Maghrib Suhbah at As-Siddiq Institute & Mosque (ASIM) (2)
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani ‘r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaada, nawaytu 's-salook, lillahi ta'ala al-`Azheem fee hadha 'l-masjid.
I intend the forty days (seclusion), I intend seclusion (from dunya), I intend to seclude myself (from sin),
I intend to adopt the discipline (of Tariqah), I intend sulook (complete obedience) to Allah, The Great, in this mosque.
With Your Strong Intentions the Shaykh Can Raise You
Everything is...subhaanAllah, Awliyaullah know, they have the talent and know the secret of how to raise you higher and higher with us only doing small things and they make them so huge. `Ulama are teaching the Ummah, but don’t have that ability to take something small and make it big.
I remember Grandshaykh, may Allah bless his soul, Shaykh `AbdAllah al-Fa`iz ad-Daghestani, and we have to distinguish between Grandshaykh `AbdAllah ad-Daghestani and Grandshaykh Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, may Allah raise them up--Grandshaykh `AbdAllah said when you pray, Allah (swt) will shower you with rewards that you don't know how big they are; for example, when someone goes to a masjid, on every step they walk or ride any transportation, on every foot or step Allah gives one hasanat, good deed, and takes one sayyia`at, sin.
Even that is in limits. Shaykh Abdul Haqq came here from Chicago, 325 miles, 520 kilometers, and approximately 520 thousand meters, which is 1 million 716 thousand feet! Grandshaykh (q) said in his time on 27th Rajab (Laylat al-Bara`ah), Allah opened His Favor on anyone who makes the niyyah but did not fulfill it, for example if they wanted to go to Chicago but they did not, still they will get the reward as if he went and from Allah’s Rahmah in these Last Days your intention will raise you so high that no one knows except Allah (swt) and His Prophet (s)!
That is why he said, every time you pray [or do any form of worship or good deed or ask for something], make your intention, Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, “Yaa Rabbee! I intend to sit for seclusion for forty days.” If you do that the moment you sit in tafakkur, contemplation, which sometimes people sit for five or ten minutes to reflect and meditate on ma`rifah, Allah’s Majesty and His Creation, it is as if you sat in seclusion for forty days! Cover yourself with a sheet and do dhikrullah, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah” or whatever dhikr you want, and with that intention it will be as if you were in seclusion for forty days and you will be rewarded extensively, so much that the angels will not be able to write the hasanaat and rewards Allah gives you with that intention! The same worship you normally do is now enhanced by your intention. Also, Grandshaykh (q) said to recite the whole intention, which is easy to memorize:
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaada, nawaytu 's-salook, lillahi ta'ala al-`Azheem fee hadha 'l-masjid.
I intend the forty days (seclusion), I intend seclusion (from dunya), I intend to seclude myself (from sin),
I intend to adopt the discipline (of Tariqah), I intend sulook (complete obedience) to Allah, The Great, in this mosque.
Grandshaykh (q) said when you combine this intention of making seclusions in dunya, then in Akhirah you will be with those who also make this intention (Awliyaullah). You can even add nawaytu 's-siyaam, “I intend to fast” before prayer and reciting Holy Qu'ran, because you are not going to talk with anyone, you dedicate your time to prayer or dhikr or worship as if you fasted that whole time, not actually fasting, but you made your intention of `ibaadah to fast, so by Allah’s Mercy and Prophet’s Intercession you will be rewarded for all fasting of anyone who ever fasted in dunya, everything combined from Sayyidina Adam (a) until the Day of Judgement!
Awliyullah are beacons and they are called “the pious and sincere Ummah” among the Ummah because whatever good is for them they also love to share with others, which is a principle of iman, as the Prophet (s) mentioned:
لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يحب لأخيه ما يحب لنفسه
None of you believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself. (Bukhari and Muslim)
When Awliya see these rahamaat, mercies descending on the Ummah an-Nabi (s), they love to share what is their levels. That is why Grandshaykh (q)...it is gone now, but I will share this with you. Out of love, you love your shaykh and you want to give him something when you see him and we were so in love with Grandshaykh (q) at that time, and inshaa-Allah in this moment and in every time! As we did and as many mureeds gave to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, when you see the shaykh you give him something, although Hadith an-Nabi says:
ورجل تصدق أخفى حتى لا تعلم شماله ما تنفق يمينه
[From among the seven under the shade of Allah on the Day of Judgement is] the man who gives in charity in secret such that his left hand does not know what the right hand gave. (Bukhari)
So when we visited Grandshaykh (q) we passed something, I am not going to say what we passed, but we passed something and that one time until today, whenever I remember it I can still visualize Mawlana Grandshaykh `AbdAllah (q) in the same way he was dressed and the way I passed that amaanah, that trust to him, that hediya, gift to him, and he said, “Yaa waladee, O my son! Insha’Allah you will inherit `Uloom al-Awwaleen wa ‘l-Aakhireen.” It is as if I am seeing it now.
Look with what power he is lifting you up, elevating you up, out of his love to you and your love to him, he can see that relationship which we don’t see, he wants to give you the best, and what is the best? To inherit a drop of that knowledge from the ocean of the Prophet (s), `Uloom al-Awwaleen wa ‘l-Aakhireen “Knowledge of Before” and “Knowledge of After”, a drop of it Grandshaykh (q) used to say, will flood the whole universe. There will be no more universe if Allah (swt) will open the knowledge that He gave to Prophet (s)!
That is why Grandshaykh (q) said, “All the knowledge of awliyaullah, all these millions of books that have been written is not a drop of that ocean of Prophet (s) that if there was permission by order of Allah (swt) to open, this whole universe will flood, it will be gone when you enter into that deep ocean.” Ocean of what? When you enter in the ocean and swim, still you have nafs. When you entered the ocean, when you pass by the ocean, some can float on their back: that is submission. When you submit and have no will, they will let you enter the Ocean of Ma`rifah, because there you will get diamonds--no more stones, no more rubbish--but they want these diamonds to be kept, and from small particles of special heavenly formulas they sprinkle on Ummat an-Nabi (s) [it becomes something very huge], like in Chemistry you combine elements and get a new reaction. In every moment, Awliyaullah have a new formula that comes out that is not the same from one to the other, each one is different.
In Hadith an-Nabi (s), what is the best in dunya to read, from millions and millions of books everywhere, and now they make it easy for you to have books on your mobile phone, tablet, wherever, you can read it at any moment and you can find it and that is not the best you can read! The very best you can read is something that is as if you are sitting in a garden of flowers with fine fragrances; when you smell that you will appreciate your presence in that garden, as Prophet (s) said:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إذا مررتم برياض الجنة فارتع. قالو وما رياض الجنة؟ قال "حلق الذكر"
Ibn `Umar reported that the Prophet (s) said: "When you pass by the Gardens of Paradise, avail yourselves of them." The Companions asked: "What are the Gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "The circles of dhikr.” (Tirmidhi)
Hilaq adh-Dhikr are like this circle or other circles in the masjid. This Garden of Paradise depends on what you are teaching and what levels you are raising them. Still of all these the best of what you can learn from dhikrullah or from these knowledge is the Holy Qur'an and Prophet (s) said:
الماهر بالقرآن مع السفرة الكرام البررة والذي يقرأ القرآن ويتتعتع فيه وهو عليه شاق له أجران
The one who reads the Qur’an beautifully is with the ennobled, righteous angels, and the one who reads the Qur’an stumbling in it and finding it difficult will have two rewards. (Muslim)
Al-maahiru bim ’l-Qur'an ka ’s-safari ’l-kiraam al-barara. The most clever one reciting the Qur'an, as he is best in voice and tajweed, keeping the ahkaam of Holy Qur’an, will be reciting with angels, angels will be with him. That is why today, unfortunately, when you wake up what do you do? You drink your coffee and look at the newspaper, is it not? Most of the people, not everyone, in Arabic or English or Chinese, or Japanese, French or Italian, or Mexican or Arab world. First thing most people do is yalhooq, they distract you with the garbage of the news they put in the newspaper. So what you are reading is not with angels but when you are reading Qur'an you are reading Allah's Words. Newspapers are Shaytan’s words. When you are reading Qur'an you are reading Allah's Words, and when you read of books of `ulama they are `ulama’s words, even they quote from Qur'an and Hadith yes Qur’an are Allah’s Words and Hadith are Prophet’s words, but the rest of the explanation is their words, `ulama words.
When you read Holy Qur'an there is no mixing, no soup, it is Allah's Words directly. So those clever ones are reading and the angels are reading along with them in a perfect way. So what will the one who does not read Qur'an do? There are many converts, what will they and many Muslims whose language is not Arabic do? Will they be deprived of rewards? No. Allah (swt) wants from you the intention, to show your niyyah, and that is why Prophet (s) said:
إنما الأعمال بالنيات
Verily actions are by intentions.
Innama li kulli imrin ma nawaa, every `amal you want to do with intention, Awliya are able to raise you higher even if you are unable to do it. For example, I read the Qur'an every morning, but today when I wanted to read the Qur'an a guest came, then later I began to read the Qur'an and another guest came. After that I began to read and telephones interrupted. These interruptions deprived you from reading, but because your intention was to read the Qur'an, it is written for you that you read it.
So that poor guy who is unable to read the Qur’an because he does not know Arabic, his intention is to read Qur'an, from his love Prophet (s) interceded for his Ummah and what does the Hadith say? “Those who are clever in reciting the Qur'an will be reciting with angels...and those who don’t know how to recite it well, wa yatat`at`a fi ’l-qur’an, they stutter in reciting the Qur'an in such a manner that someone who speaks Arabic will get upset hearing them, but Allah is not upset, Prophet is not upset, Awliya are not upset, and Prophet (s) said, wa huwa `alayhi shaaq lahu ajraan. “The one who stutters while reading the Holy Qur'an and insists to himself, ‘I must read although I am making mistakes’, yatat`at`a [struggling with the pronunciation], you get two rewards and the appointed angels will be doubled for you when you are reading like that! That is the Hadith of Prophet (s) from Sahih Muslim.
Qaala `Ayesha radiy-Allahu `anha qaala rasoolullah Al-maahiru bim ’l-Qur'an ka ’s-safari ’l-kiraam al-barara, the one who is expert in reciting Holy Qur'an is reciting with the angels and the one who stutters reciting the Holy Qur'an will get double the reward, with double the angels.
So awliyaullah take you with small effort. I went for a lab test and one of the tests was $425 and the nurse said, “Can you change the [insurance billing] code? It is the same test, but with that code you pay $400 and with this code you pay $100.” Awliyaullah have a code to raise you higher and higher, Allah gave it to them because they are taking their followers to the Ocean of Marif`ah with them, like the general in the army he does not leave his soldiers to the enemy he goes back to release them. So these codes that are necessary like according to the Hadith, innama ’l-`amaalu bi ’n-niyyaat, that is a code to if his intention is to migrate to Allah and His Prophet, his intention to migrate from dunya and face Allah and His Prophet, he will be rewarded as if he did it, even if he did not do it, and Prophet will reward that person, the awliyaullah will take their hand because they are their followers, taking them in marifa`ahtullah through their heart. Don't think your shaykh is not helping you through your heart! No, there are real shaykhs, this dunya is full of them, full of Awliyaullah, 124,000 of them to raise the Ummah higher and higher with the support of Prophet (s).
So when he said `Uloom al-Awwaleen wa ‘l-Aakhireen, to me when I passed that amaanah, he was so happy because he wants to give you something for what you have passed to make him happy, it was a small gift, not up to level of Grandshaykh, but at that moment I felt that inaayatullah, that rahmatullah, Allah’s mercy and Allah’s caring was descending on that moment when he said it, and he took me with him that Power of Mercy and Power of Caring, inaayatullah and rahmatullah and said, “`Uloom al-Awwaleen wa ‘l-Aakhireen fee kulli lahzha, in every moment I am asking yaa Rabbee,” with that niyyah he wants me, “to feel that `Uloom al-Awwaleen wa ‘l-Aakhireen, Knowledge of Before and Knowledge of After, in every moment of his life,” and that is a reward from Awliyaullah! Count then how many rewards they give to you through their lives? Not only in their lives, but in Akhirah even more as they are more free, as Prophet (s) mentioned:
القبر إما روضة من رياض الجنة ، أو حفرة من حفر النار
The grave is either a garden from the Gardens of Paradise or a pit from the pits of Hellfire. (Tirmidhi)
About life in the grave, every grave is either a part of Paradise or it is part of Hellfire. When it is Paradise you will be free, you can go anywhere, you will not be chained, as Prophet (s) mentioned in many Hadith. So when the shaykh is able to, as Allah gave him that power, he will share first with his followers then the Ummah. May Allah bless us with the barakah of Holy Qur'an and bless us with the barakah of these mashaaykh whose value we don't know until they leave us, especially when someone is head of a tribe, and in the time of Prophet (s) all people were members of tribes.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا
O people! Indeed We have created you from male and female and We have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other. (Surat al-Hujuraat, 49:13)
They used to be big tribes, 10,000, 20,000, 100,000 and so on, is it not? When the ameer of the tribe dies, what happens? It is confusion, you cannot control anymore. It is like beads, this is from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, it is like beads, qata` as-silka, broken string, what will happen? All these beads will fall down and scatter. So be sure to make du`a for Awliyaullah to have a very long life, because if something happened to them the string will break, then the whole group will break up. We don't know their value until their death, when you will see a lot of confusions and today we see in the Ummah in a big confusion with no unity.
وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً
If Allah wished He would have made people into one Nation. (Surat al-Hud, 11:118)
People say, “Let us unite.” How to unite? Allah is saying in another verse, “If Allah wanted He would have made you one nation, one tribe, you will not to fight.” He wants you to fight and to have misunderstandings and compete in who will pray more, who will worship more, for competition of worship. Allah made us shu`uban wa qabaail in order to know each other. Allah knows best, He is not saying “unite”, because no one will unite, but groups will unite, and we have to know building bridges is important but unite in the same house first. What is the benefit of building bridges outside when inside the home is broken? Ask the one sitting beside you. Correct? That is the problem. May Allah (swt) guide us to mention that is why the Awliya say to read the Silsilah at least one time a day and Grandshaykh, may Allah bless his soul, I remember when Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) wrote the Silsilah in Arabic by himself, it is... I like everyone to have a copy of it, inshaa-Allah next week we make copies with the titles, with every wali of the Naqshbandi Tree, with their titles he wrote it and he dictated to us and we wrote it. So inshaa-Allah next week you will photocopy them and you can scan them, and everyone can have a copy. It is not something that is in the hands of anyone, it is something no one saw before. I think you have read them, it is very nice. Inshaa-Allah we will pass that to everyone to at least memorize and read it, if you do the English and the transliteration, tarjuma, translation, then everyone will understand what these titles are.
May Allah bless the souls of our shuyookh and keep us always united around the world the Tariqah an-Naqshbandiyya al-Nazimiyya al-`Aliyyah Order or Tariqah an-Naqshbandiyya al-Nazimiyya al-`Aliyyah, al-Haqqaniyya, whatever they want, whatever it is, it does not change anything, not the awraad, but a little bit adding one name, which is Mawlana Shaykh Nazim’s name. Never mind, may Allah bless everyone and may Allah support everyone.
Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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