18 June 2015 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Pre-Iftar / First Suhbah of Ramadan
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani ‘r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : كَلِمَتَانِ خَفِيفَتَانِ عَلَى اللِّسَانِ ثَقِيلَتَانِ فِي الْمِيزَانِ حَبِيبَتَانِ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ : سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ "
There are two words that are very easy to say, yet very heavy on the Scale, most beloved to The Merciful, “SubhaanAllah wa bihamdihi subhaanAllahi ’l-`Azheem.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
We are very thankful that Allah has brought us to see another Ramadan and inshaaAllah many Ramadans to come. Ramadan is a month that is baraka from Heavens on everyone. Some people might wonder, “Why they are fasting?” and some people may fast the whole year, I know people from Iraq used to come to Grandshaykh `AbdAllah, may Allah bless his soul, and he was fasting the whole year except Fridays (without also fasting Thursday or Saturday), Eid al-Adha, as it is haraam to fast on those days, and Eid al-Fitr, the first day of Shawwal. He was fasting many, many years never complained and he lived around 100 years of age. What do you think about his fasting and our fasting, is there any resemblance? No, but because of Allah’s Mercy, Allah will give us because of that person was one of the Abdaal and Allah (swt) will dress us from what he dressed him!
If one person in this dunya says, “SubhaanAllah” the whole ummah of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) will be blessed with that word as if everyone said it! This Ramadan is carrying a lot of good tidings. If one says, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llaah” Allah makes the whole Ummah say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llaah Muhammadur rasoolullah `alayhaa nahya wa `alayhaa namoot wa `alayhaa nalqa’Llah” through their souls! What Allah gives us is from Hidden Treasures.
In Sri Lanka there is a very high mountain called Adam’s Peak and only certain families in Sri Lanka that owned it were allowed to dig there for jewels. Why did Allah (swt) give them that? It is said by different historians and traditions that when Adam (a) stepped his first step on Earth, he stepped on that mountain and Allah turned it to jewels; a lot of jewels are sold from this mountain to the whole world. It is the baraka of him that Allah turned that mountain to Jewel Mountain. What was in his feet, there must be some secret that caused that mountain to be turned into jewels when they touched it. It is because both his feet were touching Heavens, Jannah; he was living in Jannatullah, then Allah gave him a heavenly home to stay in. His two feet were touching Jannat al-Firdaus, so when he was going around, all the baraka coming through his feet turned his feet into jewels, so when he stepped onto the mountain, Adam’s Peak, it turned to treasures that never end!
What do you think about Prophet (s)? He touched Masjid al-Aqsa, and Madinata ‘l-Munawwarah as some scholars say, but what is known is Masjid al-Aqsa. In the Mi`raaj, he touched the First, Second Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh Heavens, Jannat al-Firdaus, Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa all with his blessed feet! Where are the treasures? He is hiding them for his Ummah, to whom he will give. Allah opened for him treasures that no one can imagine! To prepare him to get Maqam Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, Allah made him go through one level after another, to First Heaven, Second Heaven, Third Heaven, Fourth Heaven, Fifth, Sixth, Seven Heavens, and Jannat al-Firdaus, then he was ready! Now move forward, now in the Divine Presence in Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa. What Allah opened for him? It is said in a Hadith Qudsi:
كنت كنزا مخفياً فأحببت أن أعرف فخلقت الخلق
I was a Hidden Treasure (and) I wanted to be known, so I created Creation. (Hadith Qudsiyy)
A Hidden Treasure, will that finish? That Treasure carries an infinite number of Beautiful Names and Attributes! He is the Creator, He produced all kinds of treasures! Grandshaykh `AbdAllah (s) said:
It is narrated that `AbdAllah ibn `Umar (r) narrated that the Prophet (s) said:
من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم
Whoever imitates a people is one of them. (Narrated by Abu Dawood)
We are following Prophet (s), is there anyone here not following Prophet (s)? We are following Prophet (s) so we will be with him! If you follow Allah (swt) you will be with Him, because He said:
أَنَا جَلِيْسُ مَنْ ذَكَرَنِي
I sit with him who remembers Me. (Hadith Qudsiyy. Ahmad, Bayhaqi)
“I am with the one who remembers Me,” which means when you remember Him, He will sit with you, not physically/literally, but that is a reward He will give you from His Endless Heavenly Treasures. That is what we want and that is what the Ummah wants! So Allah brought Prophet (s) to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, much further than where He brought Sayyidina Musa (a) on Earth, to a valley.
إِِذْ نَادَاهُ رَبُّهُ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى
When his Lord called him in the Sacred Valley of Toowa. (Surat an-Naazi`aat, 79:16)
Valleys usually exist in between two mountains at the bottom and what do you find in the bottom when water is running? Rivers! If you are in the Holy Valley between two mountains, one mountain is Jabba ‘l-Shari`ah, the Mouىtain of Law, and the other is Jabba ‘l-Haqiqah, the Mountain of Realities, spirituality, and if you are able through heavenly acceptance to become al-Warith al-Muhammadi, the Inheritor of Sayyidina Muhammad (s), Allah accepts you to become a mountain! Then, that river that never ends will flow to your heart!
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Allah (swt) wants us to follow Sayyidina Muhammad (s), and when you follow you imitate the footsteps of Prophet (s):
من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم
Who imitates a group of people are from them. (Abu Dawood)
So if Allah raised Prophet (s), Allah will raise you. Allah raised Prophet (s) to different levels, preparing him to get to the highest level, from entering in the First Jannah, Second Jannah, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and then He sent him and allowed him to come to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, to the treasures the Ummah is looking for.
Once Grandshaykh (q) asked, “Does Allah fast?” He is not muhtaj, He doesn’t fast, as He said:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ يُضَاعَفُ ، الْحَسَنَةُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا إِلَى سَبْعِ مِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : إِلا الصَّوْمَ ، فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ ، يَدَعُ طَعَامَهُ وَشَهْوَتَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي ، لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ : فَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ إِفْطَارِهِ ، وَفَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ لِقَاءِ رَبِّهِ ، وَلَخُلُوفُ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مِنْ رَائِحَةِ الْمِسْكِ ، الصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ الصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ "
Every good action is rewarded by ten times its kind, up to seven-hundred times, except fasting, which is for Me and I reward it…. (Sunan of Tirmidhi; Muwatta of Imam Malik, from Abu Hurayra, with variants in Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasaai and Ahmad.)
`Ibaadullah, those who worship Allah must fast because it is for Him, but Allah doesn’t need fasting nor anything from Creation as all things are dependent on Him, He is independent. “Who imitates a group of people are from them,” so if we fast from worldly dunya life we will be with our Lord, standing at His Door, because we will be raised like Prophet (s) was raised and we are imitating him! You will be raised with Prophet (s) because when Allah raised him, He raised his Ummah.
May Allah (swt) accept our fasting this Ramadan! Allah doesn’t like anyone who breaks fast for no reason, because prayer, salaat, is for you, but fasting is for Allah (swt) and no one knows what He will grant of rewards. May Allah give us power to fast all this Ramadan and many more to come.
Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
http://sufilive.com/Why-We-Fast--5917.html
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