Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
14 June 2016 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Zhuhr Suhbah
From Grandshaykh `AbdAllah’s personal notes.
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani ‘r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.
As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. Alhamdulillah wa ‘s-salaatu wa ‘s-salaam `ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `ala aalihi wa sahbihi ajma`een.
To Ahl al-Haqeeqah, Awliya, every day there is a new Tajalli, Manifestation, and not only that, Grandshaykh `AbdAllah (q) said that was in the past, now Allah (swt) opened for Ummat an-Nabi (s) every moment a new Tajalli! It means every moment, Allah sends Manifestations on the Ummah that no one knows. Not even Prophet (s) knows what the capacity of the Creator; he knows the capacity of the servant, what Allah taught him, but still Allah’s knowledge it is in His Hand alone and whatever Prophet (s) receives he gives to Awliya.
Grandshaykh (q) was talking about zhulm, oppression. Allah doesn’t like anyone to oppress His servants. If someone oppresses someone, the maximum is seven years to struggle in it and keep yourself strong in your prayer, then you will be taken to the level of Ma`rifah, knowledge of Allah, and they will open for you what you are unable to open by yourself.
Because you are patient on zhulm, oppression, you will get that level. This is Grandshaykh's suhbah from 70 years ago, on 13 Rabi’ al-Akhir 1388 Hijri. He was talking about Sayyida Rabi`a al-`Adawiyya (q) and said because she was patient on her husband who was abusing and torturing her, for the oppression she endured Allah (swt) gave her Haqiqat al-Ma`rifah, which is `Ilm al-Yaqeen, `Ayn al-Yaqeen, Haqq al-Yaqeen.
He said if Awliya repeat a story, regardless if they said it before and even if you repeat that story one thousand times--I remember that number--every time it has a different taste, a different substance, a different tajalli, and every time you repeat it you find a new tajalli different from the first one.
Sayyida Rabi`a al-`Adawiyya (q) was patient on him, coming after midnight with rufaqaa as-soo and with bad friends, and he asked her for a cup of water and when he fell asleep before she gave it to him, she stood there holding the cup for him until morning when he woke up. She was patient with her husband to that extent. Azh-zhulm laa yadoom wa in daama dammar, oppression cannot be continuous, if it is continuous it will destroy everything. After seven years, if it is continuous, Allah will open a door. One time he beat her and broke some of her ribs, and she was patient on that and said, “I have to follow the Hadith of the Prophet (s) and then I will render my decision to Allah and not complain to anyone else. Allah (swt) knows best what is happening to me.”
أدبني ربي فأحسن تأديبي
My Lord perfected my good manners and conduct. (Ibn `Asakir)
That is like the situation of Sayyidina Ibrahim (a) when he was thrown in the fire and Sayyidina Jibreel (a) came to him and said, “Do you need any help?” and Sayyidina Ibrahim (a) said, “I don't need you, I need The One Who put me here: The One Who sent you will help me.” And Allah sent:
قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ
O fire! Be cool and peaceful on Ibrahim. (Surat al-Anbiyaa, 21:69)
That means if we are patient for Allah’s sake about fighting between husband and wife, families or communities, and do not engage but instead we render our problems to Allah (swt), then Allah will dress us with what He dressed on Sayyida Rabi`a al-Adawiyya (q).
If you want the honey, you have to get stung. If you don’t want honey that’s fine, but if you want honey you have to declare war against Shaytan and know when you do that it is a lifelong struggle. Allah is observing who is going to win, you or Shaytan. If you are patient, He will take you to the door of Ma`rifah, the door of `Ilm al-Yaqeen, `Ayn al-Yaqeen, Haqq al-Yaqeen. That is why Allah said to those seeking spirituality, you have to always be in obedience to what Allah sent to you.
And Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur’an:
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Atee`oollaha wa atee`u 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59
Allah loves those who are patient. Be patient to obey, not like the fish jumping out of water and flopping and struggling and then it will die. If you want to be fish, meaning to dive in the ocean of Ma`rifah, don't come out, but be patient until you receive `Ilm al-Yaqeen, `Ayn al-Yaqeen, Haqq al-Yaqeen. What opens to you will be based on the level of struggle and patience. If you chase away your ego and Shaytan is not able to ride on you, then you reach the level to be a saint. Because of her patience on her husband, Allah gave to Rabi`a al-Adawiyya (q) to be a lady saint.
Tahammul al-miraara, you have to tolerate the bitterness of everything. In everything there is a bitterness, even within you; if you don't see it yet it's because you aren't awake. That bitterness there waiting to quench your thirst and if you chase it away you come to the sweet honey from which to eat.
Yaqool ibn `umar as-safadi, whatever your nafs is asking of you to do something leave it and don't do it. If you take it by listening to yourself then you are letting bitterness cover you completely. Allah (swt) said, atee`oollaha wa atee`u 'r-Rasoola wa ooli-l-amri minkum and Awliya like their followers to read that ayah before every prayer, then Allah will dress you as if you have observed the 500 ma’mooraat and avoided the 800 manhiyyaat. That ‘atee`oollaha’ is carrying the noor of obedience, so when you mention it on your tongue angels will come and dress you with heavenly treasures from the secret of that word. What Allah has sent on Prophet of itaa`at no one knows as a servant, and when we make du`a what do we say? Allahumma innaa nasa’luka min khayri maa sa’alaka minhu Sayyidunaa wa Nabiyyunaa Muhammadun, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam.
The secret of ita`at is to take a share from those that are higher than you. If you say even one time, “Yaa Rabbee, atee`oollaha, obey Allah,” you will be dressed in whatever obedience Allah ordered human beings! Afterwards (the second step is to) say, Sami`na wa ata`na ghufraanaka rabbanaa wa ilayk al-maseer, “We listen and we obey,” then even if you didn't obey but you intend to, Allah will dress you from hidden knowledge, the rewards of which that no one can see, and Prophet (s) will immediately give you from his ita`at!
That’s why “obey Prophet” comes after “obey Allah,” so when you recite salawaat on Prophet (s) and you recite “atee`u 'r-rasoolu,” whatever noor and Manifestation Allah granted and Prophet (s) carried in his responsibility for his Ummah, Allah will dress him from the hidden treasures of Prophet (s) that no one knows except him (s).
Then Grandshaykh added, wa ooli 'l-amri minkum, “those in authority” in this case according to tafseer are Awliyaullah, not government officials, as we are speaking of Ma`rifah here, so it means those who are saints, Awliyaullah, whom Allah sent to Ummat an-Nabi (s) as there are no more prophets after Prophet (s) and no more Sahaabah (r) after the Sahaabah, but after the Tabi`een, yes, there are Awliyaullah that can guide the Ummah toward the Right Way. If you follow what Allah (swt) gave them, they will give to you. So reading the ayah, Atee`oollaha wa atee`u 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum is enough, because it carries a lot of noor and you are calling on Allah and calling to your total self, even bacteria, viruses and the immune system of every cell, which is like a huge army inside you that fights in the war zone against any intruders.
We read at the end, Sami`na wa ata`na ghufraanaka rabbanaa wa ilayk al-maseer, that ayah will take us to Atee`oollaha wa atee`u 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum, and Grandshaykh (q) used to say before every suhbat recite that verse and that audience and speaker will be dressed with the Light of Obedience to Allah, obedience to Prophet (s) and obedience to Awliyaullah. That is why when that verse was revealed the Prophet (s) said:
إنما الأعمال بالنيات
Verily, actions are by intentions. (Bukhari and Muslim)
So if your intention was good and you intended to do it, it will be written for you, you will be rewarded even if you were busy and didn’t do it. You made that intention, as that Hadith says, “My niyyah is to obey Allah and obey Prophet (s) and obey ooli 'l-amr.” Therefore, keep that niyyah in your heart for everything you do and you will be granted it's reward. For example, if my niyyah is to pray Taraweeh standing but I pray sitting, I will still be rewarded for having prayed properly, standing. Some people say, “I cannot pray, I am tired,” but if there is a chance you can pray sitting, then pray and it will be according to the intention you make.
Everything is according to what you intended to do. Our intention is to eat the honey if they give it to us, but there will be some obstacles; if we overcome the obstacles then we will be okay. The car engine cannot run without fuel and the heart cannot run without heavenly fuel. Grandshaykh (q) asked, Man al-muharrik il-jirr, who is the one who makes the engine run? The engine of our body is the heart: you can be in a coma and living, but you cannot have the heart stop and continue living. You could be in a coma for many years and then wake up or don't wake up, but you are still breathing, but if the heart stops everything stops. So, Grandshaykh (q) is asking, “Who is running that heart?” Allah is The One who can make the engine within you run. As much as you ask to run it, He will respond and give you power: if you are always putting your foot on the accelerator, always going, as much as you give in your heart of heavenly `ibaadah then you increase, that person’s body will move forward, if you increase the power it becomes like a turbo engine and able to fly. As much as you accelerate your power in the Way of Allah (swt), at that time:
سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعً
We subject to you whatever is in Heavens and in the Earth. (Surat al-Jaathiya, 45:13)
At that time you will enter the door of Ma`rifah and Allah will make Heavens and Earth under your order, as He said in Holy Qu’ran. Also ‘Heaven and Earth’ means soul and body: body is the Earth and soul is the Heaven when you are moving forward, wa sakhkhara lakum ma fi ‘s-samaawaat. Samaawaat belongs to Heavens and everything in samaawaat means the soul, not the body, and ma fi ‘l-ard, whatever is in Earth, means the body.
You are between two forces: the body and the soul. If you can make these two forces work together you fly, you will reach the way of Ma`rifah, one of highest knowledges that Allah gives to Ummat an-Nabi (s) which is, Mahabbatullah, Mahabbat al-Habeeb, Mahabbat al-Mashaykh, Love of Allah, Love of Prophet, Love of Awliya. Then you reach Hudoorullah, Hudoor al-Habeeb, Hudoor al-Mashaykh, to be in the Divine Presence, to be in Presence of Prophet (s) and to be in the presence of Awliya. Then Allah will give you the knowledge of `Ilm al-Yaqeen, `Ayn al-Yaqeen, Haqq al-Yaqeen, may Allah dress us with that.
This is enough, we will continue next time.
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