Dr. Nour Mohammad Kabbani
13 May 2019 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Fajr Suhbah
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani ‘r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. Dastoor yaa Sayyidi, yaa Sultan al-Anbiyaa. Dastoor yaa Sayyidi. Madad, yaa Sultan al-Awliya.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. May Allah (swt) be happy with us. We are asking Your Ridaa, Your Ridwan, yaa Rabbee!
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, Grandshaykh of Tariqah Naqshbandiyya, may Allah (swt) sanctify his secret and raise him higher and higher in Jannah, said so many times we try to do something and it does not move, it’s stuck. So he says, `alamat al-idhni at-tayseer, “The sign of permission is ease,” when something is easy and just rolling and happening, it means Allah (swt) has allowed it to happen and gave permission for it to evolve. But sometimes you try to do something and for some reason it doesn’t start. When that happens, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim says, you must be muwaafiq, someone who accepts what is happening.
So many times when something doesn't work our way and we want it to work, we become stubborn to try and make it work. Mawlana (q) says the one who is in agreement with what Allah has destined will become comfortable, muwaafiq yartaah; but the one who is in disagreement, the one who objects, mukhaalif..sometimes they call a person a violator, you made mukhaalafa, went the opposite way, they give you a warning or ticket, and if you do it again you might get in more trouble.
Grandshaykh (q) is saying that when something shows itself for you and Allah's Destiny unfolds in front of you, the one who moves with Allah's Will will find ease and comfort. The one who stands in front of it is mukhaalif, in violation and disagreement, and he will become tired and get nothing. If you stand in front of moving water you cannot stop it, the only thing you get from it is fatigue and weakness. Sometimes a dam breaks and you see the water coming, you cannot stop it, it will take you and go. So Grandshaykh (q) is giving so many important instructions, as so many of us encounter difficulties in our daily life and wonder, “What’s happening, why isn’t it working?” because the time has not come yet. So back off a little bit, wait a few hours, wait a few weeks, and see what happens and then go again, according to Allah’s Will. That way you will find raaha, peace and comfort. Who finds comfort in this life is the one who is in agreement with what Allah (swt) has destined. The one who is not in agreement with what Allah (swt) has destined will always be angry, tired, unhappy. Sometimes with His Wisdom, Allah makes the rich one poor, the healthy one sick, and the married one divorced. Allah can do that and what we need to do as followers of Grandshaykh is accept what Allah (swt) has destined for us. Subhaan-Allah. Allah (swt) says:
وَلَوْ شَاء رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلاَ يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ إِلاَّ مَن رَّحِمَ رَبُّكَ
If your Lord had so willed, He could have made Mankind a single nation, but they will not cease to dispute except those on whom your Lord bestowed His Mercy. (Surah Hud, 11:118-119)
“One nation,” means they would have been in agreement, “but they are always in disagreement except those on whom Allah has bestowed His Mercy.” That is Islam, imaan, and the rahmah Allah has written for us and we accept. Look at our master, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), what difficulties he went through in the last years of his life, and he always accepted it. He did not say, “Why, why, why?” he always said, “O my Lord! Give me health and give me strength.” He did not counter His Lord's Will.
Mawlana is telling a story about accepting Allah’s (swt) Will, “One day, I wanted to go visit an-Nabi (s) in Madinatu 'l-Munawwarah. I went to the embassy and the employees insisted in not giving me a visa. After they had made it so hard to get one, I read them the Hadith of the Prophet (s) in reverse: rather than, ‘Make it easy for people and don’t make it difficult’, I read yassiru wa laa tu-`assiroo, ‘Make it difficult for people and don't make it easy.’”
“They said, ‘O Shaykh, you have reversed the words of the Hadith.’ I said, ‘No, I have mentioned what you are doing, which is the reverse of the Hadith, you have made it difficult for someone to visit the Holy Land, the Divine Kingdoms, rawdah min ar-Riyadh al-Jannah, preventing people from attaining the rewards and mercies. You are applying the Hadith in reverse.’ They said, ‘O Shaykh, go by plane, not by car.’ I said, “My son-in-law lives in Saudi and I travel with him by car, so why do I need to go by plane?’ I asked ar-Rasool, ‘Yaa Rasoolullah! They are not giving me a visa and I am not going to go there until they leave.’”
Then Grandshaykh `AbdAllah also asked from Rasoolullah two things: 1) for the colonialists to leave Sham, and 2) for those who make it difficult for people to leave Hijaz. Grandshaykh `AbdAllah (q) said, “A message from Rasoolullah (s) came to me, ‘We are going to make the colonialists leave,’ and that happened, and as for the second request, the response came, ‘O Shaykh `AbdAllah! In this time we did not find for Haramayn ash-Sharifayn, the two Holy Places, more suitable people than those who are now in Hijaz. Therefore, we have delayed them for the time destined that the Lord wants them to leave. We found Umaam Haram ash-Shareef suitable for this time, because they have the good characteristic that they do not see themselves as higher than others; that bad manner is weak in them.’” This is Rasoolullah’s explanation why Allah allowed the Wahhabis to remain in Hijaz, and that was over forty years ago, but Allah (swt) has given them an allotted time, you never know when the days will change.
إِن يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِّثْلُهُ وَتِلْكَ الأيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ
If misfortune touches you, [know that] similar misfortune has touched [other] people as well, for it is by turns that We allocate to mankind such days [of fortune and misfortune]. (Surat Aali-Imraan, 3:140)
Now they are in there, whereas before there was someone else, and after them will be someone else, so you never know when the days will change. Grandshaykh and Mawlana were upset, which I’ll explain as we continue, inshaa-Allah. He says, “We found them suitable for this time because they have the characteristic of pride, takabbur, but it is weak. Had someone else been appointed imam of the Haram, they would be the most selfish and arrogant people of all time and enter the Haram as if they were the king of the world.”
Imagine if one of us! Mawlana (q) says anyone who enters and intends to be the imam of the jama`ah, for everyone the ego will come and show itself. Nowadays they have so many Ramadan series. Everyone is giving a Ramadan talk. They all make their hair nice, some have gel in their hair with no cap on. What suits you, yaa `alim, is to cover your head with `amaamah, with the sunnah of Rasoolullah (s)! This is the reason they made it hard for Mawlana Shaykh Nazim to get the visa, because he was wearing the `amaamah (turban). In front of Allah (swt) and in front of Rasoolullah (s), you have to wear the `amaamah, Allah (swt) orders:
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍَ وكُلُواْ وَاشْرَبُواْ وَلاَ تُسْرِفُو
O Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer, and eat and drink [freely], but do not waste. (Surat al-A'raaf, 7:31)
“Take your decoration in every masjid,” not the hair gel, but the Islamic decoration! What is better than what Rasool (s) wore? And it is confirmed that he wore turbans. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) says, “I went and did not wear the scarf of the woman, but I wore the `amaamah.”
SubhaanAllah, we go to masajid and see those men wearing scarves and their movements become weird. Subhaan-Allah, you are man, put your turban and leave your beard if you want to be an imam, but it’s okay if you don’t want to be an imam. Allah orders the imam to wear the decoration of Islam, but not to overdo it--wa laa tusrifoo, the verse continues. Some put rubies and decorations, others wear fancy watches. Sunnah is to just wear clean clothes, an `amaamah, and go.
Astaghfirullah al-`Azheem. Mawlana says, when we speak of people’s imperfection or deficiency, we are not gossiping, but rather are talking about them to perfect them. We are not talking to make fun of them, but we only want to perfect them to better level. When we mention their imperfection, we perfect them.” Whenever Mawlana Shaykh Nazim or Grandshaykh speak about someone, they are spiritually perfecting them. When you are an imam, the ego will enter and show itself, and if you wear the decoration of Rasoolullah (s), you remind yourself you are just his regular follower, not a big shot. So the people in Hijaz in this time, their ghuroor, thinking themselves as high is weak, and that is why they stayed there, but a time will come that Allah (swt) will change it, just as He changes the days among people.
Grandshaykh `AbdAllah (q) used to pray after the jama`ah in Haram ash-Shareef. I heard many people say, “We don't pray behind those imams, we wait until they’re done and then pray.” and Grandshaykh `AbdAllah did not pray behind the big jama`ah as he did not want to follow them, until Rasoolullah (s) informed him, “This year we have appointed an imam from our side who moves in front of the imam appointed by the government, so follow them in their prayer, and don’t mind who the visible imam is, as we have appointed another (hidden) imam in front of him.” Even the outward imam is following the invisible one, the spiritual imam who takes over the whole jama`ah, so we pray with them. He says this matter is in both Harams.
Previously there was an imam who was an imam who was Hafeedh al-Madinatu 'l-Munawwarah, the Keeper of Madinah, and any Wali who wants to to enter Madinatu 'l-Munawwara has to take permission from this muhafizh, so he was the original, genuine imam. In Ka`bah al-Mu`azhzham and Haram al-Madani, there is an invisible, appointed imam, so that those who pray there are not wasting their prayers. When you pray behind anyone there you are praying behind the real saint appointed by Rasoolullah (s) to lead the jama`ah, and they have not left it to this one and that one. In that masjid, you must have Waliyullah as imam, not like the one with hair gel or mascara!
People don’t know these secrets mentioned by Grandshaykh in order to keep unity, because imagine if Muslims don’t pray behind each other, the Shaytan keeps playing with them! “Don’t follow him, don’t be friends with them!” No, Muslims must unite, whether Wahhabis are in Hijaz or not, you must pray together. Grandshaykh is saying pray behind the existing imam in whatever masjid, and say, “I am praying behind the original imam appointed for this congregation,” then it doesn’t matter who is visibly leading. Grandshaykh (q) teaches people unity, not separation or enmity. It doesn't matter if you agree with their ideology or not: this is not up to us, Allah (swt) has given them time. For every time, it is written for them. Whether they are there 50 or 100 years, it is not our problem, we must keep the unity and pray behind Muslim imams and make the niyyah, “I am following the real imam, al-imam al-haqiqi.”
May Allah (swt) always keep us behind the real imam, as Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said. There is the Saahib al-Waqt, and Imam az-Zamaan, and inshaa-Allah we will meet all of them. Now we feel happiness and strength just by hearing their names, and inshaa-Allah we will see their surah, form, and know some of their meaning and their reality. It is said, lafazh wa ‘s-surah wa ma`na wa haqiqa, for every Creation there is lafazh, including for Ismullah al-`Azham,, a way to pronounce His Name, and that Ismullah al-`Azham is in three ayaat:
اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
Allah! There is no god but He, The Living, The Self-subsisting, Eternal. (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:255)
الم للّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
Alif. Laam. Meem. Allah. There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-Subsisting, Eternal. Surat Aali-`Imraan, 3:1-2)
وَعَنَتِ الْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَيِّ الْقَيُّومِ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ حَمَلَ ظُلْمًا
(All) faces shall be humbled before (Him), The Living, The Self-Subsisting, Eternal. Hopeless indeed will be the man that carries iniquity (on his back). (Surat Ta-Ha, 20:111)
This is from Hadith of Rasool (s), that Ismullah al-`Azham is in these three verses and they share this: al-Hayyu ‘l-Qayyum. Allah (swt) has kept that Name hidden, but there is pronunciation, a meaning, and an image of that Holy Name, there is a secret and there is a reality. For every creation it is the same: for example, a horse is a creature, and the word provides you an image, so “horse” has a reality and a reason as to why a horse was created. Allah (swt) has given the Imam az-Zamaan a form, a meaning, a pronunciation; included when Mawlana Shaykh Hisham used to recite the names of Awliyaullah. And his haqiqa is that he is the imam of the whole Ummah. That is why Mawlana Shaykh Nazim taught us to recite in our prayers, “I am following the real imam.” You have to say it in each prayer, and then you are connected to the imam of the Ummah, Sayyidina Saahib az-Zamaan (a). May Allah (swt) make us from those who reach him and see him and learn from him.
So he went through the whole story to tell us, “If it was easy for me to go to Madinatu 'l-Munawwarah, we would have gone, but although they made the obstacle for me, with my intention I am visiting there every day.” The lesson in this is you should know if there is an obstacle, Allah (swt) does not want that thing to to go through, so wait until Allah (swt) starts moving that affair or that matter for you. May Allah (swt) keep us under the wing of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham, under the guidance of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), and in the footsteps of Sahaabah Ikram and Ahlul-Bayt. May Allah make us reach Imam Saahib az-Zamaan (a). Ameen.
We are not against anyone. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) says, “Even if some Muslims have wrong ideology, we are not against any Muslims.” Their example is that of Fajr al-Kaadhib, the false dawn. Fajr is defined as when the light is coming through; even if some Muslims have a weird, wrong ideology, because they say “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadur Rasoolullah” they have light, but are not perfect . And that is why we have the example of Fajr Khaadhib, the false dawn where we see the light come and go. These Muslims that have wrong ideology...may Allah guide us to the goodness of humanity, all Muslims and all non-Muslims...but they say “Ash-hadu laa ilaaha illa-Llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasoolullah,” so there is a light of iman there, despite any wrong ideology. The false Fajr tells you that the true Fajr is coming, so even if a Muslim is not practicing Islam correctly, let’s be fair. Many Muslims are doing this and that (incorrectly) and then they split, but if they’re not practising real Islam, Grandshaykh is saying we must give them time, because the Fajr al-Kaadhib always gives good tidings that the real Fajr is coming. So with the guidance of grandshaykhs and Saahib az-Zamaan (a), these groups of Muslims will eventually find Siraat al-Mustaqeem. That is what grandshaykhs teach: unity, stay together and don’t separate, don’t make enemies of each other.
SubhaanAllah, their speeches have clarity, yubayyin, they clarify things. May Allah make us among those who unite with Muslims and humanity under the guidance of Rasoolullah (s). Ameen.
Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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