Maghrib Suhbah at As-Siddiq Mosque
In the Naqshbandi Way there are two points: the confrontation of opposites/opposition. In our tariqah, kashf[1] is not allowed except in the important moments that you need to use your kashf by permission of your teacher, and that teacher has to get the permission of the Prophet (s) to use kashf to fix a problem.
One of the main shaykhs of the Naqshband Sufi Way, Imam al-`Arifeen Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q), was asking Allah (swt) to open for him the doors of knowledge, Ma`rifah and Irfan. He asked Allah, maa huwa as-sabeelu ilayk, “How may I come to You?” and a voice from Heaven answered, itrak nafsak wa ta`al, “Leave your desires, ego and dunya and come!"
If one-millionth of a part of the ego remains, they don't open. This is in the Naqshband Way, and the other tariqahs are easier, but we have no permission to go to another tariqah, so this is our answer.
So Abu Yazid (q) asked, "How do I leave my ego and come, what do I have to do?"
He heard the reply ij`al nafsak mazbalatan li `ibadee, “Make your ego a dumping place for My servants!”
You can have one leg in dunya and one leg in Akhirah, it is okay, but come and visit the fuqara, the needy, i.e. the mureeds, spend time with them and the mashayikh. But some people don't care and don't bother. The one who will have the most reward in the Day of Judgment will be the one who cleans the mosque, while the mu'adhdhin will have a long neck.
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.
Dastoor yaa Sayyidee, madad!
[Khatm]
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem.
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem.
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.
Every day we see, like here in this book, that every page is different, the first page is different from the second and similarly, every moment and every day of our life is different. One moment might be spent in fee ita`atullah, in obedience to Allah (swt), and the other in obedience to our ego. Shaytan can always play with our ego as much as he likes. Awliyaullah, `ulama, wise men and women speak, but what is the benefit if the listener is not going to do or listen to what they are saying? You can hear theories or realities as much as you want, but what is the benefit if you do not pray?
ما بين الكفر والإيمان ترك الصلاة
Maa bayna ‘l-kufri wa ‘l-imaan tarku ‘s-salaah.
Between unbelief and belief is leaving the prayer.
Between kufr and imaan is tark as-salaah, leaving prayers, as unbelievers do not pray. If you do not pray you get out of being a mu’min, but you may remain a Muslims. Many people call themselves Muslims but they don’t pray or follow what they are asked, so they are not mu’min.
Just like you cannot apply theories just by hearing them, you must make experiments on them and only then will your knowledge be 100 percent. Are you performing experiments on yourself or doing what you are hearing? Wise men, scholars and professors speak, but without experiments as they do not experience what they are saying. That is why in English, Physics, Biology and Medicine you have courses on theory but you have to complete the practice (practicum).
When we studied Medicine we had to experiment on dead people. Are they going to open their eyes or keep them closed? You have to cut their eyes, veins, muscles and bones to perform your practice and that is the real learning. Before studying medicine, you have to study biology. They bring you a dead cat dipped in some chemicals in order for it not to disintegrate and you have to dissect it. They ask you about its veins, brain, etc. It is the same in Chemistry, you have to practice. Shari`ah is the same way, you have to practice what you have learned. If you do not want to call it tariqah, you may call it haqaa’iq, realities.
first, you must practice and begin your journey in the way of Gnosticism, ma`rifah. What is the meaning of ma`rifah? There are some professors who have never turned their faces towards the qiblah and yet speak to their students about ma`rifah, like building homes in the air! It is as if you have an empty plate with a fork, knife and spoon and you tell people there is food, but they are not seeing it. People think they can build homes with no foundation. If you do not have obedience to Allah (swt), then what is your business with ma`rifah, when it has nothing to do with you! There are many people who claim to be Sufis, but they don’t pray or fast, so what is their foundation?
أَفَمَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَى تَقْوَى مِنَ اللّهِ وَرِضْوَانٍ خَيْرٌ أَم مَّنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَىَ شَفَا جُرُفٍ هَارٍ فَانْهَارَ بِهِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ
Afaman assasa bunyaanahu `alaa taqwaa mina Allahi wa ridwaanin khayrun am man assasa bunyaanahu `alaa shafaa jurufin haarin fanhaara bihi fee naari jahannama w’Allahu laa yahdi ’l-qawma ‘zh-zhaalimeen.
Which then is best: he that lays his foundation on piety to Allah and His good pleasure, or he that lays his foundation on an undermined sand-cliff ready to crumble to pieces? And it crumbles to pieces with him into the fire of Hell and Allah guides not people that do wrong. (Surat at-Tawbah, 9:109)
Afaman assasa bunyaanahu `alaa taqwaa mina Allahi wa ridwaanin, “Anyone who built his foundation, infrastructure, on taqwa of Allah, obedience to Allah, built his building on a strong foundation and that will not be similar to the one who, asasa bunyaanahu `ala shafaan hafran min naari, the one who is building his building on a cliff that in a moment will slide down into Hellfire!
Which do you want? What is benefit of wise men and scholars speaking if all want to speak about what is above the level of Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa and their foundation is not there?
If I say, “I saw a villa built on sea water, on a river that is white and that building/villa/castle or palace, I didn’t see where it begins and where it ends, it is written for you!” and on the other hand, he saw it in the air, on the other hand he doesn't pray, do you believe that? He is building his building on a cliff that is going to fall into Hellfire, but the one building his building on a solid foundation, that is what he will get.
عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ , أَنَّ رَجُلا , قَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ , أَوْصِنِي . قَالَ : " أُوصِيكَ أَنْ تَسْتَحِيَ مِنَ اللَّهِ , عَزَّ وَجَلَّ , كَمَا تَسْتَحِي رَجُلا مِنْ صَالِحِي قَوْمِكَ "
`an sa`eed bin zayd anna rajulan qaala: yaa Rasoolullah awsinee. Qaala: useeka an tastahiyy min Allah `azza wa jall kamaa tastahiyy rajulun min saalihee qawmik.
A man came to the Prophet (s) and said, “Advise me.” The Prophet (s) said, “I advise you to be shy toward Allah, the Exalted, in the same way that you are shy toward a pious man from your people.” (Ahmad)
Was not the Prophet (s) able to say to him, "You will have a Paradise in Heaven without `amal.” No! You have to build a building on a solid foundation or that will be on a cliff going to Hellfire! You have to build in the right way. So what did the Prophet (s) say to that person? He (s) said, “I advise you,” in order for that Sahaabi to feel shy from Allah (swt).
In human nature, in every moment you have feelings, which means your feelings in every moment must coincide with Allah’s will and any `amal you want to do has to have taqwa. So if you build your foundation on taqwa, that means you feel shy in everything, so then how do you build your building? Is it going to be solid or not? Taqwa is to be shy that Allah (swt) is watching you.
I am first speaking to myself and then to you. That is from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) and I am not pretending that I am out of it (not included) as we all need to feel shy. If someone wants water they look at it, but they feel shy to take it. Why do they feel shy to take it? Because we are watching them and we didn't give them permission yet, so they stand there and wait, then ask, “Can we take it?" and you say “Yes,” and then they take it and run. Why are you feeling shy from those watching you and not feeling shy from Allah, Who watches you every moment?
So what did the Prophet (s) say? useeka an tastahiyy min Allah `azza wa jall. “I advise,” not “I order,” because if he said, “I order,” then it is obligatory, like an order for everyone who reads that hadith, then if you don't do it it is as if you are disobeying the Prophet (s). So by saying “I advise you,” if you do it or you don't do it, still you are mu’min. So Prophet (s) is advising you to feel shy from Allah (swt), not to reach a level to feel ashamed, like when you sin you feel ashamed, but the first level is to feel shy.
The step after it, if you take one bottle of water and you think no one is seeing you, you take it and go, and the next step, what do you? You take the whole box or take the carpet! That is what you will be ashamed of when they face you with the reality. You will not feel shy, but you feel ashamed. And the Prophet (s), in order not to make it obligatory on the entire Muslim community, he advised, he did not order; he advised us to be shy of Allah. Look how the Prophet (s) made it simple!
Prophet (s) said: I advise you to feel shy from Allah, just as you feel shy in the presence of an elderly, sincere, pious person.
You feel shy to smoke in front of your father; they may smoke cigarettes all day but in front of their father they don't. You ask them why and they say, “I feel shy.” (...) Children in Muslim countries are raised on respect, then they feel shy to do anything wrong in front of their parents. What they do elsewhere we don't say. They feel shy even to cross their legs when they sit, while here they also do worse than that, they cross their legs in a way that raises the bottom of their shoe to face the other person! How do you dare put the bottom of your shoes towards face of your friend, your brother, your father, the one you know from your community?
Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an:
لَّمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى التَّقْوَى مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ أَحَقُّ أَن تَقُومَ فِيهِ
la-masjidun ussisa `alaa taqwaa min awwali yawmin ahaqqu an taqooma feehi.
There is a mosque whose foundation was laid from the first day on piety; it is more worthy of the standing forth (for prayer) therein. (Surat at-Tawba, 9:108)
It means build your building on a strong foundation.
When the Sahaabi (r) asked Prophet (s) for advise, he said, “You have to feel shy from Allah as you feel shy from a pious, elderly person.” The Prophet (s) is teaching his Sahaabah (r) makaarim al-akhlaaq, that without good manners, no Islam. With no good adab, respect, Shaytan will slowly steel your `amal from you. When you go to restaurant...how shy you feel from a pious, sincere person, just look at how a pious person eats and then go to restaurant and see how they eat.
I noticed that people don't eat except feeding Shaytan!
The Prophet (s) said:
لا يَأْكُلْ أَحَدُكُمْ بِشِمَالِهِ وَلَا يَشْرَبْ بِشِمَالِهِ فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَأْكُلُ بِشِمَالِهِ وَيَشْرَبُ بِشِمَالِهِ
laa yaakul aahadakum bi-shimaalihi wa laa yashrab bi-shimaalihi fa-inna ash-shaytaan yaakulu bi-shimaalihi wa yashrab bi-shimaalihi.
None of you should eat with his left hand nor drink with his left hand, for verily Shaytan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand. (Tirmidhi)
So don't eat with your left hand (unless you are left-handed) as there will be no medicine and barakah and cure in that food.
That is as if you ate the best, but got the worst. Where is the fork when you eat? In your left hand. That is from Shaytan! They made it a protocol and put in your mind that if you go to eat with a king, president, ambassador, anyone, you eat with your fork on the left and if you eat with your fork on the right, they look at you as if you destroyed the protocol!
O people! Do you want Allah's happiness or the people's? Look for Allah's protocol, that is discipline. I was invited to a president's table and ate with my right hand and they were looking at me with their eyes (worried because) the president was seated at the table. Who cares for them? Shaytan is waiting for you to eat with your left hand! Don't let your children be left-handed.
So what the Prophet (s) said? You have to feel shy, as you feel you are sitting with a sincere person. That is why we have to see everyone we speak with as being better than us. That is what Bayazid al-Bistami (q) said, “I respect the older one who has more worship and I respect the younger one as he is more pure.”
If you build your society on that foundation, then you have a correct foundation with respect for everyone. That foundation is strong and if not, that castle in the air will fall in Hellfire. So those who hold on very well to their Shari`ah, Shari`at al-Islam, we don't accept any advice from anyone if it is going to be against Shari`ah. Shari`ah puts us in the middle as Prophet (s) said, nahnu ummatan wasatan, “We are a the middle (moderate) nation,” meaning not leftist, not rightist. Anyone in the middle will be saved, so when we are in the middle we have to follow the way of Shari`ah and we cannot let anyone come to tell us to be terrorists! We cannot accept that. Who is a terrorist? Shaytan is a terrorist! He possessed one person and began to play with him the way he likes, to give wrong advice to young ones to make mistakes or even to commit suicide! So either we listen to Allah (swt) and we don't listen to anyone else. Allah (swt) says, “This is the way of My servant, follow the way of My Prophet and no one else.” So we have a message to mention.
اَ يُكَلِّفُ اللّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ
Laa yukallifullahu nafsan illa wus`ahaa.
On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:286)
No one will be burdened by Allah more than he can take. There is no permission for miracles, and awliyaullah can give miracles since time is so near for heavenly change, that will be peaceful change, where light will take whole Earth to heavenly light and knowledge. we are all waiting for that time. may Allah give us life to see that time!
Since people need more knowledge to be educated and enlightened, both Muslims and non-Muslims, everyone must be a safeer, ambassador to the whole community he is in, in order to bring them to the middle way. We are not saying to be an ambassador to change things, but to bring them to remind them that Allah asked us, “Alastu bi-Rabbikum - Am I not your Lord?” and we said "Balaa - Yes!" to remind the community that we gave Allah our promise in the Day of Promises that, “You are our Lord and we are Your servants.” There is nothing for the servant but to obey. May Allah guide us to obey.
Since I am traveling here and there, by Mawlana Shaykh Nazim's permission, Taher Mateen Siddiqui will be obliged to sit and give lectures to people, not only here, but he can go from one place to another place in order to keep these teachings going and to bring people back to be in the lane or the way of Gnosticism, together by building their building on a solid foundation. So by Mawlana's permission, he has been authorized to give that suhbat and lead dhikr, along with `Ali Elsayed and Sahib Mahmadou, and Mawlana is sending the message to them not to be lazy, as Allah gave you bodies like a cow, an oxe, not only eating and drinking, but also to follow in guiding people. You (Taher) learned a lot and you have lot of suhbat on Sufilive you are putting together, and he (`Ali) is the one helping in the books and he (Sahib) is Hafiz al-Qur’an. So the three of you work together for implementation of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim's teaching and don't come to me and say this and that (make excuses) as it is your obligation.
May Allah forgive us and give Mawlana Shaykh Nazim long life and bless us to see Mahdi (a) and Sayyidina `Isa (a).
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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[1] "Unveiling" is a Sufi concept rooted in Gnostic ideals dealing with knowledge of the heart rather than of the intellect.