From Mawlana Shaykh Nazim's Personal Notes
(Anwar al-Hidayah, Arabic)
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem.
Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Laa hawla wa laa quwatta illa billahi 'l-`Aliyyu 'l-`Azheem.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidi, Qutbu ‘l-Mutassarif. Madad, yaa Sultan al-Awliya. Nazharak himmatak, yaa Sayyidi ‘l-Kareem. Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee wa Mawlay. Madad, yaa Rijal Allah.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi ta`ala wa barakaatuh.
What should we say? Astaghfirullahi ‘l-`Azheem. Inshaa-Allah (swt), we can read from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q)’s words of wisdom. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) always told stories. Stories are easier to understand. People can relate to life experiences because all of us are in this life. What happens to me, might happen to you. What happens to you, might happen to them. What happens to them, might happen to others, so people can share their life experience and they can see where they are. That’s how Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) used to work. No need for high technical concepts. No need for high technical words. All that is boring. People sleep in the middle of your lecture when you talk about concepts. They don’t understand. Tell them about something that is easy to understand, something that happened to Awliyaullah, something that happened to Anbiyaullah.
Look at the Holy Qur’an. Is it all concepts or is so much of it stories? Stories. Allah (swt) has said:
فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
faqsussi 'l-qasas la`allahum yatafakkaroon,
Tell them their stories so they may remember. (Surah al-A`raf, 7:176)
Faqsussi ‘l-qasas, “Tell them stories.” La`allahum yatafakkaroon, “so they can ponder, contemplate, think.”
That’s what I heard from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q). This is a story here. I mentioned it before but, inshaa-Allah, we’ll start with an introduction. Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham (q), a grand Awliyaullah, al-Adhami, was sultan around the area of Khorasan. One day he was so happy with his kingdom. He was watching what he had. He was pondering and thinking and imaging about his mulk, kingdom or dominions, and about his wealth.
He slept with the thought, “How beautiful my land is, how beautiful my dominions are, how great I am, how wealthy I am.” He saw somebody in a dream telling him, “O Ibrahim! Maybe what you have is huge, great and grand but it is going to end.” That was one of the first dreams that Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham had. I don’t know if everybody does this but people think, “What do I have today? What have I achieved? Where am I? How beautiful it is.”
Waliyullah, the one destined to become a Friend of Allah (swt), the Lord of Heavens, the one destined to become a beloved of the Lord of Heavens, Allah (swt) will save him from shahawaat, desires. The Creator will wake you up from ghaflah, heedlessness, unawareness, inattentiveness, uncaring. The Creator will save you. The Lord of Heavens will pull you out from shahawaat, desire of kingdom, rulership and He will save you from the desire of prestige and fame.
It is said that Allah (swt) has given Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham Tajjali Lutf, the Manifestation of the Kindness, Tenderness and Mercy of Allah (swt) physically. He was made king and a ruler, the great one. But when it came to saving him from his desires, his heedlessness, his slumber, what happened? He manifested to him with Kindness and Tenderness but this time spiritual, so He woke him up. “What you own is great. Mashaa-Allah, you own the whole world. You have all the gold and silver and dollars and euros in your hand. You can do whatever you want with it. But it is ending. Your time, your term, your limit is ending.”
That’s the first thing that comes. That is the example of Sayyidina Sulayman (a). One day Sayyidina Sulayman (a) wanted to watch what he had so they brought him the horses.
إِذْ عُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ بِٱلْعَشِىِّ ٱلصَّـٰفِنَـٰتُ ٱلْجِيَادُ
Behold, there were brought before him, at eventide coursers of the highest breeding, and swift of foot. (Surah Saad, 38:31)
Idh urida alayhi bi ‘l-`ashiyi ‘l-safinatu ‘l-jiyad. The best jiyad, the best horses. They were exposed. They were showcased to him during `Asr time to watch his wealth, “Look what you have.” Until the sun set and he missed his prayer.
فَقَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَحْبَبْتُ حُبَّ ٱلْخَيْرِ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّى حَتَّىٰ تَوَارَتْ بِٱلْحِجَابِ
And he said, "Truly do I love the love of good, with a view to the glory of my Lord,"- until (the sun) was hidden in the veil (of night). (Surah Saad, 38:32)
Fa qaala innee ahbabtu hubba ‘l-khayri `an Dhikri Rabbee, “I have loved wealth over the remembrance of my Lord.” Sometimes even Anbiyaullah can fall into that. What did Sayyidina Sulayman (a) do?
رُدُّوهَا عَلَىَّ فَطَفِقَ مَسْحًۢا بِٱلسُّوقِ وَٱلْأَعْنَاقِ
"Bring them back to me." Then he began to pass his hand over (their) legs and their necks. (Surah Saad, 38:33)
Fattafika mas-han bi sooqi wa ‘l-`anaaq. He cut all of them, “Go away. You have distracted me from my Lord. You have distracted me from the remembrance of my Lord. I don’t need you.” That is Nabiyullah. The other one is Waliyullah.
What does Allah (swt) do to save His servant who is immersed in the prestige, comfort and pleasures of this world? He cuts him off, “Out you go. Saved you.” Where does He put him? Awliyaullah said, wa yudkhiluhu fee daa’irati l-`ilmi wa ’sh-shuhood. He takes him out from ghaflah, slumberness, heedlessness, desires and pleasures and admits him to the circle of `ilm, knowledge about the Creator.
If Allah (swt) has taken you out of dunya and He has admitted you to the circle of Divine Knowledge, know that you are muraad, a wanted one. Not mureed, you have gone up one level. Muraad is “the wanted.” Mureed is “the wanter.” Can you say “wanter”? Requestor. Seeker. You are now sought after. Allah (swt) is seeking you, so He takes you out. If you are still immersed in the prestige of this world, if you are still immersed in the wealth and pleasures of this world, you are still not wanted. When you are wanted, Allah (swt) will cut you off from the mansions you had, from the properties you had, from the cars you had, from the positions you had, from the businesses you had, from the shoes and gold and silver you had. You will be penniless. Out you go. Where to? Come to the door of Awliyaullah. Daa’iratu ‘l-`ilm. Come to the circle of Divine Knowledge.
Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham (q) was a sultan. He went out hunting. You know the sultans and kings love to hunt. They go out hunting with bows and arrows or whatever it is. He went out hunting on his horse. When he was chasing a rabbit, he heard a sound from his saddle on the right side, “Were you created for this? What are you doing chasing a rabbit? Were you ordered to do this?” He stopped. He didn’t know what was going on. He was hearing an invisible sound. He didn’t reply. He heard, “You were not created for this nor were you ordered to do this.”
That is Waliyullah, the Friend of the Lord of Heavens. The Lord of Heavens did not create him for fun and games or to ride horses and go out in the wilderness to enjoy himself, his kingdom and his belongings. The Lord of Heavens created him for something else. It is said when he heard these sounds, he came off his horse. He found one of his shepherds and gave him everything. He took the shepherd’s jubba and entered into the wilderness, walking. Where was he walking?
Shujah is another Waliyullah. He was also a sultan, the king of Karaman, which is also near Khorasan. That part of the world is a blessed area. He was hunting until he went so far that he got lost. He was also Waliyullah but it was time for him to come out of his ghaflah, heedlessness. How many of us are ghaafil, heedless. A few here but so many outside. He got lost. He saw somebody in the distance so he approached him to know what to do. He saw a young man riding on a lion. He tamed a lion. It can be done. There are lion tamers. That young man tamed the lion and was on the lion. He said, “Yaa malik, O king! What kind of heedlessness are you in? How can you be so heedless of Allah (swt)? Allah (swt) has give you dunya to use for the service of your Lord.”
When Allah (swt) grants somebody wealth, a mind, a body or knowledge, that is a ni`mah of Allah (swt). This is a favor. Where should you use it? In His Service, not for dunya. Nowadays so many people use the favors of Allah (swt) for their worldly pleasures. He said, “Allah (swt) has given you dunya to use for Him, but you have taken dunya as an excuse to distract yourself from serving him.” They have actually taken dunya as an excuse not to serve Allah (swt).
While that was happening, suddenly an older woman appeared and gave him a drink. He drank and gave the rest to that king. The king drank the drink and said, “What a taste this drink has. It’s so sweet.” He said, “O king! This is dunya. Allah (swt) has put it in my service. Whenever I need a drink or food, it comes and provides it for me.” Awliyaullah are provided for.
Didn’t you hear that Allah (swt) has ordered dunya, “Serve the one who serves Me. Take as a servant the one who serves you.” That king did the same thing, he disappeared in the wilderness.
What happened here? Naqshbandi India had an interview with my cousin yesterday. It appeared on my feed, as usual. They were asking him about the Naqshbandi Tariqah and the principles. He said what he said. These two kings became two angels by the Power of Allah (swt). He showed both of them miracles. They understood they were hearing and seeing something invisible. Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham heard a sound but it was invisible. The other one saw a creation that was invisible to him. What did they understand? They understood Hu. Laa ilaaha illa-Hu. What is Hu? It is an invisible existence. You can’t see it. He is Mawjoodun Ghaayib. He is Present beyond your perception. He is an absent present or a present absent. You cannot comprehend Him by your senses. You cannot perceive Him by your senses. He is Mawjoodun fi ’l-Azal. He has existed from pre-Eternity, before the beginning but He is ghaayib ani ‘l-hawwas. Hawwas means physical senses.
They perceived something that was invisible from their senses so they understood that it was something that they could not see. They wanted to find out. When he heard the sound, he knew there is a creation that can speak but not be seen. Allah (swt) has sent His Qalam. He is Mutakallim. He speaks but you cannot see Him. This was an example of a door that lead Ibrahim ibn Adham to find out who is the one that is Muttaqallim, the Speaker, the One who taught the Holy Qur’an, Who is the One who taught the Heavenly Books that you cannot see but He is there. Mawjuddun Ghaa’ib. He is Present but He is absent from your perceptions. He is beyond your perceptions.
The other one saw something that was not within his perception. It was a miracle for him. Both of them had taken the road of Hu, finding out who Hu is. It is said that the Dhikr of “Hu” is the Dhikr of the beginner and the one who reached the end of the way. It is the same Dhikr but the beginning Dhikr is for people who are veiled. For him it is unknown, hidden. But the one who has reached it is kashf, seen. All he sees is Allah (swt)’s Identity, Hu. What is Hu? He said it is al-haata al-arbaiya, “the surrounding that has four corners.” It is the principles, since you want to know the principles.
Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham and Shujah al-Karamani both understood that there is a Present Absent. They wanted to know who Hu was, so they wanted to go and were saved.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee, madad. What is the Dhikr of a human being? It is subconscious Dhikr, involuntary Dhikr. Every being is up by making tasbeeh. What is the tasbeeh of a human being? He said the Dhikr of a human being, knowingly or unknowingly, wanting or not wanting, voluntarily or involuntarily is Hu. When Ijaz runs around at the farm, what does he do at the end? “Hu, Hu, Hu, Hu.”
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) has said during each breath your Dhikr is, “Hu, Hu, Hu.” You have to find out who Hu is. Your breath is telling you every moment, “There is a Hu.” Isn’t it true? What sound comes out, “Baa, A, E, I”? What comes out, “Hu.” When you’re doing exercise since we have so many health nuts around, everybody wants to be fit! Be fit. What sound do you make at the end of running on a treadmill for half an hour? No, half an hour is unfit. Three hours. “Hu, Hu, Hu. What an exercise, man. That was great, Hu.”
That is called Hosh Dar Dam. Have you ever heard of the First Principle? They call it, “Conscious breathing. You have to be aware of your breathing.” Why, what is in my breathing? Hu. Your breathing tells you every moment, “Hu, Hu, Hu, Hu.” That is the door. Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham understood there is a Hu, Unknown-Know, Hidden-Present, a Secret but at the same time Evident. He wanted to find that.
That is the first step, O Naqshbandi India. You want to know the principles of Naqshbandi, it is in your breath. You don’t have to seek knowledge from here and there. You don’t have to read books and volumes. Allah (swt) has given it to you in your breath. Understand that you are missing that Hu. Go after it. Go after understanding who Hu is.
What is Hu? It is haa, waw and it is alif, yaa. Alif is the beginning of all letters, all knowns and yaa is the end of all letters, all knowns. Hu is the Unknown. Allah (swt) is Huwa, He. Huwa al-Awwal wa ‘l-Akhiru wa ‘zh-Zhahiru wa ‘l-Baatin. He is The First, The Last, not you, me or the ones before us, not my grandfathers, forefathers or my kids and grandkids and great grandkids. Who is The First? Nobody else but Allah (swt). Who is the Last? Who is the Evident? Who is the Visible? Who is Ad-Dhahir? Who is Al-Batin? Ahu ‘l-Kashf, the people who have reached that ending to understand what Hu is. They understood that there is nothing except Him. He is before the first. He is after the last. He is above the visible. He is beyond the hidden. There is nothing but Him.
That is the Door, but where are you from that? You are not aware of your breath yet. They are looking for `Arsh before they know alif, baa, taa. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) reprimanded me one time. I went to him and asked, “Mawlana, what is the Kursiyy? Supposedly it encompasses Heavens and Earth.” I’m reading him Ayatu ‘l-Kursiyy. He asked me, “What? Why don’t you find out exactly how the vomit of the bee becomes honey? Look into that first. You’re asking for the Kursiyy and the `Arsh. Look at the bee. How does it make honey? It eats something and then it regurgitates. You eat the throw up of the bee and you say, “Mmm, the best thing ever.”
You also wear the spit of the worm. Everybody is after silk. What does the worm do? It spits out your silk. Your best dress is the spit of a worm. Your best drink is the vomit of an insect. Great. Why don’t you think about that first. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
Hu. When you reach the end, you will see there is no beginning except Him. There’s no end except with Him. There’s no visible except with Him. There’s no hidden except with Him. There’s nobody but Him. That is the first step. If you understand and go through that door, Allah (swt) will open to you, O human being. When it opens to you, Allah (swt) will make miracles on your hands.
This is a small thing about Waliyullah taking care of the bad ones. There are so many bad ones nowadays. Waliyullah just said one word and all the bad ones were tied up and thrown in a corner. I’m not going to go through the whole story but the story ends with Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) saying that Allah (swt) is able to tie up all the wicked ones. He’s able to bind up, tie up and round up all the bad ones and throw them in a corner by one request from one friend of His. Find that friend of Allah (swt) and ask him for the good of this world.
May Allah (swt) forgive us. Ameen. We can explain this Saturday, inshaa-Allah (swt).
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, wa bi sirri Surat al-Fatihah.
Your door starts with Hu. That is your breath. Understand what that means. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
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