Haqqani Priory at Seven Sisters
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`ala fee haadha 'l-masjid.
Ati`ullaha wa ati`u 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ
Inna `atayna kal kawthar.
(yaa Muhammad) We have given you a lot. (108:1)
Kawthar has two meanings here. It has many meanings, but the most scholarly meaning is, "We gave you the river of Kawthar in Paradise; and, We gave you knowledge that has no beginning and no end. As the river of Kawthar has no beginning and no end, what I gave you, O My beloved servant, habeebi Muhammad (s), has no beginning and no end." Allah only knows its beginning. From that ocean awliyaaullah get drops of knowledge. It's like someone mining for diamonds. You go to the big mining companies and you have to go underground 100, 200, or 300 meters, to find what? To find one piece here, one there, and you will be lucky if you find a big piece. But anyone who goes to a mine, does not come back with nothing. You go to a mine for mining, and you must come back with something. If we go to the heavenly mine that Allah (swt) has given to Sayyidina Muhammad (s), we will never come with nothing. You must get something! You might get diamond of 1 carat, 2 carats, 3 carats, or 10 carats.
One time I was in Brunei with Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), may Allah give him long life, and there was someone who brought to the sultan of Brunei a piece of glass. In the glass there were diamonds, and they wanted to sell them. It was a big selection of diamonds, every diamond was a different color. And do you know how much they wanted? One hundred and fifty million dollars. The meaning here is not how much the diamond is worth but the meaning is that Allah (swt) gave us a way through our guide to be able to get different colored diamonds from the heart of Prophet (s). Why? Because Allah said, inna `ataynaka 'l-Kawthar, "We have given you a lot," plenty. And "plenty" never finishes. Relatively speaking to the grandeur and to the `azaamatullah, the Greatness of Allah, "plenty" is nothing. It is minimal. So it means "plenty" has no limits.
When we say "plenty" in English, it doesn't give the correct meaning. But when we say Kawthar in Arabic, al-katheer, it means abundant. "We gave you the abundance that has no beginning and no end," meaning you can go inside, find any diamond you like, and buy it, Allah will sell it to you. Allah doesn't need your money, but He will sell it to you, trade with you. Do you want to make trade with Allah (swt)? Everyone likes to make trade. Who doesn't like to make trade? No one! What is the trade? Allah said, "I am trading with you, do you want to buy? I am selling, come! What is My price? You do what I do, follow My orders. My orders to My angels are to make salawaat on Prophet (s) so make salawaat on Prophet (s)!"
It is such a simple trade. If you make one salawaat, Allah will give you 10 salawaat. Is Allah's salawaat like ours? When we do our salawaat, we do it in front of the television, sitting with the beads in our hands, watching television, and making salawaat. But Allah's salawaat on Prophet (s) that He will give you the reward for 10 salawaat, has no limit! And every salawaat must be with a different style or language. The Arabic language has different ways of reciting that durood, all of them are not the same. He says, "Okay, My servant, if you like that, then do salawaat on Muhammad (s)." (Mawlana stands) Alfa alfu salaatu was-salaam `alayka yaa Sayyidee, yaa Rasoolullah, yaa Rahmatan lil-`Alameen! (Mawlana sits)
People say that Islam is too much work. The Prophet (s) says:
من قال لا اله الا الله دخل الجنة
man qaala laa ilaaha illa-Llah dakhal al-Jannah.
Whoever says, "Laa ilaaha illa-Llah (and this implies "Muhammadun Rasoolullah") enters Paradise."
It is so simple. Islam is not difficult. Allah is giving you Jannah by saying, "Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah." If I say, "La ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah" today as Prophet (s) mentioned Allah said, man qaala, la ilaaha illa-Llah dakhal al-Jannah, I will enter Paradise, correct? What if I say it two times? He said, "Whoever says laa ilaaha illa-Llah." He didn't say man qaala, la ilaaha illa-Llah wa akthar, dakhal al-jannah, saying more than one time. So what if we say it two times? Then we get two jannahs, three times, three jannahs, a hundred times, a hundred jannahs. And don't think that Allah will give you one jannah that is similar to the other. The seven jannahs that the Holy Qur'an and the holy hadith mentioned have no beginning and no end. It means Jannah is a place where you will receive continuous pleasure in the presence of Prophet (s) and in the presence of Allah (swt). When He gives you one Jannah, this means you might be in the presence of Allah and His Prophet (s) one time. If you say, laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah two times, you might be in their presence two times. If you say it three times, you will be there three times. And every time you say it, Allah will give you ten times more.
That is why when awliyaaullah give us awraad, they say do it from 100 to 1,000. And 1,000 multiplied by 10 is 10,000 jannahs that you are getting every day. How many will there be in one month? Three hundred thousand. In one year, three million. In 70 or 100 years, three billion. It is a little bit of calculation only to understand. You do a little bit of mathematics, and you see Allah's greatness. So those who are in their childhood, I am especially speaking to the youth, begin from now, don't wait. Like some people say, "We will wait to go to Hajj." They wait until they are 60 or 70 years old because they like to have their pleasure, there is still a lot of dunya and they have to work for it. No! Go for Hajj as soon as you are mature. Take that obligation away. Don't lose your prayers. Don't come against the government, and don't be a terrorist or an extremist, be a moderate person. A Muslim is a moderate. A Muslim doesn't like to fight. Muslims are people who like peace. Islam is submission. When you submit yourself to someone, that one will be responsible for you, and you are not responsible anymore. That's why Islam is submission to Allah (swt), submission to Prophet's (s) orders, and submission to ooli 'l-amr orders. Then you have no responsibility when you are submitting to their wills. But when you want to submit to the will of yourself, it's blended with shaytanic gossips in the ears. That's what makes you to be struggling.
Why do people struggle today? People are struggling in their lives. Because they are letting Shaytan to interfere in their lives. Drugs, stealing, killing, or using explosives. We are not speaking about small sins, everyone will do a small sin. No one is ma`soom, innocent, except for prophets. Even a wali is not ma`soom. Awliyaaullah are mahfoozoon, they are protected from doing anything wrong. They might do something wrong, but not with a bad intention like us. They may make a mistake but not with a bad intention. Allah will forgive. If He even forgives us, what about awliya? He says to us,
قُلْ يَاعِبَادِي الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لاَ تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعا ً إِنَّه ُُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Qul yaa ibaadiy alladheena asrafoo `alaa anfusihim laa taqnatoo min rahmatillaahi innallaha yaghfiru 'dh-dhunooba jamee`an innahu huwa ‘l- Ghafoorur ‘r-Raheem.
Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against their souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah. Allah forgives all sins, for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (39:53)
Allah (swt) says, "Yaa Muhammad (s), say to My servants, 'Don’t loose hope in Allah's forgiveness, Allah will forgive everyone.'" Say, astaghfirullah! Astaghfirullah al-Adheem wa atoobu `ilayh! How many people are here 500, or more? Everyone is witnessing on another. One istighfaar is enough to take away all sins of humanity. Do you think Allah (swt) is like us? If, for example, I have a problem with this one or a problem with the other, even if we forgive each other, there is still bitterness there. Allah says, laa taqnatoo min rahmatillah, "Don’t lose hope of Allah’s mercy." Don't say, "No it won't happen." Allah will forgive. Innaallah yaghfiru'dh-dhunooba jamee`an. If you read that ayah with the intention for Allah to forgive your sins, all your sins will be forgiven. Because He says in the Holy Qur’an, "Allah forgives all your sins." He will forgive all the sins. So we say,
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.
Qul yaa ibaadiy alladheena asrafoo `alaa anfusihim laa taqnatoo min rahmatillaahi innallaha yaghfiru 'dh-dhunooba jamee`an innahu huwa ‘l- Ghafoorur ‘r-Raheem.
Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against their souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah. Allah forgives all sins, for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (39:53)
Do you think there will be a sin left? No! If you think not, you are doubting Allah’s forgiveness. That is why in the famous hadith which was on the Rawdah, it has been taken away now, but the Prophet (s) said, “My intercession is for the big sinners,” ahlu 'l-kabaa`ir, who are they? Sahaabah (r) asked the Prophet (s), yaa Rasoolullah (s), hal al-mu`min yasriq, "Does the mu`min steal or rob?" He said, "It might be."
They asked, hal al-mu`min yaznee, "Does the mu`min make zina?" Prophet (s) said, rubama, "It might be."
Then they asked, hal al-mu`min yakdhib, "Does the mu`min lie?" Prophet (s) replied, amma hadhihi falaa, "This, no."
You cannot lie to Allah (swt )! On the Day of Promises, you promised and said, laa ilaaha illa-Llah. You cannot lie when you come to dunya. That is why Muslims are honored, Allah honored them to keep kalimat at-tawheed on their tongues. There are some for whom you can’t say they are not Muslims, but you can say they are not perfect. Like Muslims who don’t pray, they have lost the second pillar of Islam, but the basic infrastructure, the first pillar is there, ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasoolullah. The prayers that you did not pray you will be praying on top of Jahannam, and when you finish you will be sent to Paradise.
Prophet (s) is saying, "My shafa`ah is for big sinners." So what about the small sins? Of course, they will enter under the shafa`ah of Prophet (s). So our duty is to be very careful with how we deal with each other. Today you have to know that Allah (swt) has guided us to follow the way of Prophet (s) through our shuyookh. Without a flashlight you cannot see in the dark night, you need a flashlight. Without a spotlight you cannot see in the dark night. There might be flashlight awliyaa or a spotlight wali, one will show a small space with a flashlight or the spotlight one will show the whole stadium. If you are with a spotlight wali you will understand the meaning of:
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ
Inna `atayna kal kawthar,
We have given you (yaa Muhammad) lots. (108:1)
وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَى
Wa laa sawfa yu`tika Rabbuka fa tarda.
And verily, your Lord will give you (all i.e. good) so that you shall be well-pleased. (93:5)
If someone comes and gives you one million dollars you say, “Good.”
"Do you want more?"
You say, "I will take the one million or two million."
"I have a lot, my brother, do you want more?"
"Okay, I will take five million or take ten million."
Do you think Allah will say to Prophet (s), “Don’t take.” Wa laa sawfa yu`tika Rabbuka fatarda. He (swt) keeps giving and Prophet (s) keeps taking. And Prophet (s) never takes for himself, it is for the ummah. So our duty is to praise Sayyidina Muhammad (s).
Muhammadun basharun wa laysa ka 'l-bashari huwa yaqootatun wa naasu ka 'l-hajari.
Muhammad is a man, but not like other men; Muhammad is a gem and human beings are stones.
Imam Busayri (q) understood the meaning. He said, “How can say I resemble Prophet (s)?" It is impossible to say he is bashar and it is not nice to say he is not bashar.
Because Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur'an,
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَى إِلَيَّ أَنَّمَا إِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاء رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا
Qul innama `ana basharun mithlukum yooha ilayya.
Say (O Prophet), 'I am but a mortal man like all of you.' (18:110)
Imam Busayri (q) understood the subtle meaning between two words, basharun and not bashar. Muhammad (s) is a human but, he is not like us bashar, like kaaf and noon, kun! Without the noon following the kaaf, when He says "Kun" without saying the "Noon", will appear what Allah wants. There is such a refined meaning between his (s) bashariyyah, his features and his form and nasootiyyah. And bashiriyyah and non-baashariyyah, is what's in between. Allah gave him what He did not give anyone. That is why he is a jewel that has value and all others are rocks.
If he was bashar, how did he go for Mi`raaj? Can any bashar go for Mi`raaj? Show me one. No one can go for Mi`raaj with his physicality except Prophet (s), but awliya and their followers with the barakah of Prophet (s), every Muslim, and every mu'min has a Mi`raaj. When Prophet (s) went in Mi`raaj, he asked, “Yaa Rabbee, give everyone in my ummah a Mi`raaj.” That is why it is ma`arij, plural.
Do you think there was one Mi`raaj that Prophet (s) went on? If so, then unfortunately we are ignorant. In every breath Prophet (s) is breathing, it is a Mi`raaj.
وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَى مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَى
Wa ‘n-najmi idhaa hawaa ma dalla saahibukum wa maa ghawaa wa maa yantiqu`ani ‘l-hawaa in huwa illa wahyun yoohaa `allamahu shadeedu’ l-quwwa.
By the star when it goes down, Your companion does not err, nor does he go astray; Nor does he speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed. He was taught by one Mighty in Power. (53:1-5)
Allah says, "He doesn’t open or speak except a wahee, inspiration." When he breathes, that also comes with a Mi`raaj, because he is not like us. When he breaths in, he has a Mi`raaj from Allah (swt) and when he breaths out he gives to his ummah. Inhaling is Mi`raaj, exhaling is to benefit us, sharing those maa`rij with the ummah. It is not for him. Every breath is a Mi`raaj for him and every exhalation is dividing that barakah with the whole ummah. That is why he is haadirun wa nazhirun, he is present and he is seeing. Haadirun wa nazhirun, he is present and he observes every single move of his ummah. Allah ordered His angels and his ummah to show the greatness of Muhammad (s), "You do salawaat on him, meaning you be in his presence, sending salawaat on him, to show his greatness."
O Mu`min! O Muslims! Allah (swt) is blessing us with the barakah of Prophet (s). Haythoo qaal, Rajabun shahrullah wa Sha`baan shahree wa Ramadan shahra ummattee. As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah