Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
8 August 2011 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
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.
Ati`oollaha wa ati`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (4:59)
Allah (swt) sent His messengers to teach us humbleness and discipline, and to tell us that, "There is the One Who created you: all of you are His servants and He is your Creator." Also, He gave us all kinds of favors. Some people are able to see them and some are not, it depends on whom they are with. If you are with good ones you will see and if you are with evil ones you will not. Awliyaullah are trying to bring us back to see that by ourselves.
For example, if you apply perfume every day and even every hour, your smell becomes nicer and nicer and slowly, slowly that perfume disappears, then you put more, and as long as you apply perfume your smell is nice.However, the other group doesn't put perfume or any kind of incense that smells nice, because those who smell nice are in associations of someone who owns these perfumes and he is giving to them. That is awliyaullah: they are giving us every moment to dress us with these beautiful smells.
On the other side, the company of the other group will give you a bad smell one after the other, until no one can approach them because they stink like a skunk and you have to run away.
Today someone who doesn't change their clothes begins to repel others and because of the smell of their sweat no one wants to be near them, but everyone likes to sit near those who smell nice; they are awliyaullah. You can notice their smell from far way; it is everywhere, attracting you to sit near them. It is said:
عند ذكر الصالحين تنزل الرحمة
`inda dhikr as-sulaha tanzil ar-rahma.
In the mention of the pious pure ones, mercy descends.
Just by the mention of good and sincere people, Allah sends His rahmah on you. That is a heavenly dress that smells very nice, and then awliyaullah come near you and angels approach you, but angels don't approach those who do not smell nice. As mentioned by Grandshaykh (q) many times, the Prophet (s) was praying taraweeh with Sahaabah (r) in Mecca. Angels descended with all kinds of rewards to dress the Sahaabah, but that day Sayyidina Jibreel (a) was not able to come down, something was preventing him. Prophet (s) asked, “What is delaying you, O Jibreel?” Jibreel answered, “Yaa Rasoolullah, some of your Sahaabah have broken their fast tonight with onions and garlic and for that reason the angels are not able to descend.”
Although garlic and onion is highly beneficial, Allah created them to cure you from seventy diseases, but despite that the angels could not descend. What then do you think of the smell of our bad behavior and character; how can angels come and take our `amal to the Divine Presence? Awliyaullah are trying as much as possible to make your smell nice.
Allah (swt) will dress you with a nice smell just by mentioning their names, so how will He dress you if you sit with them? Allah will dress you more and more just for sitting with them, even if they aren't giving advice. It is said, “Who does not benefit with his gaze, does not benefit with his speech.” That means the first important meeting is of the eyes. The one who can benefit you by looking at you with his eyes for sure can benefit you by his speech. It is not necessary for awliyaullah to say anything. That is why Sayyidina Shah Naqshband (q) had one session every week which was totally silent for three-hours, in which his followers connected their hearts to each other and in that way they were raised higher and higher.
The presence of a wali in your life will give you a push up, to enable you to be in the Divine Presence and in the presence of the Prophet (s). A wali said, “I saw the Prophet (s) in my dream and asked, ‘Yaa Sayyidee, yaa Rasoolullah, what is the best `amal?’ He said, wuqoofuk bayna yadayy waliullah, ‘To be in the presence of a wali.’” That is one of the best `amal you can do, because when you sit in his presence he will overtake you; he will dress you with what Allah, the Prophet (s), and his grandshaykh have dressed him and what he has gained from them, without even hearing a subhah, only by sitting with him!
That is why it is important to visit your shaykh at least once a year. Even five minutes is enough to draw his attention to you and to receive his gaze and raise you to his level. The murshid takes away from your heart all kinds of weaknesses and puts all kinds of power in order that your connection will be stronger and stronger, and the more you sit with the shaykh, the more your raabitah is strengthened.
The Prophet (s) said:
Allah has servants that if you look at one of them, that gaze will make you happy, after which you will never see an evil or bad ending.
Their one gaze is enough to fill your entire life with happiness! It is said by Grandshaykh (q), that if there is someone even on a mountain top, a wali must pass by him once in 24 hours to gaze upon him in order to keep him strong and powerful. Don't think there are no awliyaullah among the ummah; they roam the streets like angels in order to support the People of Dhikr.
* Allah has servants that if they look at someone, aksaboo lahu as-sa`adah, they will give them happiness.
* Also, ru'yatush-shaykh ahsan min adh-dhikr, to sit with a shaykh and look at him is far stronger than dhikrullah because he will take you by the hand to his level. When you do dhikr such as, “laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah,” or, “Allah, Allah,” you are doing it with your ego, but the shaykh will take you to where he is.
* That is why raabitah is important when you are far from your teacher as when you connect your heart with him, he will take you to where he is. He may be in the presence of other awliyaullah, in the presence of the Prophet (s), or in the Divine Presence! He takes you where you cannot go. This is why Sayyidina Shah Naqshband (q) said, “Our way is through association and the goodness is in the gathering.”
So don't pray alone and be by yourself. You may do that all your life, but it will not give you benefit. For this reason, it is best to be in the company of someone who can take you to presence of the Prophet (s) as he already has that light in his forehead. People will surrender to that light of wilayat, that light Allah (swt) gave to Sayyidina Adam (a) and ordered angels to make sajdah. They didn't make sajdah only to Adam, it was in fact sajdah of ihtiraam, respect to the light of the Prophet (s) in Sayyidina Adam (a), as sajdah of worship is only to Allah.
Therefore, for us to reach the light of Prophet (s) we need to be with a wali. Awliyaullah inherit that light from the Prophet (s) commensurate with their level, and it will raise you up to the power that wali carries; whether that light is less, more, or unlimited, depends on the power of that wali. We will be lucky if we find someone who is the highest among awliyaullah. Everyone says, “My shaykh is the highest,” and since this is a general discussion we don't want to differentiate, but we say Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) is Sultan al-Awliya! Anyone will be fortunate to find a sultan, who does not sit on a normal chair, but rather he sits on a throne that Allah gave from among the thrones He gave to the Prophet (s). That means one of the thrones or levels he reached, he gives to that wali depending on their level.
So do raabitah and connect your heart with your teacher and inshaa-Allah you will reach the highest level of sainthood. Some `ulama have said, `ala qadar isti`daad al-wali fa inna al-imdaadaat `ala qadr al-istidaad, “The one connected with that wali will receive as much as that wali is receiving, stronger and stronger.” And as much as that wali is ascending, that is how much he takes his followers with him. “And know, O my son! The presence of a wali is important in your life because he will guide you not only by his speech and gaze, but by the power that Allah put in the heart of his servant!” You will be raised with the amount of power that He put in that wali. Awliyaullah make your heart your own Ka`aba because, as described in the hadith of Prophet (s):
ما وسعني أرضي ولا سمائي ولكن وسعني قلب عبدي
Ma wasi`anee ardee wa laa samaa'ee wa laakin wasi`anee qalbee `abdee al-mu'min.
My Earth did not contain Me, nor My Heavens, but the heart of My believing servant contained Me.
They open your heart to connect you to the light of Ka`aba, so it becomes like a pipe flowing with all these secrets, knowledge, and treasures. You begin to see, hear, and envision all kinds of unexpected experiences when you connect your heart with your teacher. It will be highly beneficial if you find a very strong sultan that can take you to where he is. Adab must always be with the shaykh and you must not doubt what the shaykh says even if you don't understand it. He is not going to cheat you as he gives us what Allah (swt) and Prophet (s) gave him.
Study these notes and try to fulfill them by reading from these notes daily. Check one after one and try to discipline yourself with them.
I will end with this very important quotation: “Connect your heart with a shaykh who is a manifestation of the hadith of the Prophet (s):
خير عباد الله الذين اذا رؤو ذكر الله
Khayru’l-`ibaad alladheena idhaa ru’oo dhukkir Allah.
The best servants of Allah are those who, when they are seen, remind one of Allah.
Keep your connection, raabitah, with those who, when they are looked at or seen, remind you of Allah and you say ‘subhaanAllah’ and make dhikrullah when you see them. Inshaa-Allah you will benefit from it.”
Don't keep company with devils whose behavior is not accepted by Allah. May Allah bless us and support us.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.