18 August 2012 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Ramadan Series / Suhbah after Fajr
Allah! As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatahu! Mashaa-Allah. ‘Qalqala’ means “the right word,” but scholars now only know ‘laqlaqa,’ which has no meaning.
Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. Allahumma salli wa sallim `alaa Sayyidina Muhammad wa `alaa aali Sayyidina Muhammad.
When we make du`a, we say tahmeed, “Alhamdulillah rabbi ‘l `alameen as-salaatu wa ‘s-salaamu `alayka ayyuha ‘n-nabi...,” then we continue the du`a, but the Prophet (s) said:
Laa yuradd ad-du`a badaطa bi bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.
Du`a is never rejected when it begins with “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.”
Why? Because it contains three of Allah’s Precious Beautiful Names, which they say are the “Beautiful Names,” to demonstrate there is no beauty in this universe or heavens without Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes. Allah’s Names make everything beautiful! When Allah (swt) created the Pen, He ordered it to write Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah, “There is no creator except Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.” So whatever the Prophet (s) says is real, laa shak wa laa shubha, without objection or doubt.
Who among the Sahaabah (r) never had doubt about what the Prophet (s) said? Anything the Prophet (s) said, Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) said, “Sadaqta, yaa Rasoolullah.” You know the message came to a people who were unaware of Islam, so when it came, some principles were too much for them, like the story of the Mi`raaj. On his return, the Prophet (s) stood on a hill and said, “Last night I went for Israa’ wa 'l-Mi`raaj.” ‘Israa’’ means that he moved at night across hadd ad-dunya, saraa fi ‘l-layl.
Hearing this news, the Sahaabah (r) vascillated between acceptance and denial, but Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) immediately said, “Sadaqta yaa Rasoolullah! Yes, what you said is the truth,” because Sayyidina Muhammad (s) and Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) shared a mutual love. So when the Prophet (s) approached Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa he was not afraid, but he felt the loneliness of the situation and wanted familiarity to feel okay. So Allah made him hear the movement and feel the presence of Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r); then he became atma’ana Rasoolullah, mutma'in, tranquil, because he sensed a friend was with him.
That is why when someone dies he is worried and feels khashiya, fear of Allah, fear of what is going to happen, as he is alone and has no family with him. That is why some people say to leave the light on in the room he is in, as his soul comes back to the house where he died to get uns, familiarity. That is why the Prophet (s) said, “I will be shoulder-to-shoulder in the grave with the mu’min who remembered me in dunya to give him a feeling of familiarity.” That is because when Prophet (s) was in Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, Allah (swt) made him hear the sound of Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) and then he relaxed, which is how he knew Prophet (s) was in the Mi`raaj, so upon hearing the announcement he quickly said, “Sadaqta yaa Rasoolullah!”
Sayyidina `Umar (r) received knowledge and advice from both Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) and Sayyidina `Ali (r) and it is well known that were it not for Sayyidina `Ali (r), Sayyidina `Umar (r) would have made two mistakes in his decisions. So whatever you do in your life you must say, “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” as `Ismullah al-`Azham is in it. If anyone truly knows what `Ismullah al-`Azham is, he can say, “Kun! Fayakoon” and that will come into existence!
When Allah created Creation, He dressed them with the Reality of `Ismullah al-`Azham. Whom did He dress? Prophet (s) was the first to be created, so Allah dressed the Light of the Prophet (s) with the Reality of `Ismullah al-`Azham. So when you look at the Prophet (s) you see the Light of `Ismullah al-`Azham, and for that reason he didn’t shatter when the Qur’an was revealed to him, because `Ismullah al-`Azham is in the Qur’an so he was able to carry it.
Grandshaykh (q) said, and I quote here from his notes:
According to the hadith, Prophet (s) said that every mu’min in the highest level of Paradise will see Allah (swt). What Prophet (s) meant by this was also in accordance with what we know, that nothing can contain Allah. So how can we see Him? Allah (swt) dresses the Prophet (s), al-Insaan al-Kaamil, with three-thousand of Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes, and afterwards manifests His Greatest Name on him, `Ismullah al-`Azham, dressing the Prophet (s) with that Light. People see it and feel they saw Allah (swt), although that is impossible because Allah cannot be seen; even the Prophet (s), who reached Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa--two bows’ length or less near the Divine Presence--still cannot see The Essence. He can see Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes, but He cannot see the Reality of The Essence. He can see what emanates from The Essence, manifestations of not only those three-thousand Beautiful Names, but all of them!
We already explained the three-thousand Beautiful Names and Attributes, that (swt) Allah made known one-thousand to His Angels, one-thousand to His Prophets, three-hundred are in the Zaboor, three-hundred in the Injeel and three-hundred in the Tawraat, ninety-nine in the Holy Qur’an, and all these Names are in the Qur’an. The Ninety-nine Beautiful Names and Attributes are the heart of these three-thousand Names, and `Ismullah al-`Azham is the heart of the Ninety-nine Beautiful Names and Attributes.
So the Light of `Ismullah al-`Azham will manifest on the Prophet (s) and shine on that Paradise, and through the Perfect One, Sayyidina Muhammad (s), those Lights will appear and who is in that Paradise will see it on him and think it is Allah Himself. Allah lets them feel He is appearing, but actually His Light appears because no one can carry His Original Appearance, which is from al-Noor, from which everything comes into light. If there is no light in this room you could not see anything here, but when there is noor you can see everything.
Grandshaykh (q) continues:
Then Allah (swt) orders the Prophet (s) to send the mu’mins who are in this Paradise to go one after another to different levels of Paradise carrying that Noor. They are dressed with the Light of `Ismullah al-`Azham from the Light that is dressed on the Prophet (s), and when they appear, the people of that Paradise think they are seeing Allah (swt), while in reality it is the mu’min who appears from the Paradise of Muhammadiyoon, shining with that Light the Prophet (s) dressed them with:
ما وسعني أرضي ولا سمائي ولكن وسعني قلب عبدي المؤمن
Maa wasi`anee ardee wa laa samaa'ee wa laakin wasi`anee qalbi `abdee al-mu'min.
Neither My Heavens nor My Earth contain Me, but the heart of My Believing Servant contains Me. (Hadith Qudsi, Al-Ihya of Imam al-Ghazali)
There is no way that anything can contain Me, but the Noor that waqara fee qalb Abu Bakr as-Siddiq al-ladhee fadalla...ghayri. As described by the hadith, that Light is in the heart of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r), and that’s why he is different from everyone else and favored the most, because that Light comes from that secret in his heart that he was carrying from Prophet (s). Prophet (s) sent traces of the `Ismullah al-`Azham to Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) and Sayyidina `Ali (r).
أنا مدينة العلم و علي بابه
Anaa madinatu 'l-`ilmi wa `Aliyyun baabuha.
I am the City of Knowledge and `Ali is its Door (or Gate). (al-Haakim, Tirmidhi)
Sayyidina `Ali (r) was at the door, but didn’t enter inside because that is reserved for Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r); however, you cannot go inside without Sayyidina `Ali (r). These three Names, “ar-Rahmaan,” “ar-Raheem” and “Allah” are the Names Allah likes best. They are from ad-Dhaat, the Essence, and they are not Siffat, Attribtues, but they are not describing the Attributes. “Ar-Rahmaan” that is from His Mercy that He gives everyone what they want, both the mu’min and non-mu’min. “Al-Kareem,” the Generous One, will not take back any gift He gave, just a mu’min does not take back any gift he gave. So under that Siffat ar-Rahmah, Allah gives.
Allah (swt) said:
الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ
Ar-Rahmaan `alam al-Qur'an.
The Most Merciful has taught this Qur'an. (ar-Rahmaan, 55:1,2)
He didn’t say, “Allah ar-Rahmaan `alam al-Quran.” From.. He created many Names that describe that Ism ar-Rahmaan.
Prophet (s) said Allah (swt) has one-hundred Mercies:
U`tiya waahidan minhaa ila ahlu ‘d-dunya.
Allah gave the Prophet (s) one of these ninety-nine to all human beings.
‘Ahlu ‘d-Dunya’ does not only include human beings, but also ins, jinn and all created beings in this universe. From Ism ar-Rahmaan, Allah created one-hundred Names to describe that Name, and dunya is under only one of them. Allah provides for Ahlu ‘d-Dunya, and He left ninety-nine Names of Rahmat other than the Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names and Attributes, about which the Prophet (s) said, “Allah has Ninety-Nine Names use them to call on Him.” Of the ninety-nine Names of rahmah, everyone is under that rahmah as Allah (swt) is providing us whatever we are getting in dunya: life, breath, cures, food....
Why did He keep the other ninety-nine Names of rahmah, why He didn’t send them to dunya? Because everyone would faint from all of them. This whole dunya got all that is here from one of them and we cannot carry more than that. Why did Allah order us to make salawaat on the Prophet (s)? Why did Allah say, “I am making salawaat and all My Angels are making salawaat, so you believers also make salawaat.” Allah (swt) did that to create a cause for Him to give His Mercy, so He is sending rahmah with His Salawaat to raise the Prophet (s) higher and higher!
When we make salawaat, Allah (swt) increases us with what He increases the Prophet (s). ... We explained this in the recent series about salawaat on the Prophet (s) at the beginning of Ramadan. For example, Salawaat al-Faatih is one line only, and when Muhammad al-Talmaysani completed reading Dalaa’il al-Khayraat 100,000 times, the Prophet (s) appeared to him in a dream saying, “O Muhammad al-Talmaysani! If you recite Salawaat al-Faatih, it will be as if you recited Dalaa’il al-Khayraat 800,000 times!” So if you recite this salawaat three times before you sleep, it will be as if you recited Dalaa’il al-Khayraat 2,400,000 times!
Allah (swt) reserved the ninety-nine Names of Mercy because if He gave them all now, the whole dunya would faint so He kept them for Akhirah. And He will dress Sayyidina Muhammad (s) with the ninety-nine Names of Rahmah. So that is why there must be traces of `Ismullah al-`Azham in these three Names, “Allah,” “ar-Rahmaan” and “ar-Raheem,” which is why the Prophet (s) ordered us to recite “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” with Surat al-Fatihah. That is equal to reciting the entire Holy Qur'an, as is reading “Qul huwa Allahu Ahad” three times.
Previously, Allah did not allow any understanding of `Ismullah al-`Azham, as there was no one able to understand that, but in the no-time zone when Allah created the Prophet (s), in `Alam ar-Rawhaniyaat, the World of Meanings, Allah introduced him to Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. And when the World of Images... didn't reveal to Sayyidina Musa (a) or any other Prophet, but when the Prophet (s) came to this dunya from the World of Images to... then Allah dressed him with the Light of His Beautiful Names and Attributes, `Ismullah al-`Azham, which only the Prophet (s) knows and awliyaullah can detect, but in a minimal way.
This knowledge is not in books, but rather it is in Grandshaykh’s and Mawlana Shaykh Nazim’s hearts, and they give information. Grandshaykh (q) was like a fountain whenever he opened these subjects and it is impossible to quote everything he said.
So ‘ar-Rahmaan’ is at-tafadul wal-Ihsaan, the Favors of Allah, Who gives from His Generosity; it means al-`atif bi rizq al-khalq will appoint for His Creation what they need and remove afflictions from them. ‘Ar-Raheem’ is if you ask Allah accepts and if you don’t He gets upset. Allah likes to give to His Servant, so when you ask, He gives!
ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
Id`oonee astajib lakum.
Supplicate to Me and I will give you! (Surat al-Mu’min, 40:60)
If you don’t ask He gets angry because He takes that siffat out of you, that is His Anger:
وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِالآيَاتِ إِلاَّ تَخْوِيفًا
Wa maa nursilu bi ’l-ayaati illa takhweefa.
We only send the Signs by way of terror (and warning from evil). (Surat al-Israa’, 17:59)
“We don’t send the Verses of Punishment except to make people fear!” So when you read ayats of punishment, Allah takes that punishment away from you, if you possess those characteristics that would cause you to be punished like that. And when you recite Holy Qur'an, those verses will take this all away and Allah will dress you from His Holy Paradise. Therefore, Allah likes His Servants to ask from Him! If you don't get what you ask for in this life, you will get it in the Next Life.
If you ask He will give, and if you ask don't He gets angry. To the contrary, if you ask human beings they get angry! But Allah likes to give, so ask Him, “Yaa Rabbee! We are asking through Your Generosity to grant that we be with the Prophet (s) in dunya, in death, in the grave, on Resurrection, during the Account.” If you don't ask from Allah (swt), He gets upset, so it is better to ask Him.
Who knew about these three Beautiful Names and Attributes, “Allah,” “ar-Rahmaan” and “ar-Raheem,” and what description they contain, of which we are describing here only in a very limited understanding, not is a professional way, as awliyaullah are not professional. So if you recite “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem,” it is as if you mentioned Allah (swt) with all His Beautiful Names and Attributes! Also, whoever recites them will be dressed with all these three-thousand Beautiful Names and Attributes as if he made dhikr with them and knew all the iinfinite number of Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes! That will be dressed on you if you recite “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” even once.
And it is related in reports and in the Seerah that Prophet (s) said, “On the night of Israa’ wa 'l-Mi`raaj, Allah made me see all Paradises.” He did not say “seven Paradises;” he did not limit them, which means there are more than seven. Also, Paradises cannot carry who will describe that and who will enter it. There are special Paradises and inshaa-Allah Allah will put us there. So when Prophet (s) saw these Paradises, he saw four flowing rivers: one was a river of crystal water condensed from the water’s coolness, and then a river of wine and a river of honey.
According to Grandshaykh’s notes, Prophet (s) said, “Yaa Jibreel! From where do these rivers come and to where are they going?”
Sayyidina Jibreel (a) replied, “All these rivers come from the highest Paradise and then the ninety-nine Paradises unite and blend in that ocean.”
What is that ocean Jibreel (a) is mentioning? The Prophet (s) was waiting for the answer, which is only for us to learn as Prophet (s) already knew. That ocean is Multaqa al-Bahrayn, the confluence of those four rivers, known as Hawd al-Kawthar, about which Allah (swt) said: inna `ataynaaka 'l-kawthar. Where they meet is a beautiful blending of water, milk, honey, and wine, which we have never tasted!Inshaa-Allah we will taste it in Paradise!
Prophet (s) said, “Yaa Jibreel! From where does it come?”
Sayyidina Jibreel (a) said, “I don’t know from where it comes, except that it comes from these four places. O Muhammad! Ask Allah to teach you from where these rivers come.”
So the Prophet (s) immediately asked, or otherwise Allah would have been upset. As soon as he asked, an angel responsible for all those rivers came, greeted Prophet (s) and said, “Close your eyes, yaa Muhammad,” and then, “Open your eyes.”
Prophet explained, “I opened my eyes and saw a tree and a dome made of pearl, Qubbat al-Arzaaq, the Dome of Provisions.
The root of the Arabic word for water, “maa`a,” is the letter meem. When Jibreel (a) offered the Prophet (s) milk, wine and water, he chose milk. So the wine is coming from the meem of al-Rahmaan and honey is coming from the meem of ar-Rahmaan, and from this knowledge Prophet (s) said, “Then I knew these four rivers come from someone who says ‘Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.’” So say “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem!” Ishaa-Allah, may Allah (swt) make us drink from these four rivers!
Also, Allah (swt) said, “O Muhammad! Whoever, without any desire of being seen, mentioned Me by saying ‘Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem,’ I will make him drink from these four rivers and his du`a will never be rejected if it begins with ‘Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.’
O Allah! For the sake of Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, forgive us and accept from us Ramadan on the last day, and take away from us all difficulties in health or wealth!
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
[Note: Tafseer Surat al-Fatihah and videos of many other tafseers are now available on Suflive.com.]
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