Zhuhr Suhbah
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`alaa fee haadha 'l-masjid, masjid Sayyidee Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani.
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi ta`alaa wa barakaatuh. Dastoor yaa Sayyidee, madad.
Yesterday we spoke about the authentic hadith of the Prophet (s), “I have been sent to complete the good manners of people.” He didn’t say, “I have been sent to complete your obligations,” because obligations have to be done by everyone, but to have good manners is a struggle. A good example of that is the stories of Sayyidina Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q) and Sayyidina Ahmad al-Badawi (q) that will show us how far we are from good manners.
Sayyidina Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q) was a good worshipper all his life: he prayed all his five prayers, prayed all kinds of nawafil prayers day and night and fasted any day of the year, but all of that did not take him to what he wanted. What did he want? He said in his famous saying, “O Allah! Open for me Your Door.” All of his fasting and prayers, Hajj, zakaat and Kalimat at-Tawheed only took him to a certain level and he wasn't able to open the door to go inside the reality of Prophet (s), who said:
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)
He was not even able to open that door of knowledge that leads to the Door of the Divine Presence! It means the deeds we are doing day and night only take us to a certain level and will not take us further until we struggle to perfect our good manners and behaviors!
Many of us come here to Mawlana Shaykh to have the door to ma`rifah opened. Sayyidina Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q) kept asking and one day he fell asleep while asking. He felt the Divine Presence in his dream and immediately said, “O Allah! How can I reach You?” He didn't know how, although he worshipped day and night! He understood that despite all he was doing, it was not enough to let him inside.
All of us take the hand of our Shaykh or hold his jubba and come to his presence in his mosque to find the Reality that Abu Yazid (q) was trying to find.
So he asked, “Yaa Rabbee! Kayf al-wusoolu `ilayk? How can I reach You?” Now everyone is saying, “How can I reach to see Mawlana Shaykh even physically?” It is very difficult now with the tajalli coming on Mawlana Shaykh. People are not even able to see the shaykh, so how are we going to see the Prophet (s)? How can we reach the Divine Presence? We are far from reaching! Although we just prayed Salaat al-Zhuhr, we are going to pray `Asr and then Maghrib, but we are still who we are, as we come so we go, don't be shy. But we come to try and that is very recommended and accepted by awliyaullah, even if we don’t see the shaykh physically, come!
Sayyidina Abu Yazid (q) was not asking to see Allah (swt) physically, as no one can, but he was asking to be in the Divine Presence, to feel Allah’s Manifestations or the knowledge of the Beautiful Names and Attributes. Yes, you can see the Prophet (s), as he is `abd, but you cannot see Allah, so Sayyidina Abu Yazid (q) said, “How can I reach You, yaa Rabb? I prayed, fasted, performed Hajj, I believed You are the Creator and we are Your servants, and gave zakaat and all kinds of sadaqah.” We do all of that, but still there is something wrong; there is a defect, because on the one hand you are doing all of these deeds but on the other hand losing everything! You will still get the reward for it from Allah (swt), but you are losing in the sense of not reaching your goal, which is to reach Allah’s Divine Presence!
So he said, “How can I come to You? Teach me.”
And he heard a voice say, yaa `Abdee! Itruk nafsaka wa ta`al. “Leave yourself and come. Don't come to Me with your self as I cannot accept that: I accept only One in My Presence.”
It means, “In your heart there must only be Me, as Me and your nafs cannot be.” The nafs of every human being is controlling them (all of us). So can you come to Allah and something is controlling you in His Divine Presence? Either He controls you or your nafs controls you! If He is controlling you then you will be in the Divine Presence, but if your ego is controlling you, you will be in your ego’s presence, so, “Leave your ego and come!”
Sayyidina Abu Yazid (q) asked, “Yaa Rabbee! How can I leave my nafs, what is the way?”
Allah said, ij`al nafsaka mazbalatan li `ibadee. “Make yourself a garbage dump for My servants.”
It means, “Take the burdens of My Creation and carry them, guide them, look after them, take their hands and show them the right way. Be a dump for them, and then I will open My Door for you!”
To be a dump means not just to throw the garbage, but to carry the garbage of human beings, saying, “Yaa Rabbee! These are Your Servants and I am carrying from them.” So that is why Sayyidina Abu Yazid (q) said in his book, “O Allah! Make my body as big as Hellfire, so it will take the punishment of everyone and no one else will take it!” He said that not only by tongue, because that is easy, but he said it with actions. In his time, if anyone harmed him, he prayed for that person to be forgiven.
Allah (swt) mentioned in Holy Qur'an (a quality the awliyaullah inherited):
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
Wa law annahum idh zhalamoo anfusahum ja’ooka f ’astaghfaroollaaha w ’astaghfara lahumu ‘r-rasoolu la-wajadoo ’Llaaha tawwaaba ‘r-raheema.
If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:64)
“If people commit sins, they (must) come to your presence and make istighfaar,” then the Prophet (s) will make istighfaar for them. So Sayyidina Abu Yazid (q) took it from what Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) said: “O Allah! Make me as big as Hellfire, so that the flame of Hellfire doesn't reach anyone but me and everyone else will go to Paradise.”
Where is that principle or practice today? Coming to the Shaykh is to try to struggle. We cannot say we come all clean, but try to carry each other, be good with each other, be normal with each other and try to help each other. Don’t be with your opinion alone and no one else's opinion. If you look at the world today, there are no two people on the same mind, not only the group here, but everywhere. The characteristic of a human being is that he is happy with his own mind and doesn't take anyone else's opinion. Allah (swt) said:
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلاً
Wa laqad karamna Bani Adam wa hamalnaahum fi 'l-barri wa 'l-bahr wa razaqnaahum min at-tayyibaat wa fadalnaahum `ala katheeran mimmaa khalaqnaa tafdeela.
We have honored the sons of Adam, provided them with transport on land and sea, given them for sustenance things good and pure, and conferred on them special favors above a great part of Our Creation. (Surat al-’Israa, 17:70)
إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنسَانُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ
ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا
Inna aradnaa ’l-amaanata `ala ’s-samaawaati wa ’l-ardi wa ’l-jibaali fa-abayna an yahmilnahaa wa ashfaqna minhaa wa hamalahaa ’l-insaanu innahu kaana zhalooman jahoola.
We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains, but they refused to undertake it, being afraid, but Man undertook it. Verily, he has proved a tyrant and a fool.
(Surat al-Ahzab, 33:72)
It means, “We have given them the Amaanat! Take it, as this is what I like you to carry, O My Servants. Your contract that you made with Me is ‘ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasoolullah,’ that I am your Lord and you are My Servants. Carry that and keep it clean.”
Allah offered it to the Heavens and Earth and they refused, saying, “No, yaa Rabbee, it is too difficult to carry!” and human beings said, “We will carry it.” Be careful, as the Heavens and Earth were unable to take it and they were afraid, but insaan, human beings, took it. Allah (swt) is saying, “They are oppressors and ignorant. They don't know what they are carrying, something holy, noble, and divine.” Divine means to say the Shahadah, Kalimah at-Tayyibah, and to call Allah (swt) by His Beautiful Names and Attributes, but we must keep it clean and not mix it with dirtiness, astaghfirullah. May Allah forgive us.
So we took it and we mixed it with our ego, our nafs. Allah (swt) said to Abu Yazid, “Leave your ego and come,” just as He said to Sayyidina Musa (a), “Leave your shoes and then come.”
What are ‘shoes’? Why do we leave them outside the prayer area? Because they are dirty. “Keep your shoes there and come to Me.” It means, “Keep your self there and come to Me.” Allah (swt) didn’t say to the Prophet (s), “Keep your shoes there and come to Me.” Instead, He brought him to the heavenly maqaam of Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, while He brought Sayyidina Musa (a) to the valley of Tur Sina, on Earth:
إِذْ رَأَى نَارًا فَقَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ امْكُثُوا إِنِّي آنَسْتُ نَارًا لَّعَلِّي آتِيكُم مِّنْهَا بِقَبَسٍ أَوْ أَجِدُ عَلَى النَّارِ هُدًى فَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا نُودِي يَا مُوسَى إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ إِنَّكَ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَى
Idh ra’a naaran fa-qaala li ahlihi ’mkuthoo innee aanastu naaran la`allee aateekum minhaa bi-qabasin aw ajidu `ala an-naari huda. Fa-lammaa ataahaa noodiya yaa Moosa Innee anaa rabbuka Fakhla` na`layka innaka bi’l-waadi ’l-muqaddasi toowaa. Wa anaa akhtartuka fastami` limaa yoohaa.
Behold, he saw a fire: So he said to his family, "Linger (here) as I perceive a fire. Perhaps I can bring you some burning brand therefrom or find some guidance at the fire." But when he came to the fire, a voice was heard, "O Moses! Verily, I am your Lord, therefore (in My Presence) remove your shoes as you are in the sacred valley, Tuwa. I have chosen you, so listen to the Inspiration (sent to you).” (Surat al-Anbiya, 20:10-13)
Sayyidina Musa (a) was with his family when he saw a flame on the mountain, and he said, “I must go and get that flame.” When he arrived, he heard a voice that said, “You have reached the sacred valley; take off your shoes and come.” The Prophet (s) was the real `abd and he was clean; while all Prophets are clean, this was to honor the Prophet (s), because Allah (swt) didn’t take the Prophet only on Earth, but from Masjid al-Haraam in Madinah, as some scholars say, and then to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, and then Allah raised him to the Heavens. Allah did not say to him, "Take off your shoes," because he is already clean and pure, so Allah raised him to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa.
We say, “Yaa Rabbee! We want to benefit, but we are weak servants and we are helpless. Help us! We cannot be like Abu Yazid al-Bistami.” May Allah (swt) help us pass without asking, “Take away your self and then come,” because we cannot, it is too difficult on us. If Allah (swt) doesn't take our ego from us and make us clean, if the Prophet (s) doesn’t make us clean, and if our shuyookh don’t guide us to the presence of the Prophet (s) and the Divine Presence, we will never be able to do it! So may Allah guide us, bless us and give long life to Mawlana Shaykh with full shifaa’!
I was just upstairs and Mawlana Shaykh (q) said to me, “I didn't sleep all night. Sultana Umm Hiram (r) was carrying from me all night, taking burdens away.” It means Mawlana was dumping all burdens in the ocean of Hala Sultan. He said, “I was dumping all the burdens the mureeds are coming with, taking them on my shoulders and dumping them in her ocean. That was my wazifa all night long and from the beginning of night, I didn't sleep until after Ishraaq.”
May Allah (swt) keep us with our shuyookh, as they carry from us and we cannot do anything on our own!
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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