Audhu billah min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem
Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem
Nawaytu'l-arba`een, nawaytu'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu'l-khalwah, nawaytu'l-riyaada, nawaytu's-salook, nawaytu'l-`uzlah lillahi ta`ala fee hadha'l-masjid
Nawaytu as-siyam
As we said in the previous session that Allah swt is waiting for us to reach Him, to come to Him. But there is between and Him there are veils, between us and Prophet there are veils. Our shuyukh , Mawlana Shaykh said that “There are 70,000 veils between us and Prophet. Every veil is thicker than this universe.”
That is the way we are, we cannot see, like a blind person. We are in dhulmah, darkness.
But always the opposite of darkness is light. It is light waiting for us. So as long as our ego is with us that darkness is in front of us. As long as the ego disappears, darkness disappears because darkness comes from Iblees and light comes from Allah swt.
Iblees asked his Lord. He believes, he cannot say “I don’t believe.”
قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنظِرْنِي إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنظَرِينَ َ إِلَى يَومِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ
He said, "O my Lord leave to the Day of Judgment. Not to the Day of Judgment but until You take everything from this earth. I will be after your servants.” Innaka lamin al-mundhireen ila waqt il-m`aloom. [15:36-38]
“I am leaving you to the day that I want, that I know; not the day you want.” He wanted to be [left free] until Resurrection Day. But Allah said “no, I am leaving you to the day I assign. You are not the one who can assign. So I am leaving you.”
So Iblees, he knows. He asked Allah swt “leave me to the Resurrection Day.” Allah accepted. Azahmat Allah.
Al-`afuw `inda al-maqdira - To forgive when you are able to forgive. You are able to harm and you are able to forgive. You are asking, Allah said, "so I am giving to you.”
Here you have 2 issues. 1) Iblees is believing in Allah and knows that Allah is the one who can give everything and he asked him to give.
2) And Allah responded and gave.
That means if we ask do you think Allah doesn’t give? Iblees was asking with strong faith that “you are my Lord. I committed the sin, I am confirming it. Yes You are my Lord but I am going to show You: I can go and trick them.” Therefore Allah said, "ok go ahead. We will see who is stronger, you or My mercy.
So whoever says la ilaha illa-Allah muhammadun Rasulullah, will enter Jannah. So don’t worry. But awliyaullah want us to worry; they want to cut that rock down. They want to bring that diamond out.
So after that darkness the light is there. The light of the moon is there, the light of the sun is there. When you enter the light you will be surprised. Awliyaullah were stunned when they entered that light. That mean they entered a state or a level where they can see what people cannot see.
We are running, running, running for what. Everyone has a goal and trying to run to it.
You are coming here or going there, or going to other places. You are asking something that your soul is in need for that. You have to know that Allah happy with you and prophet is happy with you else you will never come so far. It is not easy to come to the door of awliyaullah to come to door of Mawlana Shaykh if you were not chose you would not be here.
How many people are lost. They don’t know where is the door. They are struggling although we know the door. But we are not doing what is necessary to open the door. But they are opening the door from their love to you. You think they are asking anything for you.
وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِالآيَاتِ إِلاَّ تَخْوِيفًا
Wa ma nursilu bil-ayati illa takhweefa
We only send the Signs by way of terror (and warning from evil). [
“We only send the verses of Holy Qur'an to scare you.” Allah said in Holy Qur'an. “We only send what We say to you is to scare you, because when you are scared you come back to normal.”
You are off track. Then they say to the pilot, “You are off track.” Where is that captain? Captain! [wakes up] [just out of track] when you are fling and you are off track, so what the computer says to you? “Go in opposite Direction” go and correct yourself. So immediately you correct himself. That Is the first level. That is the lower level. You go off track and immediately. They send you a signal you are off track.
The higher level is computerised. It will correct itself by itself. You are all computerized. When you gave initiation from Mawlana Shaykh finished your system is computerized. They have to work we are not responsible. They have to be responsible. They accepted to give their hands. Since they gave it they cannot pull it, finished. That is why, be careful, don’t have doubts. Doubts is dangerous. Awliyaullah don’t like anyone to doubt their power. Keep your faith strong in awliyaullah keep your faith storing in prophet, keep your faith in your Creator: your problems will be solved. “Ya Rabbee! for the sake of Your awliyaullah solve our problems - we are weak servants.”
So as soon as you gave your hand you are in light, but still veiled you are computerized. They correct you from within your heart. That is why sometimes you feel yourself regretting what you have done. If you were not computerized why do you have to regret what you have done? Those who don’t believe don’t feel they have a problem. They don’t know so it doesn’t mean anything to them. But for you, you do. You immediately remember, and forget. You say istaghfirullah. Like alarm system, it comes immediately ringing the bell.
If you give, if you take the hand of the Shaykh and the guide then you are eating sweets. If you have a guide you will be saved, dunya and akhira. If you don’t have a guide as if you are eating broken glass. Every bite there is a wound. Your system will be wounded form mouth to stomach to intestines. Awliyaullah if you take their hands, they will turn that glass into sweetness. You know they do glass from candy, from sugar. You think it is glass but it is sugar, it is sweet. That glass awliyaullah can turn to sweetness. Don’t think their hands are tight, they are not like us, they can do everything. We cannot do anything.
When they pass you from darkness to light immediately the sun of ma`rifatullah will rise in the horizon of your heart and you will be able to differentiate what to follow and were to follow.
Let us say the truth. We are still struggling and we are still far. We don’t know, like a child, you can see the children, very young children, where do they look? They have a focus in front of them. They don’t allow themselves to turn away from what they are focusing on. Always they focus on one thing, not on two. They are focusing on somewhere. And you see them, when they focus, always they feel the presence of that one: either the mother or the father. They are always focusing on the mother or the father. As soon as they see that there is a problem in front of them - although it might not be a problem - but as soon as they are scared they extend the hand to pull the hand of the mother or the father.
So also those who took initiation always when they are facing a problem, their hands go where? To their guide. Do you think the mother or the father will not give the hand to the child? Even if they don’t, the child will reach the hand of the parent and pull them.
Awliyaullah accepted to be our fathers, then they have to carry our burdens. “Ya Rabbee you put them guide on us. They have to take with our hands. They cannot drop it they are responsible. Else why are they giving baya`. That is not free. There is a price they are paying for it out of their love.”
That is why we are not understanding but those whose veils have been taken, though we are in light because of their guidance, but still there is a veil because we have to overcome our ego. Everything is ego. I don’t know why Allah swt put ego on us?
It is out of His love because He wants us to struggle to get more. He put ego, and He knows best. He put whatever He put. But He… haha … if He wanted to not put ego, He would not have put ego and make us to suffer.
Now what we are? We are suffering. He likes you to suffer because He wants you to appreciate the goodness that He is giving. The generosity He is giving. We cannot understand generosity unless we lose it. When we lose our health we understand it; when we lose wealth we understand it. When we lose anything then we understand and we can appreciate.
The best thing to lose is arrogance and anger, the bad characteristics that ego is carrying.
Even Sayyidina Musa who is a prophet from the uli’l azam, he is a high prophet from the five high prophets. He said, "O Allah let me see You!” He is a prophet. The only one that saw Allah is the Prophet Muhammad (s), with the eyes of his head. Let those who deny that go to Imam Nawawi. He said that. Go and ask from him. We are only taking from that and quoting from him in Sharh Sahih Muslim, where he said, "The Prophet saw his Lord with the eyes of his head.”
Because he is the mirror, of course he is going to see. Because everything you see is reflected in the Divine mirror. Everything is reflected in the mirror, then it appears. Who is the mirror? Sayyidina Muhammad (s) is the mirror. Sayyidina Musa is not the mirror. He is one of the very high prophets of the five highest ones. But Prophet Muhammad (s) is Seal of the Messengers and he is the...
So Nabi Musa , he said “Ya Rabbee! Let me see You!” And he kept asking. Ask as much as you want to see how much he will push.
So say, “Ya Rabbee! I am Your servant. You created me like that; a burden. I am Your servant and asking You, give me!”
If Sayyidina Musa had gone to the presence of the Prophet (s), Allah would have given him. But he went directly.
You have to go through an intercessor. There is no way to go directly. He went directly and so Allah sent him back. Sayyidina Musa , he is speaking with Allah directly. “You want to see Me, I will not say ‘no’ to you.” Because he was what? He was consistent; he keeps asking and asking and asking. Allah said, with His generosity. “I accept but with one condition. Look at the mountain. I will manifest My Beautiful Names and Attributes on the mountain. If the mountain will stay after I manifest to it, then you can see Me.”
وَلَمَّا جَاء مُوسَى لِمِيقَاتِنَا وَكَلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِي أَنظُرْ إِلَيْكَ قَالَ لَن تَرَانِي وَلَـكِنِ انظُرْ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُ فَسَوْفَ تَرَانِي فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا وَخَرَّ موسَى صَعِقًا فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَانَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَاْ أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
And when Moses came [to Mount Sinai] at the time set by Us, and his Sustainer spoke unto him, he said: "O my Sustainer! Show [Thyself] unto me, so that I might behold Thee!" Said [God]: "Never canst thou see Me. However, behold this mountain: if it remains firm in its place, then - only then - wilt thou see Me. And as soon as his Lord revealed His glory to the mountain, He caused it to crumble to dust; and Moses fell down in a swoon. And when he came to himself, he said: "Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! Unto Thee do I turn in repentance; and I shall [always] be the first to believe in Thee!" [
It didn’t happen like that. When Allah tajala `ala al-jabala – manifested to the mountain, the mountain cannot take it anymore. What happened?
When Allah manifested his Beautiful Names and Attributes to the Prophet (s):
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
“inna anzalnahu fee laylati ’l-qadr - We have revealed the Qur'an to your heart on the Night of Power.” And it didn’t crash down.
لَوْ أَنزَلْنَا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى جَبَلٍ لَّرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا مُّتَصَدِّعًا مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
Law anzalna hadha al-qurana `ala jabalin la-raaytahu khashi`an mutasaddi`an min khashyatillahi wa tilka al-amthaalu nadribuha lin-naasi la`allahum yatafakkaroona.
Had We sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, verily, thou wouldst have seen it humble itself and cleave asunder for fear of Allah. Such are the similitudes which We propound to men, that they may reflect. [
“If We had revealed the Holy Qur'an to a mountain it would have shattered.”
When Allah reveled his Beautiful Names and Attributes to the Prophet (s), because it [Beautiful Names and Attributes] is part of Holy Qur'an, and Qur’an is not makhluq, created, it is from Allah’s Ancient Words. When He revealed it to the Prophet (s) his heart was taking it. When Allah revealed it to a mountain it will be shattered.
When Allah tajala to the mountain, then the mountain shattered and Musa fainted. Kharra musa sa’iqan. When he woke up and opened his eyes what did he see?
Ibn `Abbas explained that verse of Holy Qur'an:
When he wakes up, what he saw? Ibn `Abbas said: “He saw the Prophet (s). He saw the Prophet (s) and all the other prophets in rows. Some standing and some making sajda. 313 were making sajda behind the Prophet and the rest of 124,000 prophets were standing.” He didn’t see the Divine Presence. What did he see? He saw the Leader and Master of all prophets.
It means “everything, ya Musa is reflected through the Prophet. If you went to him and came to Me through him, then it is ok.”
It is like… you cannot say that, but [simply] as an example. Like when you want to take electricity you cannot take direct from the source; you need a transformer.
“Ya Musa ! you cannot take directly from
And awliyaullah through their knowledge…. How do they acquire knowledge? Knowledge is not difficult [to acquire] if you follow their ways. Their ways is to be consistent on what they ask you to do.
Prophet showed Sayyidina Abu Bakr, what Sayyidina Abu Bakr saw he gave to Sayyidina Salman and what Salman saw he gave to Sayyidina Qassim; and from Sayyidina Qassim to Sayyidina Ja`far... It is a chain of command, one to one, one to one, until it reached you. If you follow you will be in the train there. You are jumping in the wagons and the engine is pulling all the cars and that “engine” is Sayyidina Muhammad (s).
So be consistent on what you are told to recite and read. Don’t come after five years and say, “I am doing for five years and I cannot see anything.” Why do you have to see? That is not required. They see on your behalf. Like today people learn basic knowledge in computer and they want to see more. There are more things now with technology, the whole world is connected. Out of greediness we want to know everything. For what to know? Less knowledge, easy life. Too much knowledge, too much difficulties. Basic knowledge: I know how to pray and to make wudu. That is enough.
Come and listen. Eat sweets and candies and go. No responsibility. Let our shuyukh take responsibility. They took the lead, ok let them take responsibility. They cannot blame you; they know you are helpless and weak. So Allah swt wants consistency from us. He wants to see if we keep asking and asking and asking. And this is what Grandshaykh always says, “You have to come and put this in front of you.” Don’t come and say, “I am student and I am `alim and I am representative.” “Ok,” Shaykh will say, “I am accepting that, you are me.” But you and me have to have three focuses. Three nails in your forehead. And when you put a nail you cannot take it out. What can take the nail out? Pliers? No, because when the nail goes inside it has no head. You cannot pull it. Then only one thing can pull it – another nail. You put another nail and hammer it. The other will go.
So finished. When you take hand of the Shaykh you are under 3 nails. That is your job, no more. They know how to take that nail out. He said, "Always in front of his students, in front of those who are listening to him, you have to have 3 nails.”
The first nail is “if an ant is on the east and Allah swt tell the ant and commands her, ‘O my ant, the creature I created you and your rizq is in the west,’ the ant moves and it doesn’t stop and for sure it isn’t going to reach the west. It might be she needs to be surviving forever in order to reach the west. But the ant, what it does? It moves. Don’t say “no.” And how the ant knows where the food is? And you see the ants moving and finding. Who inspired them how to find the food? Who inspired you, inspired them. Allah swt. So the ant moves. And she knows it cannot reach. But her job is to move.
Our job is like that. If they tell us “You are in the east and our trust is in the west, you are in darkness and your trust and light are in the west” you do what? You keep moving. Don’t stop. Like someone in the desert. What does he do? He doesn’t stop. If you stop you are finished.
Then inayatullah will reach you. Allah’s mercy, Grandshaykh used to call reeh as-siba.And that breath will come and carry you to the west immediately and you get your trust.
Second nail: If they give you broken shovel and say “your trust is deep in the center of the earth. What is your duty to do? Take your shovel and begin your work. We say: “O my Lord this shovel is broken, and it is only half a shovel; how can I dig?” Your duty is to dig. You may not ask that. Then reeh as-siba, the cool breeze comes and takes you to center of the earth.
The third nail is, you have to empty the ocean. Your trust is under the ocean. They don’t tell you to dive, no, not yet. They say, “empty the ocean” and they give you bucket full of holes. They know you cannot empty the ocean, even with a turbine pump with its own generator. They give you bucket full of holes and say “clear the ocean.”
When they were clearing birr Zamzam, they were not able, digging and digging and cleaning, and they were not able to reach the final source as the water coming is so huge. So they brought two huge turbines and they pumped the water. But as soon as they take the whole water out, in 2-3 seconds the whole water comes back under the Ka`bah.
How are you going to empty the ocean? But your duty is what? To try. Then they take you and dive you down.
So your duty is to keep consistent on what they gave you to do. Then they take you to the light. There is no light you can achieve by yourself. Only if awliyaullah take you to Sayyidina Muhammad. He is mirror everything. We must feel we are blocked. Say, “Ya Rabbee, You opened for your awliyaullah! You open for us because we are coming to You and You are generous. And our shuyukh are generous. Your Beloved one [Habibullah] is generous. Open to us with Your favors and mercy that at least we can smell from that heavenly smell!”
As I am saying this the presence of Grandshaykh and Mawlana Shaykh was there. We want to see them. Some people, Allah gave them power they close their eyes and their Shaykh is in front of them. “Give us that Ya Rabbee! The power to not only smell them and hear them but to see them. To see the Holy Prophet (s).”
Dr. Tasneem you asked about the picture of Sayyidina Shah Naqshband. That is the picture when he was young.