْجَى لَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ " ، قَالُوا : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، وَلا الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ، قَالَ : " وَلا الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِلا أَنْ تَضْرِبَ بِسَيْفِكَ حَتَّى يَنْقَطِعَ ، ثُمَّ تَضْرِبَ بِهِ حَتَّى يَنْقَطِعَ " ، قَالَهَا ثَلاثًا
Maa `amala aadamiyyun `amalun qat unjiyy lahu min `adhaabillaahi min dhikrullah. Qaaloo: yaa Rasoolullah, wa laa jihaadu fee sabeelillah? Qaal: wa laa jihaadu fee sabeelillah illah an tadriba bi-sayfika hattaa yanqati`, thumma tadriba bi-sayfika hattaa yanqati`, fa-qaalahaa thalaathan.
No work will more surely save a man from the punishment of Allah than the remembrance of Allah. (Ahmad, `Abd bin Humayd in his Musnad)
“No one did a better `amal than dhikrullah to save him from difficulties; dhikrullah will save him from Punishment and save him from being away from Allah (swt)’s Presence on Judgment Day,” which is due to being far from the Prophet (s)’s presence on Judgment Day, in a position that he is going to feel shy. Why? Because dhikrullah, as mentioned, will take away all dirtiness from the heart.
ولا ريب أن القلب يصدأ كما يصدأ النحاس والفضة وغيرهما وجلاؤه بالذكر، فإنه يجلوه حتى يدعه كالمرآة البيضاء ﻓﺈﺫﺍ ﺗﺮﻙ ﺻﺪﺉ ﻓﺈﺫﺍ ﺟﻼﻩ ﻭﺻﺪﺃ ﺍﻟﻘﻠﺐ ﺑﺄﻣﺮﻳﻦ ﺑﺎﻟﻐﻔﻠﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﺬﻧﺐ ﻭﺟﻼﺅﻩ ﺑﺸﻴﺌﲔ ﺑﺎﻻﺳﺘﻐﻔﺎﺭﻭﺍﻟﺬﻛﺮﻓﻤﻦ ﻛﺎﻧﺖ ﺍﻟﻐﻔﻠﺔ ﺃﻏﻠﺐ ﺃﻭﻗﺎﺗﻪ ﻛﺎﻥ ﺍﻟﺼﺪﺃﻣﺘﺮﺍﻛﺒﺎﻋﻠﻰ ﻗﻠﺒﻪ ﻭﺻﺪﺃﻩ ﲝﺴﺐ ﻏﻔﻠﺘﻪ ﻭﺇﺫﺍﺻﺪﺉ ﺍﻟﻘﻠﺐ ﱂ ﺗﻨﻄﺒﻊ ﻓﻴﻪ ﺻﻮﺭﺍﳌﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎﺕﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﺎﻫﻲﻋﻠﻴﻪ
There is no doubt that the heart becomes covered with rust, just as metal dishes, silver, and their like become rusty. So the rust of the heart is polished with dhikr (remembrance of Allah), for dhikr polishes the heart until it becomes like a shiny mirror. However, when dhikr is abandoned, the rust returns; and when it commences then the heart again begins to be cleansed. Thus the heart becoming rusty is due to two matters: sins and neglecting remembrance of Allah. Likewise, it is cleansed and polished by two things: istighfaar and dhikr. (Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, al-Waabil as-Sayyid)
“It is known that the heart will get rusted just as copper and silver get rusted.” Gold doesn't rust, but silver and copper get rusted due to oxygen in the atmosphere, and the atmosphere of the heart is the body. So the body has its own environment and atmosphere which affect the purity and cleanliness of the heart. If that environment within the body is rusted, then for sure the heart will begin to rust slowly, slowly.
As we are children, we say that, as the Prophet (s) said in a hadith:
يولد الانسان على الفطرة وانما ابواه يهودانه او ينصرانه او يمجسانه
Yoolidu ‘l-insaanu `ala ‘l-fitra wa innamaa abawaahu yuhawwidaanihi aw yunassaraanihi aw yumajjisaanih.
Human beings are born on fitrah, innocence; either his parents make him Jewish or Christian or Zoroastrian. (Muslim)
Children are born on innocence, their heart is not rusted; they are born on imaan, as Allah (swt) does not create anyone except on imaan. So the child is clean, but when the mother gives birth she reflects her negativity and bad character onto the child as she is feeding him, or the father, or the reflection of the home is reflected on the child. So that darkness is reflected onto the child, although he didn't do anything, but his heart will be affected and he can no longer see what he was seeing when he came to dunya. When the child comes to dunya, his heart's eyes are open; he can hear and can see, because he is innocent, he has no sins. That's why they say today, “The child hears the mother and can respond.” So slowly while growing up in the environment around him, especially youngsters, as teenagers have many things that they discuss amongst each other that they should not, and they reflect on each other and make the heart rusted and veil the heart with that bad character and veil it with all kinds of sins and ma`asiyya.
So for copper and silver you need to polish it, and the way to polish the heart is you need an instrument that can polish, and it is by dhikrullah. Wa jalaauhu bi ‘dh-dhikr, “The heart's cleanliness is through dhikrullah.” So dhikrullah will make the heart clean and back to normal, and make it like a mirror. When you are a mirror, you reflect; if I put a mirror in front of you, it reflects your picture. The heart becomes a mirror and reflects what you cannot see into the heart, because the heart is clean. So all these realities around us that we cannot see are reflected on your heart when you polish your heart with dhikrullah. So dhikrullah gets you to see the realities that you cannot see through anything else except through dhikrullah.
`Abdul-Wahhab ash-Sha`rani (q) who was a famous scholar of Egypt one-thousand years ago, the author of Kashif al-Ghummah, was asked, “What do you speak about `Ilm az-Zaahir and `Ilm al-Baatin, Knowledge of Books (this one said this, this one said that, teachings of fiqh and so on) and Knowledge of the Hidden?” He said, “No, there are no two kinds of knowledge, `Ilm az-Zaahir or Ilm al-Baatin, knowledge of what you see and that which is hidden, that is not true. For us everything is appearing, it is Realities. There is only one knowledge, which is the Knowledge of Realities, Knowledge of Haqaaiq. For us it is open, for you it is closed, you cannot see behind the wall.” Yes, of course you cannot see behind the wall, but there are some people for whom that wall is not an obstacle in front of them.
اتقوا فراسة المؤمن فإنه ينظر بنور الله
Ittaqoo firaasat al-mu'min fa innahu yanzhuru bi noorillah
That is why the Prophet (s) said: Beware the vision of the believer, for he sees with the light of Allah. (Tirmidhi)
That is the answer. “Be aware of the piercing vision of the believer for verily he looks with Allah's Light,” that means Allah (swt) dressed him with that Attribute that darkness becomes daylight for him. We cannot see in the dark, but he can see according to what the Prophet (s) said in the hadith. So that person who has firaasah can see what we cannot see, can hear what we cannot hear, because he has cleaned his heart with dhikrullah. So why do shuyookh ask their followers to follow the hadith of Prophet (s) and assign their followers dhikrullah? Because it is the way of polishing the heart and will take away all kinds of sickness from you.
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا مِائَةً غَيْرَ وَاحِدٍ مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ "
Inna lillaahi tis`ata wa tis`eena asmaa mi’ata ghayra waahidin man ahsaaahaa dakhal al-Jannah.
Abu Hurayrah (r) narrated that the Prophet (s) said: Indeed Allah has Ninety-Nine Names, one hundred less one. Whoever counts them shall enter Paradise. (Tirmidhi)
“Allah has Ninety-Nine Names, one hundred less one, and anyone who knows them or has counted them or read them will enter Paradise.” That is why at Salaat al-Fajr, after Surat Yaseen, mashaykh encourage their students to memorize, read or count all these Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah, because it will make you enter Paradise. And (in the continuation of the above hadith) the Prophet (s) began mentioning these Names: Huwa-Llaahu ‘l-ladhee laa ilaaha illaa Huwa ‘r-Rahmaan, ar-Raheem, al-Maalik, al-Quddoos, as-Salaam...up to the end, as-Saboor.
هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلاَمُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ الْخَالِقُ الْبَارِئُ الْمُصَوِّرُ الْغَفَّارُ الْقَهَّارُ الْوَهَّابُ الرَّزَّاقُ الْفَتَّاحُ الْعَلِيمُ الْقَابِضُ الْبَاسِطُ الْخَافِضُ الرَّافِعُ الْمُعِزُّ الْمُذِلُّ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ الْحَكَمُ الْعَدْلُ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ الْحَلِيمُ الْعَظِيمُ الْغَفُورُ الشَّكُورُ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ الْحَفِيظُ الْمُقِيتُ الْحَسِيبُ الْجَلِيلُ الْكَرِيمُ الرَّقِيبُ الْمُجِيبُ الْوَاسِعُ الْحَكِيمُ الْوَدُودُ الْمَجِيدُ الْبَاعِثُ الشَّهِيدُ الْحَقُّ الْوَكِيلُ الْقَوِيُّ الْمَتِينُ الْوَلِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ الْمُحْصِي الْمُبْدِئُ الْمُعِيدُ الْمُحْيِي الْمُمِيتُ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ الْوَاجِدُ الْمَاجِدُ الْوَاحِدُ الصَّمَدُ الْقَادِرُ الْمُقْتَدِرُ الْمُقَدِّمُ الْمُؤَخِّرُ الأَوَّلُ الآخِرُ الظَّاهِرُ الْبَاطِنُ الْوَالِي الْمُتَعَالِي الْبَرُّ التَّوَّابُ الْمُنْتَقِمُ الْعَفُوُّ الرَّءُوفُ مَالِكُ الْمُلْكِ ذُو الْجَلاَلِ وَالإِكْرَامِ الْمُقْسِطُ الْجَامِعُ الْغَنِيُّ الْمُغْنِي الْمَانِعُ الضَّارُّ النَّافِعُ النُّورُ الْهَادِي الْبَدِيعُ الْبَاقِي الْوَارِثُ الرَّشِيدُ الصَّبُورُُ
Huwa-Llaahu ‘l-ladhee laa ilaaha illaa Huwa ‘r-Rahmaanu ‘r-Raheemu ‘l-Maaliku ‘l-Quddoosu ‘s-Salaamu ‘l-Mu’minu ‘l-Muhayminu ‘l-`Azeezu ‘l-Jabbaaru ‘l-Mutakabbiru ‘l-Khaaliqu ‘l-Baari’u ‘l-Musawwiru ‘l-Ghaffaaru ‘l-Qahhaaru ‘l-Wahhaabu ‘r-Razzaaqu ‘l-Fattaahu ‘l-`Aleemu ‘l-Qaabidu ‘l-Baasitu ‘l-Khaafidu ‘r-Raafi`u ‘l-Mu`izzu ‘l-Mudhillu ‘s-Sami`u ‘l-Baseeru ‘l-Hakamu ‘l-`Adlu ‘l-Lateefu ‘l-Khabeeru ‘l-Haleemu ‘l-`Azheemu ‘l-Ghafooru ‘ash-Shakooru ‘l-`Aliyyu ‘l-Khabeeru ‘l-Hafeezhu ‘l-Muqeetu ‘l-Haseebu ‘l-Jaleelu ‘l-Kareemu ‘r-Raqeebu ‘l-Mujeebu ‘l-Waasi`u ‘l-Hakeemu ‘l-Wadoodu ‘l-Majeedu ‘l-Baa`ithu ‘sh-Shaheedu ‘l-Haqqu ‘l-Wakeelu ‘l-Qawiyyu ‘l-Mateenu ‘l-Waliyyu ‘l-Hameedu ‘l-Muhsiyu ‘l-Mubdi`u ‘l-Muhiyyu ‘l-Mumeetu ‘l-Hayyu ‘l-Qayyoom. Al-Waajidu ‘l-Maajidu ‘l-Waahidu ‘l-Ahadu ’s-Samadu ‘l-Qaadiru ‘l-Muqtadiru ’l-Muqaddimu ‘l-Mu’akhkhiru ‘l-Awwalu ‘l-Aakhiru ‘zh-Zhaahiru ‘l-Baatinu ‘l-Waaliyu ‘l-Muta`aalu ‘l-Barru ‘t-Tawwaabu ’l-Muntaqimu ‘l-`Afoowwu ‘r-Ra’oof, Maaliku ‘l-mulki Dha ‘l-Jalaali wa ‘l-Ikraam. Al-Muqsitu ‘l-Jaami`u ‘l-Ghaniyyu ‘l-Mughniyyu ‘l-Mu`tiyu ‘l-Maani`u ‘d-Daarru ‘n-Naafi`u ‘n-Noor. Al-Haadiyu ‘l-Badee`u ‘l-Baaqiyu ‘l-Waarithu ‘r-Rasheedu ‘s-Saboor. (Tirmidhi)
قال الإمام البيهقي: باب بيان أن لله جل ثناؤه أسماء أخرى، وليس في قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: لله تسعة وتسعون اسماً نفي غيرها
Qaala al-imam al-Bayhaqi wa laysa fee qawli ’n-nabiyyi (s) lillaahi tisa`tun wa tis`oona isman nafiyy ghayrihaa
Imam Bayhaqi said, “He didn’t say, ‘Allah has only Ninety-Nine Names and the other Names are non-existent.’”
ونقل ابن بطال عن القاضي أبي بكر بن الطيب قال: ليس في الحديث دليل على أنه ليس لله من الأسماء إلا هذه العدة، وإنما معنى الحديث أن من أحصاها دخل الجنة، ويدل على عدم الحصر أن أكثرها صفات وصفات الله لا تتناهى
He said, ‘The more-known Names are these Ninety-Nine, but Allah (swt) has infinite Names: wa man ahsaahaa dakhal al-jannah, who counted them and memorized them, who undertook as a principle for himself to take from each name a wisdom shall enter Paradise.’” From every Name there is a meaning, not just one meaning, but according to scholars there are infinite number of meanings in each name, many different types of description of these Names, depending on the environment. If we say, “as-Salaam,” many things come under that Name, it is not only one thing. Same as if you say, “al-Ghaffaar,” “al-Musawwir,” “Al-Khaaliq,” “al-Mutakabbir.” Like “al-Khaaliq,” every moment He is creating, Creation cannot stop. If you say, “He created, then stopped,” it doesn’t fit Allah (swt)’s Greatness.
So rusting of the heart mainly comes from one major issue: the sins we do by ghaflah, heedlessness. When your heart is heedless Shaytan quickly attacks and enters in order to rust your heart. So slowly, slowly, it is rusting and veiling and the heart becomes blind; the heart does not have the light it had when you were born. Like you come as an innocent, pure child with that light; there is a “pilot light” in your heart, it is always there: yoolidu ‘l-insaanu `ala ‘l-fitra, “human beings are born on innocence.” Fitra is a “pilot light” that never disappears, but what happens? We are veiling it slowly, slowly. That’s why our heart becomes blind, our eyes become blind and we cannot see the Truth anymore, but if we polish it, it will become like a mirror; it will take all the information and it will be reflected on the mirror.
Like in the old Persian time, the king made a competition between two big artists and he said, “The one who will draw the best artwork will get this and this and this rewards from me.” The one on the right side had a huge wall to draw on it and the one on the left side also had a huge wall to draw on it, and he gave them each six months to do it. One of them was drawing, drawing very nicely, working hard, and the other one was working very hard in scrubbing, polishing, polishing the wall, and between them was a curtain, they could not see each other. And the sultan came when time had arrived, and said, “Show me your work.” He said, “Let the one on the left show you first, I will show you after.” So they opened the curtain and he was showing the sultan, then he finished looking and turned and saw the same artwork reflected on the other wall from the other one. This one was tired working day and night, and this one was clever, polishing the wall to become a mirror. So in the mirror it reflected and the sultan didn’t know what to do, both of them the same artwork, the same design, the same nice artwork. So he gave them both rewards. The one who worked hard had a nice picture, and the one who didn’t work hard, it had been reflected on the mirror by polishing the wall. So polishing the heart will reflect all kind of Realities, there is no obstacle in front of the heart, there is nothing more to block the Vision of Realities.
Ibn Qayyim says:
وإذا صدئ القلب لم تنطبع في صور المعلومات على ما هي عليه
Wa idhaa sadoo al-qalb, lam tantabi` fee soor al-ma`loomaat `alaa maa hiya `alayh,
When the heart becomes dark from too much rust, then it is impossible for that information that appears from realities around us that we cannot see; it will not appear in that heart because it’s rusted, so we need to clean our heart.
The Prophet (s) said, “When the heart is clean angels will come and sit with you,” they will not run away because you smell like the smell of Paradise, and you are mentioning dhikrullah with Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes, and you polish your heart. Even if you did not polish it completely, even if you polish a little bit and there is a little light appearing from it, and angels are attracted to that.
It is said that Abu Hurayrah (r) and Abu Sa`eed (r) bore witness that the Prophet (s) said:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، وَأَبِي سَعِيدٍ ( رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا ) ، قَالَا : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - " لَا يَقْعُدُ قَوْمٌ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا حَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ، وَغَشِيَتْهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ ، وَنَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةُ ، وَذَكَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ فَيْمَنْ عِنْدَهُ ( رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ )
`an abee hurayrata wa abee sa`eed radiyy-Allahu `anhumaa qaalaa: qaala rasoolullahi sall-allahu `alayhi wa sallama: Laa yaq`udu qawmun yadhkuroona ‘Llaaha `azza wa jall illaa haffat-humu ‘l-malaa’ikatu wa ghashiyatuhumu ’r-rahmatu wa nazzalat `alayhimu ‘s-sakeenatu wa dhakarahumu ‘Llaahu feeman `indahu.
No people sit in a gathering remembering Allah, but the angels surround them, mercy covers them, tranquility descends upon them and Allah remembers them before those who are with Him. (Muslim)
Laa yaq`udu qawmun yadhkuroona ‘Llaaha illaa haffat-humu ‘l-malaa’ikah, “No group of people sit to mention Allah (swt) except the angels surround them.” “Haffat-hum” has two meanings: surrounding or rubbing. Sometimes you feel goosebumps suddenly, that is caused by an angel’s touch when you are listening to Allah’s Words. So we can translate it as “angels touch them and they feel goosebumps.” So angels will encompass them or rub them and ghashiyatuhumu ’r-rahmah, “mercy will overtake them,” Rahmatullah will be there, and when someone has rahmah and it dressed him, he becomes like Sayyidina Khidr (a):
فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا
Fawajada `abdan min `ibaadinaa aataynaahu rahmatan min `indinaa wa `allamnaahu min ladunnaa `ilma.
So they found one of Our Servants, on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our Own Presence. (Surat al-Kahf, 18:65)
Sayyidina Musa (a) was looking for ma`arifah and Allah (swt) sent him to Sayyidina Khidr (a) to learn, to take wisdom from Sayyidina Khidr (a). “We found a servant who was dressed with rahmah, mercy,” like here ghashiyatuhumu ’r-rahmah, angels will be with you and rahmah will dress you. So when rahmah dresses you, then wa `allamnaahu min ladunnaa `ilma, “We taught him from heavenly knowledge,” He will teach you from heavenly knowledge just as He taught Sayyidina Khidr (a) from heavenly knowledge. Here the angels will be with you and dress you, wa nazzalat `alayhimu ’s-sakeenah, “and tranquility will descend on them.” So it means tranquility is a kind of stillness, let us say how clouds come: sometimes it is high, sometimes it is coming down. So it means here it is descending from Heavens, that stillness, that tranquility, in order to take them inside and take them up with it. So when you are doing dhikrullah, you are not sitting where you are sitting, but they take you somewhere else, to Paradise; you turn the place you are sitting in into a Paradise.
The Prophet (s) mentioned in a hadith which we will come to later:
إِذَا مَرَرْتُمْ بِرِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ فَارْتَعُوا " . قَالَ وَمَا رِيَاضُ الْجَنَّةِ قَالَ " حِلَقُ الذِّكْرِ
Idhaa marartum bi riyaadi ‘l-jannahi farta`oo. qaala wa maa riyaadu ‘l-jannah. qaala hilaqu ‘dh-dhikr.
“When you pass by the gardens of Paradise, then feast.” They said, “And what are the gardens of Paradise?” He said, “The circles of remembrance.” (Tirmidhi)
The Prophet (s) said, “When you pass places of Paradise, sit there.” They asked him, wa maa hiya riyaadu ‘l-jannah, “What are these gardens of Paradise?” He (s) said, majaalis adh-dhikr, “The circles of dhikr,” places where people are making dhikrullah.
So when angels come to you and dress you with the Rahmah that Allah (swt) sends on you, wa nazalat as-sakeena, and this peacefulness, this tranquility dresses them, wa dhakkarahumullah fee man `indahu, when all this process occurs, first the angels come, second rahmatullah, mercy will cover you and at that time you can carry that tranquility that comes from Heaven, now you are ready, pure. Then, wa dhakkarahumullah fee man `indahu, “Allah (swt) will mention you in front of whoever is in Allah's Presence.” What kind of presence Allah knows, but we can say, Allahu fee man `indallahu, “You will be mentioned to whom He has in His Presence.” Those who remember Allah standing, sitting or laying down, meaning, when you are standing or walking, going to work, or sitting when you are at home resting, and all those times you are remembering Allah (swt).
في الترمذي عن عبد الله بن بشر أن رجلا قال : يا رسول الله إن أبواب الخير كثيرة ولا أستطيع القيام بكلها فأخبرني بما شئت أتشبث به ولا تكثر علي فأنسى وفي رواية : أن شرائع الإسلام قد كثرت علي وأنا كبرت فأخبرني بشئ أتشبث به قال : لا يزال لسانك رطبا بذكر الله تعالى
`an `abdullah bin bishr anna rajulan qaal: yaa Rasoolullah inna abwaabu ‘l-khayri katheera wa laa astatee` al-qiyaam bi kullihaa, fa ’khbirnee bi maa shi’ta atashabbath bihi wa laa tukthir `alayya fa ansaa, qaala laa yazaalu lisaanaka ratban bi dhikrillahi ta`alaa.
It is narrated by `Abdullah bin Bishr (r)that a person came to the Prophet (s) and said, “O Prophet! The ways of favors are too many. Tell me something easy and don’t give me too much, because I will forget.” The Prophet (s) said, “Keep your tongue wet with Remembrance of Allah the Most High.” Sahih at-Tirmidhi
In this hadith the man is saying, “O Prophet! There are too many doors of good deeds to do: do this, do this, do this and you enter Paradise. Give me something simple.” [It means, “I am not a scholar with mind to do too much, I am a bedouin from the desert.”]
He put these conditions for the Prophet (s), but it is for us, rahmah for us in this time! If `Abdullah bin Bishr (r) hadn’t said that, it would not have reached us. Look at the mercy of Prophet (s) that Allah has given to him! When you are speaking to a president you design every word you want to say. So look how humble the Prophet (s) is to give such answers, he was entering and asking, “Yaa Rasoolullah! There are too many doors of goodness, give me something easy, because I forget all of them the next day. Don’t give me too much, give me something that I can hold on to.” The Prophet (s) said, “Keep your tongue wet with dhikrullah.”
وفي رواية : أن شرائع الإسلام قد كثرت علي وأنا كبرت فأخبرني بشئ أتشبث به قال : لا يزال لسانك رطبا بذكر الله تعالى .
Wa fee riwaaya: anna sharaai`a ’l-islaamu qad kathurat `alayya wa anaa kubirta fa-akhbirnee bi-shayyin atashabath bihi. qaalaa laa yazaalu lisaanaka ratban bi dhikrillahi ta`alaa.
In another narration, “The conditions and principles of Islam are too many, give me something easy that I can hold onto as I am an old man now and I forget easily.” The Prophet (s) said, “Keep your tongue wet with the Remembrance of Allah Most High.”
Silence here is for a private person. “Keep your tongue wet with dhikrullah” means you are by yourself doing your dhikr, which gives us an idea that this person is doing dhikrullah not jahran, out loud, but qalban aw sirran, hidden dhikr within himself, in order to clean himself. When the mashaykh give you to recite different dhikrs, you are by yourself, so it will be a dhikr khafee, hidden dhikr.
In the first hadith, however, it mentions and we can understand that...laa yaq`oodu qawmun yadhkuroona ‘Llaaha illaa haffat-humu ‘l-malaaikah, “a group of people sitting together making dhikr,” means how are they going to sit together and do dhikr, loud or hidden? Loud; it cannot be hidden. So this is an argument to those who say, “There is no dhikr, don’t do that, it is haraam! Don’t sit together and do dhikr.” That hadith confirmed that they are sitting together, and when they sit together they are not going to do separate dhikr one by one, not sharing with the other, because `ibadaah is sharing, as the Prophet (s) said:
يد الله مع الجماعة
Yadu‘Llaahi ma`al-jama`ah.
Allah’s Hand is with the group of people. (Tirmidhi)
-or-
يد الله على الجماعة
Yadu‘Llaahi `ala ‘l-jama`ah.
Allah's Hand is on the group of people. (Tabarani)
So the rewards are multiplied in jama`ah, just as the prayer in jama`ah is 27 times better than without jama`ah. So, similarly the dhikr in jama`ah is 27 times better than dhikr by oneself, it’s reward is 27 times more. That shows us that there is dhikr which is loud and dhikr which is hidden. When you do dhikrullah by yourself, that is hidden. Although sometimes you may raise your voice for yourself to hear, it is still hidden from others as no one knows you are doing dhikrullah, but the other one is, when you sit with people, it gives you an understanding that it is loud dhikr because everyone can hear each other.
Also mentioned in Tirmidhi and many other ahadeeth in different ways that the Prophet (s) was asked:
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سُئِلَ أَىُّ الْعِبَادِ أَفْضَلُ دَرَجَةً عِنْدَ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ قَالَ " الذَّاكِرُونَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا وَالذَّاكِرَاتُ " . قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمِنَ الْغَازِي فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَالَ " لَوْ ضَرَبَ بِسَيْفِهِ فِي الْكُفَّارِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّى يَنْكَسِرَ وَيَخْتَضِبَ دَمًا لَكَانَ الذَّاكِرُونَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا أَفْضَلَ مِنْهُ دَرَجَةً " .
Anna Rasoolullah (s) su’ila ayyu ‘l-`ibaadi afdalu darajata `inda ‘Llaahi yawma ‘l-qiyaamati qaal: adh-dhaakiroona ‘Llaaha katheeran wa ‘dh-dhaakiraat. qultu yaa Rasoolullah wa min al-ghaazee fee sabeeli ‘Llaahi qaala law daraba sayfihi fi ‘l-kuffaari wa ’l-mushrikeena hattaa yankasira yakhtadiba daman la-kaana ‘dh-dhaakiroona ‘Llaaha katheeran afdala minhu darajah.
“Which of the worshippers is superior in rank with Allah on the Day of Judgment?” He said, “Those men and women who remember Allah much.” I said, “O Messenger of Allah! What about the fighter in the cause of Allah?” He said, “If he were to strike with his sword among the disbelievers and the idolater, until it breaks, and he (or it) is dyed with blood, those who remember Allah much would still be superior in rank.” (Tirmidhi)
Ayyu ‘l-`ibaadi afdalu darajatan `inda ‘Llaahi yawma ‘l-qiyaamah, “Who are the people who are best and higher on the Day of Judgment?” He said, adh-dhaakiroona ‘Llaaha katheeraa, “Those who remember or mention Allah (swt) too much in their coming and going and sitting,” as Allah said in Holy Qur’an:
الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىَ جُنُوبِهِمْ
Alladheena yadhkuroonallaha qiyaaman wa qu`oodan wa `alaa junoobihim.
Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting and lying down on their sides, (Surat Aali `Imraan, 3:191)
“Standing” is when you are walking, which means going to work. “Sitting” is when you are at home resting, lying down or when you are sleeping. All these times when you are remembering Allah (swt), “those people are the high-level people, the best of the people.” They asked, yaa Rasoolullah wa min al-ghaazee fee sabeeli ‘Llaahi, “Even the one going for jihad?" and the Prophet (s) said, law daraba bi sayfihi fi ‘l-kuffaari wa al-mushrikeena hattaa yankasira yakhtadiba daman kaana ‘dh-dhaakiroona ‘Llaaha katheeran afdala minhu darajah, “Even if he were to fight the unbelievers and broke his sword in fighting, killing to defend his people, even that person hitting right and left and saving his people from mushrikeen (their enemy) until his sword is broken,” means he fought a lot and struggled a lot to defend his people, “still the one who is doing dhikrullah is better to Allah (swt).” This is showing us how much dhikrullah is important in our life.
This is mentioned in al-Bukhari, comparing the one who remembered Allah (swt):
مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَذْكُرُ رَبَّهُ وَالَّذِي لاَ يَذْكُرُ مَثَلُ الْحَىِّ وَالْمَيِّتِ
Mathalu ‘l-ladhee yadhkooru rabbahu walladhee laa yadhkuru mathalu ‘l-hayyi wa ‘l-mayyit.
Abu Moosa al-Asha`ari (r) related from the Prophet (s): The example of the one who celebrates the Praises of his Lord in comparison to the one who does not celebrate the Praises of his Lord, is that of a living creature compared to a dead one. (Bukhari)
The one who remembered Allah (swt) and mentioned him through His Beautiful Names and Attributes versus the one who does not, is like someone who is alive and someone who is dead. Look how big is the difference. That means those who make dhikrullah, their minds and hearts are alive. Yanzhuru bi noorillah, “They look around them with Allah's Light.” It’s like the one who is alive and the one who is dead.
And we will mention this hadith and stop. In the two Sahihs, Muslim and Bukhari, from Abu Hurayrah (r), that the Prophet (s) said:
أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ، يَقُولُ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي وَأَنَا مَعَهُ حِينَ يَذْكُرُنِي ، إِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي نَفْسِهِ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي نَفْسِي ، وَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي مَلَإٍ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي مَلَإٍ خَيْرٍ مِنْهمُ ، وَمَنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ شِبْرًا تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ ذِرَاعًا ، وَمَنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ ذِرَاعًا تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ بَاعًا ، وَمَنْ جَاءَنِي يَمْشِي جِئْتُهُ مُهَرْوِلًا " .
Anaa `inda zhanna `abdee bee wa anaa ma`ahu heena yadhkurunee, in dhakaranee fee nafsihi dhakartahu fee nafsee wa in dhakaranee fee malaa’in dhakartahu fee malaa’in khayran minhum wa man taqarrab ilayya shibran taqarrabtu ilayhi dhiraa`an wa man taqarrab ilayya dhiraa`an taqarrabtu minhu baa`an wa man jaa’nee yamshee ji’tuhu muharwalan.
I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he mentions Me. If he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself, and if he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly better than it, and if he draws near to Me a hand’s span, I draw near to him an arm’s length, and if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length, and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running! (Hadith Qudsi)
Yaqool Allahu `azza wa jalla anaa `inda dhanna `abdee bee, Allah says, “I am according to My servant's thinking about Me." That means, “If he thinks good of Me and remembers Me, than I will be happy with him and give him everything and open My Treasures to him, open My Light to him and open My Realities and give him what he wants.” Anaa ma`ahu heena dhakaranee, “and I am with him when he remembers Me.” in dhakaranee fee nafsihi dhakartahu fee nafsee, “If he remembers me in his heart, I remember him through My Presence.” wa in dhakaranee fee malaa’in dhakartahu fee malaa’in khayran minhum, “If he remembers Me in a group, then I mention him in a group/gathering that is Mine.” Allah’s gatherings, who are in these gatherings? Fee malaa’in khayran minhum, “In a group better than his group,” What kind of group? It might be a group that is in front of the Prophet (s) or angels, yatabahaa bee `abdee, where Allah (swt) boasts and shows off His servant, He is happy with His servant and He mentioned him to His Prophet (s), because the Prophet (s) is always standing at the Divine Presence. Allah (swt) will be happy, saying, “Look, yaa Muhammad, your ummah! The one who is believing in you, believing in the Message of Islam. Look how much I bring him up when he remembers Me. I remember him in a nice presence, your presence or the presence of angels.” Allah knows what kind of presence; we don't know, we are guessing. To guess good is good, husna ‘zh-zhann, always keep good thoughts about Allah (swt) that He is The Forgiver, He will forgive us and bless us.
Wa in taqarraba ilayya shibran taqarrabtu ilayhi dhiraa`an, “If My servant comes to me one hand, I will approach him one arm.” Allah (swt) is saying, “Approach Me by one hand, I will approach you by one arm,” meaning, “Do something small, I will give you something bigger.”
Wa in taqarraba ilayya dhiraa`an taqarrabtu ilayhi baa`an, “If he approaches Me one arm, I approach him more than one meter or one yard.”
Wa in ataanee yamshee ataytahu harwalah, “If he comes to me walking, I will go to him running.” Does Allah (swt) run? No. Allah (swt) is Allah (swt). It means, “If you are first in coming one hand, I will come one arm, giving you more; if you come one arm, I will come with a full extended arm; if you come walking to Me, (ie showing more interest), I will come to you running.” When He comes running, it means He is sending you the manifestations of His Beautiful Names and Attributes, He is sending you knowledge that you never expect. That is why awliyaullah or scholars say, “Our duty as servants o