Sufism and Tasawwuf - Naqshbandi Sufi Way

We Are not Mureeds

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

20 October, 2012 Fenton, Michigan

Subhah after Dhikr

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani '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.

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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)

Madad yaa Sayyidee, yaa Rasoolullah! Madad, yaa Awliyaullah! Madad, yaa Sultan al-Awliya, madad.

As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. I was not planning to make suhbah, but because many people have come I will make a short one and then Shaykh Sahib will lead `Isha.

Islam is to learn what benefits us, because Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur’an:

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Inna ad-deena `inda Allaahi al-islaam.

The religion in Allah’s view is Islam (submission to His Will). (Surat Aali-`Imraan, 3:19)

So in order to understand Islam, we need to understand the structure that Allah (swt) has sent to His Messenger, Sayyidina Muhammad (s), and to build on it with whatever we have learned from Islam as it is the main structure. When you build a building, you enforce it with steel and concrete so it will support many storeys. Islam also has a structure that Allah has sent to the Prophet (s) to show us the way. It is very simple and people pass through it a lot, but are not applying it. We have to pay attention to what Prophet (s) said, especially in this time of too many worldly desires that affect our beliefs. All of Islam is based on one issue that Prophet (s) mentioned:

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Innamaa bu`ithtu li utimmima makaarim al-akhlaaq.

I was sent not except to complete the best of conduct. (Bukhari in Adab al-Mufrad)

We have to pay attention to the Arabic words. “Innamaa” is confirming “I have been,” “bu`ithtu” means “sent,” and “li utimmima” translates as “to complete,” not as many scholars explain today, “to perfect”. But Arabic scholars say “utammin” is “to complete” the good manners and behaviors, which means that Prophet (s) took it as his responsibility in front of Allah that, “Yaa Rabbee! You have sent me to complete,” which means, “I will not let anyone come incomplete (on the Day of Judgment).” Allah gave him something that He did not give any creature and no one else can complete it. Kullu nafsin, everyone is responsible for themselves, but Prophet (s) said, “I will be responsible for everyone.” No one will be incomplete on the Day of Judgement by the power of Allah given to the Prophet (s). He does not expect us to be complete, as he knows we are struggling; one day we are on the right way and one day on the wrong way. “To complete” means to take away the bad characteristics and to dress you with good characteristics. For example, Prophet (s) takes away the dirty clothes and gives clean clothes from his side, which means he takes away bad `amal and replaces them with good `amal.

It was mentioned in the hadith of Prophet (s):

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Hayaatee khayrun lakum tuhadithoona wa yuhdatha lakum fa idhaa anaa mitt kaana wafaatee khayran lakum. Tu`radu `alayya `amalakum fa in ra’aitu khayran hamadt 'allah ta`ala wa in ra’itu sharran astaghfarta lakum.

My life is good for you as you will relate from me and it will be related to you, and when I die my passing will be better for you. (Meaning, “My death is better for you than my life, because then I can pray for you.”) I observe your deeds. If I find good I thank Allah, and if I see bad, I ask forgiveness for you. (al-Bazzaar in his Musnad)

So we are lucky to be from Ummat an-Nabi (s), but we are not giving it the right, honoring that on our behalf Prophet (s) is doing what we cannot! At least we must show we are struggling, but today people are careless and not paying attention to what is around them. If you see that a Muslim does not fast and ask you why, they answer, “Oh, I have a headache.” You go to the second one and ask, “Why are you not fasting?” “Oh, I attend school.” You ask a third one, “Why are you not fasting?” He will say, “Because I am jogging!” Why are you jogging? Everyone has an excuse. Why are you not praying? “I have no time.”

On the Day of Judgment, will you say to Allah, “I had no time.” What will He say to you? “Go to Hellfire, as now I have no time for you!” When Prophet (s) saw the laziness of his ummah, he took the responsibility on himself and said, “I will complete it on your behalf and you will appear as the best on the Day of Judgment.” (But that is) as long as you make salawaat on Prophet (s), “Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammad wa `ala aali Sayyidina Muhammad.”

Salawaat is what Allah (swt) wants from us, so that we may know the value of His Prophet (s)! Allah ordered angels to make salawaat to know the value of His Prophet and it means salawaat is the way to “the land of safety” or “the shore of safety.” Whenever you experience difficulty, remember that Allah (swt) told you to make salawaat on His Beloved and that He will make ten salawaat on you, which means He will take away all the difficulty! Prophet (s) mentioned in a hadith:

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Man salla `alayya marrah, salla ’Laahu `alayhi bihaa `ashara.

Whoever prays on me one time, Allah prays on him ten times. (Sahih)

Allah’s salawaat is not like ours; His salawaat is full of rewards and takes away difficulty. If you are sick, have problems in general or have marital problems, make salawaat and the problems will be taken away! If you only sit on your bed with your legs stretched out, not making salawaat, it won’t work. If we are sick, we go to see a doctor and we wait anxiously in the emergency room for up to four hours. Similarly, Allah is telling us to anxiously make salawaat on the Prophet (s). If you make salawaat for one hour, half-an-hour or even for five minutes, it is enough!

Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammad! Allahumma salli wa sallim wa baarik `alaa habeebika wa nabiyyika, Sayyidina Muhammad (s)!

So Allah wants His Servants to have good manners and not to be rude. Everyone has different ways of showing rudeness. Allah (swt) does not like rudeness. Prophet (s) never said “laa” in his entire life, he accepted everything. For us, if anything does not suit our way we say, “No!” We don’t agree with anything except our wives. You cannot say no to them, can you? Why? I don’t understand, but this is the tradition now, so we follow it.

Allah (swt) does not like someone who is rude, which is why He sent Prophet (s), to take away rudeness from people and make them kind. When people look at them they are happy, not seeing them angry, serious or all the time not smiling. Allah (swt) does not like that character. Smile often and make salawaat, then you will have dunya and Akhirah and may Allah give us dunya and Akhirah!

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Rabbanaa atinaa fid-dunyaa hasanatan wa fee’l-akhirati hasanatan waqinaa `athaba an-naar.

Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the torment of the Fire!" (Surat al-Baqara, 2:201)

He said, “Save us from Fire.” If we want to be saved, it’s like that. It means ask from Allah (swt) to grant you to have one leg in dunya and one in Akhirah, not everything only in dunya. Alhamdulillah, your presence here shows that you are healthy in your `ibaadah and worshipness, and happy to be present in the House of Allah. Some people drive from far away, and for what? For hubb, love. Allahu Akbar! It is made up of two letters, “Haa” and “Baa,” which makes the word “love.”

Allah (swt) said:

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Qul in kuntum tuhibboona 'Llaaha fattabi`oonee yuhbibkumullaahu wa yaghfir lakum dhunoobakum w 'Allaahu Ghafooru 'r-Raheem.

Say (O Muhammad), "If you (really) love Allah, then follow me! Allah will love you and forgive your sins, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat Aali-'Imraan, 3:31)

It means Allah loves His Servant.‘Haa’ is a symbol of hayyat, life. Allah will not only give you hubb (love in this world), but Allah gives hayyat al-abadiyya, Everlasting Life. ‘Baa’ represents “baqa,” which means “everlasting” or “never-ending,” and that is the meaning of ‘hubb:’ when Allah loves you, He gives you a healthy, good, everlasting life, both in dunya and Akhirah. That is from two letters and we don’t want any more! Love Allah (swt) and love Prophet (s), then you will be saved, as when you love someone you obey him. If you love your wife, you obey her and vice versa. So what then do you think about loving Allah and His Prophet (s)? Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo 'r-Rasool, because when you love, Allah gives you obedience and puts you on the right track. May Allah (swt) make all of us love Him and His Prophet, and take away all difficulties, and grant us whatever we are asking.

Allah does not like you to complain, rather He likes His servants to remember Him! Now if you ask people here, “Are you mureeds?” they will say, “Yes,” but in reality you are not. We are not yet at the level of mureed, we are beginners.

Sayyidina Shah Naqshband (q), Imam at-Tariqah of this Naqshbandi Way, was very rich from an early age. At least five-thousand people came to his associations and he fed them all from his income. One day he was walking and began to feel the desire to visit his Shaykh, Sayyidina Amir Kulal (q). He was in the alley, feeling between sahuw and ghaybah, wakefulness and sleep, which is not the correct meaning. Ghaybah and sahuw means between the state of jazbah and haal, a spiritual state, in the level of not feeling anything except love of Allah (swt) and Prophet (s). He came near the Shaykh’s house and as soon as he entered, the Shaykh knew Shah Naqshband (q) by name, although they had not yet met, but Sayyidina Shah Naqshband (q) had taken baya` through someone the Shaykh knew.

The Shaykh asked, “Who is this?”

The mureeds replied, “It is Shah Naqshband.”

He said, “Kick him out!”

Shah Naqshband said, “At that time I felt unhappy and Shaytan began to play with me and my ego said, ‘What do you want to do with this Shaykh?’ However, my conscience said, “No, (don’t leave).”

So they kicked Shah Naqshband (q) out, but there was no place for him to go, as night had fallen and it was snowing. He came to the threshold of Sayyidina Amir Kulal (q), knelt down and put his head on his threshold and stayed there. His head was completely covered in snow, but he did not feel the cold because he was in the state of ghaybah, absence. Fajr came and the Shaykh came out to make wudu and he stepped on Shah Naqshband’s head (as if he didn’t know Shah Naqshband was there).

Sayyidina Amir Kulal (q) said, “O, you are here?”

Shah Naqshband (q) said, “Yes I am.”

Sayyidina Amir Kulal (q) said, “I was testing you. You are truly a mureed.”

He took Shah Naqshband (q) inside, cleaned him and removed the thorns from his feet and then began to dress him with ma`arifah, Divine Knowledge. This is a real mureed, and by this story we can say we are not real mureeds; we are trying, as the Shaykh does not tell you to go away since you are not a real mureed, but we know we are struggling. Continue in your struggle, because if you become better by one percent it is better and brings Allah’s happiness, as the hadith states:

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Man dhakaranee fee nafsihi dhakartahu fee nafsee wa man dhakaranee fee mala’ain dhakartahu fee mala’ain khayra minhu wa man taqarrab ilayya shibran taqarrabtu minhu dhiraa`an wa man taqarrab minnee dhiraa`an taqarrabtu minhu baa`an wa man ataanee yamshee aataytahu harwalah.

I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself. And if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me a hand’s span, I draw near to him an arm’s length. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running. (Hadith Qudsi)

Even if you do one percent of good in your life, you will enter Paradise. Prophet (s) said (to his Companions), “If you do ninety percent of what I have ordered, you will be in good hands. There will come a time when if they only do ten percent of what I told them, they will go to Paradise.”

So now they are only asking us to do ten percent, which means if you show whatever you are doing of good, they will take us to salvation and make them happy. May Allah (swt) forgive us.

Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.

http://www.sufilive.com/We_are_not_Mureeds-4666.html