4 September 2010 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Fajr Ramadan Series 2010
Allahuma salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammad hatta yarda, Sayyidina Muhammad. Allahuma salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammad. La ilaha illa-Llah Muhammadan Rasoolullah. Qul "Allah"! (Allah!)
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`ala fee haadha 'l-masjid.
Awliyaa have many means to make their followers move like a rocket on the right path. Their track is always straight and the engine is always on the track. It is the main engine of the train, the locomotive, and it is very powerful, so anyone who jumps on it will arrive fast. That is why they ordered that every time you are in a meeting, you should make the niyyah, intention, that this meeting is your last, as your soul might be taken before the next meeting, so you should be in that meeting like someone expecting death; be one whose deeds are completely disconnected from dunya by saying, 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, and nawayna as-siyaam, to keep our jawarih, outside and inside, disconnected from dunya; then you will receive the benefit as if you did seclusion for forty days!
Every time you sit for prayer or sit to give guidance for people for akhirah, then you will be written in the book. There is a book that everyone invents all kinds of ways to be in it, The Guinness Book of World Records. Do you know that book? No? Good, then you are really disconnected from the dunya. Like `Ali; if he were the top of people writing English songs, he would be written in the Guinness Book. Someone who ate 200 kilos of meat would be written in that book. And awliyaa have their heavenly book which in the hands of awliyaa and angels. And awliyaa give us hints what to say, so it will be written in that as if you did that `amal. So in every association you should intend, "We are making seclusion, or making disassociation, to make movement to Allah, and we are separating ourselves from talk of dunya." This way you cut Shaytan to pieces!
It is said, "If you know Allah, you know everything." If you have ma`rifat about your Lord, then that leads you to have ma`rifat of everything Allah (swt) wants you to know. And who knows himself knows his Lord, and who knows his limits stands by the limit of what Allah orders him to do. Allah sent messengers to put us on the track, so that when we reach the destination, pulled by that big engine to reach the door of ma`rifat, when you come to the door and knock, they will open it for you, as we mentioned in a previous session.
Prophet said, "I was given knowledge of Awwaleen wa ’l-`Akhireen, of what was and what will be.
One wali, ash-Shibli (q), said, "For me, the 'Knowledge of Before and After' is the knowledge of Tawheed, Oneness, and the knowledge of Ahadiyyah, "Uniqueness." It is the cream of what the Prophet (s) came with. Why? Because it is Maqaam al-Hudoor, "the Station of Presence," and Maqaam ash-Shuhood, "the Station of Vision." So that is why we say, Hudoor Allah, Hudoor al-Habeeb, fana` un fi-Llah, Fanaa'un fi 'l-Habeeb al-Mustafa. That means when you are in the State of Presence and Vision, and you are reciting laa ilaaha illa-Llah, you are in Maqaam at-Tawheed. In the level of Oneness, Tawheed, you see everything is One. When you enter the Maqaam of Vision, you enter the reality of the Beautiful Names and Attributes describing the Essence through the dhikr that reminds us of Allah, laa ilaaha illa-Llah. The One of Whom we see the signs in dunya is the One Whose Greatness we have to know in Akhirah, Allah. This maqaam is al-hudoor wa 'sh-shuhood fee istighraaq fee noorun Rabbee. You will be dipped in the Light of the Lord!
اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونِةٍ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُّورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَاء وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Allāhu nūru as-samāwāti wa al-'arđi mathalu nūrihi kamishkāatin fīhā mişbāĥun al-mişbāĥu fī zujājatin az-zujājatu ka'annahā kawkabun durrīyun yūqadu min shajaratin mubārakatin zaytūniatin lā sharqīyatin wa lā gharbīyatin yakādu zaytuhā yuđī'u wa law lam tamsas/hu nārun nūrun `alá nūrin yahdī allāhu linūrihi man yashā'u wa yađribu Allāhu al-'amthāla lilnnāsi wa Allāhu bi kulli Shay'in `Alim.
Allāh is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth. The parable of His Light is as a niche and within it a lamp, the lamp is in glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) although no fire touched it. Light upon Light! Allah guides to His Light whom He wills. And Allah sets forth parables for Mankind, and Allah is Knower of all Things! (an-Nur, 24:35)
Allah is the Light of the Heavens and Earth: that level is al-Hidaya al-`Uzhmah, "the Greatest Guidance," wal-Maqaam al-Asna, "and the Highest Level, wal-Haal al-Husna, "and the Most Excellent of States," and Sa`daat al-Kubra, "the Greatest Happiness." So to be on that level is very simple; don't make it complicated. so many awliyaa have written so much about these stations, but if we say, la ilaha illa-Llah, we will reach the high levels that awliyaa reached. They must simply say, laa ilaha illa-Llah. Some people are saying they cannot understand anything the awliyaa are saying, but we are speaking something to allow people to realize that Greatness, to give them a taste. It is al-Maqsad al-Aqsa, "the Highest Attainment," or "the Highest State of Excellence." It takes you to, qaaba qawsayni aw adna, "two bows' length or nearer," to be with Prophet as one of his ummah that he does not leave anyone behind.
So what is Haqiqat at-Tawheed, "the Reality of Tawheed"? For example, this element is one; it has no resemblance to anything else. Then that unique in itself, unique in everything. no one resembles that: it is "one." That is why, for Allah to show you His Greatness and your uniqueness, He gave you a unique thumbprint that doesn't resemble anyone else's, to show that you don't resemble anyone. No one's heart resembles anyone else's, no kidney resembles another. Okay, there is some resemblance in organs; for example: when a doctor, does a transplant, he has to make sure you have the right tissue type or the organ is rejected. So there are groupings of people, and they are not the same. He also makes groups to follow their own shaykh, not everyone follows one shaykh. Take hikmah from that, don't say, "My shaykh is higher than yours, my shaykh is the best." That is no adab. You have the same group, to be together, you have the same tissue type, but still that thumb doesn't resemble any other, not even if you are of the same tissue type. Also, Allah created every leaf on a tree to not resemble any other leaf in size or composition or tissue type. Ask a scientist to do tests for you to prove this!
So the word "tawheed" means that element has no resemblance. So when we understand that there is no resemblance and Who it is that has no resemblance: qul Huwa Allahu Ahad, Allahu 's-Samad. Allah is independent, and all Creation is dependent. Who is holding the universe together? If Allah let it loose it will collapse, bi ghayri `amadin tarawnaha. There are no pillars holding everything in space. Who can do that ? Only Allah! Compared to heavenly power and Allah's Greatness, all their weapons are like toys. "Everything that human beings have and say, We control!" Smart bombs and aircraft are like children's toys; if Allah wills, in one second they disappear. If He says to the ocean to swallow all submarines and all vessels, what happens? They can disappear in one moment! May Allah protect us.
Look what happened in Pakistan; Allah (swt) punished them. Not all Pakistanis deserve that punishment. Like Sayyidina Musa, when he said, "Yaa Rabbee! When You are angry with someone, why do You destroy the whole city. Why not just that one?" He spoke like that because He had familiarity with Allah (swt). So Allah said to him, "O Musa! Let me show you My Judgment. Go to that jungle and sit for a while." So he went there, waiting to see Allah's Judgment. And he doesn't have patience, he is "Kaleemullah", so among the anbiya he feels some preference and higher distinction. So if he likes, like a child speaking to his father can say anything, it is accepted. So Sayyidina Musa thinks he is better than anyone else, so he says as he likes, and he said, "How do you punish everyone who is innocent due to the acts of one person?" Allah (swt) left him waiting for three hours. He became impatient and said, "Yaa Rabbee! What is this?" And as soon as he said that, many small ants crawled up his legs. Then Allah ordered one ant to bite him and that ant was happy, as Allah had ordered an ant to bite a prophet! That is love to Allah and love to Sayyidina Musa. Allah commanded the ant, "Bite him very strongly!" As soon as he bit him, Sayyidina Musa pressed his leg and killed all the ants except a few. Then he heard a voice, "O Musa! What have you done?"
He said, "An ant bit me!"
"But you crushed all of them! That is My wisdom, one bad person among them causes all of them to be punished."
Those (flood victims in in Pakistan) who were innocent were given Paradise, and those who did wrong, the Hellfire is ready for them, but since they were punished they are sent to Paradise.
Here is one message to Pakistanis from one of His awliyaa: "If you keep doing that, Allah will continue to send like that." They blew up the maqaam of one great wali, Sayyid `Ali Hujwiri (q). It is as Allah said in Hadeeth Qudsee:
من عادى لي وليا فقد آذنته بالحرب
man `adaa lee waliyyan faqad aadhantahu bi 'l-harb.
Who declares war on a Friend of Mine, I declare war on him.
Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an:
أَلا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاء اللّهِ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
alaa inna awliyaulllah la khawfan `alayhim wa laa hum yahzanoon.
Behold! Verily on the Friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve. (al-Anbiyaa, 10:62)
So when they blew up that maqaam, Allah defended him. Sayyid Ali Hujweri didn't want to defend himself, so Allah defended him: He brought that huge flood.Twenty-five million for one. When they came to Sayyidina Lut, the angels said, "We are coming by Allah's order to destroy your people!" His people were gay. Anyone who protects gay people is going to get that punishment. We don't care about "freedom" or not, gay or not. Allah said to Sayyidina Lut, "Don't look behind you as you leave!" And in one strike He finished them, in one tornado or one hurricane; their homes were destroyed completely in one strike. So Allah showed Sayyidina Musa, "For one I take all!" And that is Allah's Uniqueness, no one can be like that. And how to save ourselves? By Kalimat at-Tawheed, la ilaha illa-Llah. When we recite that we are saying, "There is no one to resemble You, yaa Rabbee!" And that is Maqaam al-Hudoor and Maqaam ash-Shuhood, the station of Presence and the station of Seeing. To those doing their dhikr, Allah will open these veils, slowly, slowly, for them to see this beauty.
So the Maqaam at-Tawheed is a level of beauty. Every year they have a beauty contest broadcast on different TV stations. One is chosen as the most beautiful and is crowned, and I don't know what else she gets of jewelery, watches, and that person becomes so highly respected, for nothing! What do you think about the One Who created beauty? When you enter yourself by saying, la ilaha illa-Llah, He will dress you with heavenly beauty. He will be happy to bring you to His Heavenly Creation and say to them, "Look! These are my beautiful ones that have separated themselves from Shaytan!" even if you only say it once a day, or even once in your life. So one la ilaha illa-Llah is enough for one day, and one la ilaha illa-Llah is enough for one moment. Say that, la ilaha ill-Llah; it is describing the One Who has no resemblance.
Surat al-Ikhlaas:
Qul huw Allahu Ahad, "Say (O Muhammad), 'He is Allah, (the) One!'"
Allahu aş-Şamad, "The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need; He neither eats nor drinks."
Lam yalid wa lam yoolad, "He begets not, nor was He begotten."
walam yakun lahu kufuwan 'Ahad. "And there is none co-equal or comparable to Him."
And the meaning of "Allah (swt) is One" is, He is denying the division of His Essence. Nafiy al-inqisam fee dhaatihi, "There is no partner with Me and no division in Me." That One has no partner other than Him, and He is the One that looks like no one. He is Creator, and we are His servants and His Creation.
Sayyidina Junayd al-Baghdadi (q) said, "Idha tana uqul aluqala il at-tawheed intiha il al-heera." The brains of the most intelligent men who have brains..." as not everyone has brains, those who have 'dunya brains' are considered to have no brain, as to Allah said dunya is not valued the weight of a mosquito's wing. So why have a brain for it? That means when you add all such brains together they don't weigh the wing of a mosquito, if you still say, "I am here." Sayyidina Junayd said, "The highest of brains that understand are the awliyaa's; whatever heights awliyaa can reach, they have the greatest intelligence as they have left dunya. If we add all the intelligence of awliyaa with all their heavenly knowledge, and we add together their farthest possible goal in understanding Divine Oneness, they will be stunned and in bewilderment. 'Heera, they are in bewilderment.' They reached that level of astonishment, where they cannot understand. With all the tawheed they have made, they reached the Ocean of Bewilderment and they cannot swim in it. They must reach their limits!" That means that anyone who says, laa ilaaha ill-Llah, one day reaches the Level of Bewilderment, in which there is no way to understand anything except traces of that Reality.
Sayyidina Junayd also said, Tandarisu feehi al-`uloom wa yabqa Allah ka lam yazal, "Tawheed means in it are all the images of Creation, and in it all the images of Creation disappear! Say, laa ilaaha illa-Llah, and everything disappears, and you get the reward of that, as all of Creation recites la ilaha illa-Llah, and all of that is written for you! The recitation of all creatures, deserts, sands, and particles, all saying laa ilaaha illa-Llah, and that is written for you! All Creation is disappearing in that ocean and all knowledge stops and we cannot understand anymore."
That is why you say, 'I am standing, yaa Rabb, at my limits.' And that is why you know you can go no further. And Allah's Essence stays as it is, unchanged. We cannot say anything about 'it'. We don't know what to say, in Arabic there is no word to express 'it.'
And they said that the best of what has been said about tawheed is what Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (q) said, "SubhaanAllah, Praise be to Allah that He did not create a way for His Creation to know Him."
You cannot stand beside the Divine Presence, and that is your limit of knowledge; you cannot go in. That is the limit of knowledge. You are a particle in an ocean, so what do you know about tawheed? "Praise be to the One who didn't provide a means for Creation to know Him!" How do you know Him? By realizing your inability to know Him! "I am coming with complete ajaz, inability. With that inability, I know my inability to know You." You have to declare that you cannot know or understand the level of tawheed. If you cannot understand tawheed, how can you understand Maqaam adh-Dhaat, the Station of the Name "Allah"? If you cannot understand laa ilaaha illa-Llah, which is Maqaam at-Tawheed, how you can understand "Allah"? So we can only follow the way of Prophet (s), then you will be there:
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Qul in kuntum tuhiboon Allaha fat-tabi`oonee yuhbibkumullah wa yaghfir lakum dhunoobakum.
Say, "If you love Allah, follow me (Muhammad). Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (`Aali Imraan, 3:31)
So our duty is to follow, and to know our limits and not to trespass them. Today they come to you with all kinds of ways of expressing themselves and say, "We are one, we are united." United with whom? With Shaytan. How can you declare you are united with Allah; that is kufr! You cannot even understand tawheed. Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (q) said you cannot, or you will completely disappear. "Glory be to the One who did not give a way to know about Him, except by our complete inability to know Him!" Declare that! Don't say "I"!
Wa qeela fit-tawheed, and it is said that tawheed means to deny three words ending with "yaa," the last letter of the Arabic alphabet. There are all kinds of knowledge between "alif", which declares Allah's Oneness in it's standing up--we will explain later--and "yaa", which is the last letter of the alphabet. So that means, "All knowledge is between alif and yaa." So if you want to understand Oneness, drop the yaa; this leaves alif, and that is in three words. First is "lee" (lam yaa), which in Arabic means, "belonging to Me," and yet, you don't own anything. You go to the grave and if you have a ring they take it, and they take everything from you, and wrap you in the shroud and throw you in, then the one who digs the grave comes and if you have any gold teeth, he steals them also, and they take your organs and sell them. You are gone and no one cares how you are cut into pieces.
First is, laa taqul lee, "Don't say, 'it belongs to me'." And second, don't say, bee, "through me". "You are something because of me!" Or don't say, "I am existing, I am president," "I am king!" What for? Kings don't die? Then what do you think you are? Nothing. Third, don't say, minnee, "from me". So lee, bee and minnee, don't say them. (Note: These three Arabic words all end in the suffix yaa, in these cases pronounced 'ee'.) Say, "It is from Him to Him," or, minka wa ilayk, "from You to You (Allah).There is nothing in our hands!" Then you will be saved.
We will leave it here and continue next time.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
As-salaamu alaykum, insha-Allah, we have the Holy Hair of Sayyidina Muhammad this evening and we hope everyone can make ziyaarah. On the Internet you can make ziyaarah, we will raise it up. And anyone who makes shahadah in front of that holy hair, as Grandshaykh and Mawlana Shaykh said, it is a shahadah in front of Prophet: he is Haadir and Naadhir, Present and Observing.