A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu ‘l-arba`een, nawaytu’l-`itikaaf, nawaytu’l-khalwah, nawaytu’r-riyaada, nawaytu’s-salook, nawaytu’l-`uzlah, nawytu as-siyam lillahi ta’ala fee hadha’l-masjid
Laa hawla wa laa quwatta illa billahi 'l-`Aliyyu 'l-`Azheem.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidi. Madad, yaa Sayyidi, yaa Sultan al-Awliya. Yaa Sayyidi Qutbu ‘l-Mutasarrif. Nadharak himmatak Sayyidi ‘l-Kareem. Madad, yaa RijaalAllah.
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed devil. In the Name of Allah the All-Beneficent the Most Merciful. I am intending the forty days. I am intending seclusion. I am intending discipline. I am intending isolation. I am intending wayfaring for Allah the Most High, the All-Magnificent in this mosque.
Everything... I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed devil. Permission, O my Master, support!
Always we have to ask support from the main source. When you have electricity in the room, if you don't plug this wire you don't get electricity. You need to plug. That is not the main source. This electricity is small lamps that give light. The main source comes from the main station.
So "main station" can be described in two ways. I'm going to describe it. One way is that those Awliyaullah who have inherited the main pipe, the main line, the main source of knowledge from Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam), where Prophet passed it to his Sahaba and Sahaba passed it to Awliyaullah. And [it has been] reaching through a chain of... from one wali to another wali. This kind of a chain.
So the main source is your Shaykh. But your Shaykh, his main source is his Shaykh, and his Shaykh, the main source is his Shaykh, up, to reach Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam). HE is the main source. HE is the whole. The rest, they are parts. No one can be whole. Only Sayyidina Muhammad (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam).
He he has the whole knowledge. What Allah gave to him is the whole, the perfect moon. After moon comes to its perfection to become night of 15, full moon, there is no more perfection. It will begin to drop. So the highest is where it is full moon. So the full moon is Prophet's, that he gives to Awliyaullah. And every Wali is a full moon in his time.
Every Wali is a full, full moon. A full moon according to the time he is living in. When he passed that time, the Wali that comes after is a full moon -- to his time. Because from time to time tajalli changes, blessing, manifestation changes, knowledge changes, increases, or some of these knowledge being kept secret, or people change. So in every, every time of a Wali he has to be a full moon. Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam) keeps giving him until he -- that wali -- becomes full, a full moon.
Then he reaches people through his representatives. His representatives are like lamps, not more. They take. They put their plug, they take. And it depends on their wires. If the wire is thick, it can take more energy, more light, more knowledge. If the wire is very small, they have to give him a lamp of might be one ampere. You know one ampere? One watt, two watts, 3 watts, 5 watts. If you put more, it burns. The wire will burn completely. So some representatives might have 100 amperes, 500 amperes. Spotlight.
They might have a huge light, they might shine like the sun even -- some representatives. It depends how much that person has been progressing. And not only that. It is important to know that you might have thousands of murids to the Shaykh but all of them might not interest him. Might be one or two or three or five might interest him. Because Allah picks up. Allah has already assigned who are going to be the strong, the favored, the honored one. And that is not coming by kasb (acquisition). It's coming by wahb (bestowal). You understand? [Murid: Yeah, a gift.] It comes by a gift from Allah, by a favor. It's not by your progress. That's why Wilaya is not something that you take it by force. It is not something that you...
Look, today. You have a country and you have ambassadors for this country all over, is it not? In every country in the world and after you had been ambassador, representative of your country, they might -- what do you say -- "lay you off." They might fire you. Can you do anything? So, finish. I wanted you for that period of time, four years, three years, and now I don't need you. Because there was wisdom to use you for 4 years 3 years 5 years to spread the message to a certain level, and that's your job, that's finished.
But there are others, to the same Shaykh, that they are so important, that have been assigned by the will that comes from heaven to Prophet, Prophet to the Wali, Wali to those who are really in that position.
In any case. We are not going to go deep into that subject, but it is going to be like these lights. It depend on your wire. How thick is it, that you can plug it to the main source? If you have good strong wire, you can get 100 watt, 200, 500 spotlight; or you can get one one watt, two watt, three watts. And you understand what that means.
So that means that the important [thing] is like a tree, there is the trunk, and then there are branches coming out. Is it not like that? And sometimes you have very thick branches coming out. And from these thick branches you can have some very tiny branches. Any wind comes, it will break these tiny ones and throw them. They cannot resist the wind because they cannot resist their ego, their desires.
So Awliyaullah, they have some khulafa that are branches, strong branches from the trunk. On them, there are deputies or representatives, whatever they call themselves, representative or deputies other than khalifa. They are like branches. Anytime -- they break out, and their job is finished, not [representing] any anymore.
Or in the time like this time, the agricultural engineer comes to prune the trees. What he does? He cuts the branches -- these small, thin branches. He doesn't need them. It's gone. Their job is finished. Cut them. He keeps the big one. Khalifa is the big one. Khalifa of a Wali is a big one. Awliyaullah they have khalifas. They can have two. They can have three. They can have whatever. But representatives and deputies are these pruned ones. You don't know at what time they come and cut off. Finish. It's gone. He might still be there because the branch, when you cut it, you throw it to become what? Fertilizer. So you keep it there, on the side. It's no problem. It becomes slowly, slowly, [gone] so that you don't see it anymore.
But the main branch coming from the trunk -- the trunk is the Shaykh, the main trunk -- and then the khalifa is the one that has that thick branch that resists, like a pine tree. It doesn't move. In Summer it is green, in winter it is green. Khalifas are like that. In summer green, in winter green. That's why Shaykh accepts them as khalifa. And these khalifas have been assigned helpers to the Shaykh from the Day of alastu bi-Rabbikum, “Am I not your Lord?” (Surat al-A`Raf 7:172), from the Day of Promises. Not "any time they can be assigned." No, they are assigned already.
So this is one interpretation. The other one is what Awliyaullah say -- which is very important for everyone -- that Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam) came to show us the way. He built, he planted the huge tree of Islam. That tree has a trunk and then it has all these branches. So in the trunk is his Sharia. And from Sharia came 500 ma'murat -- obligations that are ordered. The good work that we have to do. There are 500 according to Allah they counted them. Grandshaykh may Allah bless his soul counted them. There are 500 what prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam) assigned and said to Sahabah that they have to perform from different kind of sharia. There are 500 that things that we have to do obligations like obligations including voluntary deeds and including all the extra things that Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam) mentioned.
And there are 800 forbiddens. These forbiddens they are like wheat. They grow on the branches, wild. If you don't cut them, they will kill the tree. It suffocates the tree. So these 800 forbiddens, we have to cut them one after one. The the duty of the Shaykh is to cut these from his followers, from his murids to cut them. It is not for the Shaykh to cut them by his hand. The Shaykh gives you the scissors and says to you this is the scissors, you go cut what you know from them. Now if you are clever, you might come to 800 if you know them all. If you are not clever, you might cut 100. Still you'll be -- they try to suffocate you, shock you.
You might cut 200, 300, 400, 500. As much as you are cutting, as much as Allah is opening for you. And as much as you are pruning, as much as you are getting branches, 500 obligations that they have fruits. Sometime you have a branch but it's wild, from a tree. What they do? They do grafting. Awliyaullah, they like to graft their followers. (But one of them, as much as you are trying to graft him, he doesn't graft well. Always trying to graft him by Mawlana's permission. I grabbed him but he's running away, but one day he will be chained from his feet. Yeah. Wait. One day is coming for him. Nice day.)
So these 500 obligations, opposite to them [there are] 800 forbiddens. 800 forbiddens are like weeds. They come on the branches to kill them, to kill the tree. So you have to cut them. Obligations: the Shaykh, when you are cutting the weeds, he will graft you for getting your obligations out. The most important is to cut what? The forbidden. It is not the obligations only. Obligations we have to do them. But most important is the forbiddens. It is when you see something wrong and you stop doing it. It's more difficult than to go and pray four prayers -- or five prayers.
People, it is easy for them to pray five prayers. Even if they pray fajr -- because they don't even pray fajr. But let us say all of them are good Muslims and they pray the five prayers. But it is very difficult to stop doing whatever your desires are asking you. That is the most difficult. When the ego jumps on you and takes you to forbiddens: there, if you stop, that's when Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) is happy. Grandshaykh always was so much like fountains of knowledge coming. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim for sure is there, carrying the secret, but I'm giving that example because I used to hear it a lot from him.
He [Grandshaykh] used to say that if you stop doing one forbidden, Allah is so happy, more than your doing the five obligations, 500 obligations. Although you have to do the 500 obligations, although you have to pray your prayers, you have to do your fasting, you have to do your charity, your Hajj and all other things that come with it. Allah is happy with you when you are doing this. But he is more happy when you stop doing a sin. That's where he is more happy. When you stop doing something they don't like.
One time I was there and he said, "Oh my son, to stop one forbidden is rewarded like `ibadat al-thaqalayn, like the entire worship of jinn and human beings. To stop one forbidden. When you are reaching the maximum to the final point that you are going to commit it and you stop. They are more happy. They are very happy. You will be rewarded like entire worship of jinns and human beings. How many people today are approaching, approaching, approaching to do this sin, -- we are speaking not of a major sin , not very small ones that sometimes people do, it's difficult to stop it, but we are speaking of the main ones the kaba'ir (enormities), not sagha'ir (minor sins). When you stop, Allah will reward you as if you have worshipped with the worship of jinns and human beings. And this will be given to you in your account.
What do we need better than that? Islam -- ma sha Allah -- is such huge mercy. Allah's mercy is so big! Allah's mercy -- (subhanahu wa ta`ala) -- is covering everyone. But He is asking to do a little bit. A little bit. That's why in the hadith of Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam) -- it's a holy hadith, which means it is revealed to him from Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) -- [He says] that, "If My servant approaches me one hand-span, I approach him one arm-span, and if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running."
So what does that mean? It means, show the first step, I will give you the 99 steps from My side, from My rewards. So that's why Awliyaullah, they insist from their sources, the main source that is coming from the Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam), it is like a tree, like the main source of electricity, like the main source of knowledge, is like there are 800 forbiddens, there are 500 obligations. And according to as much you eliminate from the forbiddens you will be rewarded, and how much you will be doing from the 500 obligations you will be rewarded. On both sides you are rewarded: the first one, if you eliminate it from you, the other one -- the obligations -- if you do it.
And he said that the 800 forbiddens are by themselves, also, and you can describe them as a devil tree, [in the sense] that all devils live on it. And the symbol, or the name of that tree, the tree of the forbiddens, comes from a big trunk that is the major element for this whole for the 800 forbiddens, [which] is anger. Anger [is the] main problem.
Look, how we can see that anger is the main problem. The tree of devils is anger. Why? A very simple example. When Allah ordered angels to make sajda for Adam they made sajda except the one who was angry. He was angry. Iblis was angry. He said, "How am I going to say sajda to him? You created me from fire and you created him from clay. I am better than him."
And behold! We said to the angels, “Prostrate to Ādam!” So they prostrated, except Iblīs; he refused (Surat al-Baqara 2:34).
He said, “What prevented you that you should not prostrate when I ordered you?” He said, “I am better than him. You created me of fire and You created him of mud.” (Surat al-A`raf 7:12)
Allah said to him, "Why didn't you make sajda?" [Because] he was angry: "I'm angry! I am better than him! You created me from fire [whereas] You created him from mud, from clay. I'm better than him!" So what is the tree? What was he showing? He was showing two [things]. The shell and the nut. The shell is the anger. The nut, inside, is the arrogance. "I am better! I am better!"
So today, well not [only] today, in every time, we are like a shell. Outside the shell is the anger. Inside, the fruit of that anger is what? Arrogance. Anger comes from arrogance and arrogance comes from anger. Each of them is equal to the other. That's why people send you messages or send you emails. You can read all these emails and you can see how much they are full of arrogance.
"I am the son of this. My father was this. My mother was this. I am related to this. I am related to that." That is what? Arrogance. What "you are related"? Sayyidina Muhammad (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam) who went to Isra and Mi`raj, reached the seven heavens, reached Qaba qawsayni aw adna (Two Bow-Lengths or Nearer), he came back and he said, "I am only a human being."
He didn't say I am the grandson of this one or the son of that one or the the follower of that one or that one or that one. He said,
I am only a human being like you (Kahf 18:110, Fussilat 41:6).
That is humbleness. No arrogance. Those who title themselves and give themselves names are arrogant people! They are going to be pruned.
Those -- I don't want to say, they will get upset with me every time -- they know who they are. Those who think themselves to be something, and they are representing someone, and they speak about themselves highly, they are going to be pruned. Me and everyone! If we are going to be arrogant, we are pruned and thrown away. We have to be humble, hiding our titles, hiding ourselves, not saying anything. This is teachings. I am obliged to say these things because this is what the note of Grandshaykh [d. September 30, 1973] said -- may Allah bless him, bless his soul. It was a Sunday, the 31st of May, [28 Rabi` al-Thani] 1393 [1973]. Wow. 1393 means around 40 years ago. A little bit less [35 years ago].
From that time, from his time and before his time, his Shaykh's time and his Shaykh's time and his Shaykh's time, he and other Shaykhs, they teach their followers, "Be humble, don't put titles in front of your names." Today you can see many titles at the beginning of their names and at the end of their name. We can understand when these professors or doctors or lawyers put titles, but you -- normal people who you think yourselves to know something about Islamic Sharia, you begin to put titles all over your names. For what?
The Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wasallam) said:
Say, “I am only a human being like yourselves to whom it is revealed that your god is but One God. So whoever hopes for the meeting with his nurturing Lord, let him do righteous work and let him not associate with the worship of his nurturing Lord anyone.” (Surat al-Kahf 18:110).
He is saying, I am a human being like you, but the only difference is that revelation is revealed to me, [which makes me] different from you. He's saying this out of humbleness. He's saying this, shying from Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala), although Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) gave him [the honor] to be the Seal of Messengers. He is the one for whom Allah created creation. And what did he say? "I'm humble." He said, "I'm happy when Allah calls me `abd (servant).
These people -- they are not happy when you call them `abd. They want to be Shaykh, they want to be Sayyid, they want to be khalifa, they want to be representative, they want to be deputies. Deputies of whom? If they are so arrogant like that, it might be that they're deputies of devils or representatives of devils. All Mawlana's representatives, may Allah give them a happy life, they have to know that it is difficult to be plugged in if they are not going to be humble. We have to be -- all of us -- we have to lower ourself, lower ourselves, humble ourselves in order for that anger to be taken away, and that arrogance from our hearts. In order to be [humble] in front of the Shaykh and far away from the Shaykh -- because he's seeing us -- to be humble. No need for anything else.
I'm sorry to say that, but we have to say it. So O Muslim brother and sister; O Naqshbandi, Sufi student; O representative of Mawlana Shaykh! May Allah give you long life. And happy life. All representatives have good hearts because if they don't have good hearts, Mawlana will not assign them. They have good hearts. But all of them they have to be united. They have to be one heart. They must work together. They must speak together. They must take arrogance away from their heart. They must take anger away from their heart. I know many that are still falling into the trap of desires and we ask Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) to protect us from our bad desires, and not to let Shaytan to play with us by committing sins. May Allah forgive us and forgive you all and those who are on the internet, and those who are going to listen to this suhba, and we ask Allah to give our Shaykh long life, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim.
Bi hurmat al-Habib, bi-hurmat al-Fatiha.
https://sufilive.com/The-Tree-its-Trunk-Main-Branches-and-Twigs-1037.html
© Copyright 2026 Sufilive. All rights reserved. This transcript is protected. by international copyright law. Please attribute Sufilive when sharing it. JazakAllahu khayr.