“A’uzu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem.”
InshaAllah what we discussed from last night on the levels of the heart in the way of the openings
of Muharram. And these are important to remember again and to focus. That the love of these
Divinely Presence and the love of the holy Prophets come to us and the level of the student
is going to be known to us. So, that when Sayyidina Adam (as) begins to come and Allah (AJ)
want to dress you from the Adamic reality – you’re going to go through a phase of extreme crying,
extreme remorse. Why that’s important? So, that we understand, did we go through that? Did we
feel a remorse and a sadness, a repentance? ‘For from this life You gave me what did I do
with it? How did I waste it? How did I throw it? How did I do all of these horrible things in it?’
And until that remorse doesn’t overtake the servant in which their zero-point energy,
their istighfar (seeking forgiveness) and tawbah (repentance) is so intense that always crying,
always crying, always crying until the reality and the baab (door) of forgiveness can open.
The gate of forgiveness has to open for that servant in which Allah (AJ) grant for them their
maghfirah – their forgiveness. As a result, we said that door and that Adamic door of forgiveness
is a two-way door. When Allah (AJ) forgive the servant, it’s the beginning of Divine knowledges.
So, then you begin to… if you went through that phase of remorse and crying and tears just coming
and feeling that you need to be in sujood (prostration) asking Allah (AJ) forgiveness,
that gate of forgiveness is the opening of knowledges in which the hikmah and the
wisdom of the shaykh’s teachings become known to you in your heart – you understand it.
Otherwise, you’re just, ‘What are these people talking about?’ And the heart is dead from the
dunya (material world) just thinking about, ‘How am I going to go back and do my work? And
I wonder what my bank account has right now in it?’ Because the heart is dead.
The station that Sayyidina Nuh (as) comes… because people have to have the synopsis.
Did you go through crying? That when we make our episode its title is ‘Crying’
and then Sayyidina Adam (as) comes. That’s an Adamic tajalli (manifestation) that you are
an Adam that came onto this earth, have you forgotten your paradise reality? And you’re
really enjoying it here? You have forgotten who you are. And when Allah (AJ) give you
the remembrance of who you are - oh you can’t stop crying. That, ‘I did all these things and
I wasted all this breath I have. And now my older age I have to try to figure that out!’
And that’s why they say, ‘Blessed are the young ones who come towards deen (religion),’ because
they have less time that they did wrong and more time to do all these good deeds that
Allah (AJ) want to dress them with. Sayyidina Nuh (as) comes into our life, and when you know that
Sayyidina Nuh’s (as) tajalli is dressing you – it’s the building of faith.
So, did anybody come and tell you, ‘Why you got to look like this?’
Your parents send you pictures of
inappropriate clothing and say, ‘Why you got to look like that? Why can’t you be like this?’
And then people come and tell you, ‘Why you have these clothes like this? Why do
you have to wear this cone on your head…’ and ridicule everything that you’re doing.
Did you get there yet, and thought you were unique
that they’re bothering only you? This is a tajalli from Sayyidina Nuh (as),
and if you’re not there means then implement your faith. Do not compromise what you believe.
Many situations you find a friend and for some reason you think, ‘Oh I came to Islam,
I should be soft. Maybe I’m going to compromise everything I meet with them; I’m going to
take less of my things. I’m going to show more of my body. I don’t want to offend them.’
But that’s shaitan (satan). Because they don’t do that for you, they don’t say,
‘Oh I’m going to go see my Muslim friend, let me put a hijab (veil) on and come over.
I’m going to go see these Muslim people, I’m going to bring halal (permissible) meat for me.
And… [shaykh laughs] Say, ‘Come on I want to eat halal with you.’
They don’t compromise what they do to be with you. So, shaitan is whispering to you,
‘Take your belief down. Why you want to bother them?’ Why are you worried about them,
and somebody going to brother you? Worry about Allah (AJ) and this is reality of Sayyidina Nuh
(as). This is a struggle for faith. Every time you compromise in your understanding,
in your belief, you are slowing the process of your faith.
And if you compromise enough, you will have never achieved iman and faith.
And the servant won’t go past the Baab at Tawbah (Door of repentance) and begin to wither away. And
the uloom and the knowledge… because this has to keep moving. This is not you got it and you
finished - the finish line. Allah (AJ) going to now push and push the testing more. So, you see
your faith has to be tested. They have to come and grab [shaykh enacts someone grabbing bread] and
say, ‘Why you have to have this?’ You say, ‘Oh because this is the way it’s going to be.’
And as you’re being tested and pushed and pushed into your faith,
your faith is growing. The day you compromise it – it’s withering and going away.
So, means then the istiqam (firmness), “Is taqaamoo fi tareeqa”, I think we
described in Surat al-Jinn that Allah (AJ) looking, ‘Be firm on what you believe.’
Otherwise, winds are coming and what’s the song Haji Ridwan? ‘Dust in the wind,
all we are is dust in the wind’ [shaykh laughs]. Because what happens? You’re not grounded on
anything, the wind will come and ‘Ho’ [shaykh blows], blow you away. That which you love
and that which you’re firm on, you’ve been to… through many tests to stop it now.
And the firmness of the faith gets rooted within the soul.
So, that’s why they describe, ‘Awliyaullah they’re like an evergreen trees.’ They’re not flowers,
they’re not bushes, but Allah (AJ) has rooted their faith from what you see of the greenness
of their evergreen - their roots - go all the way down deep into paradise that hold them to be firm.
And as a result, Allah (AJ) describes them in Surat al-Mulk that they’re
awtad – they are the pegs of this earth. That they’re so deeply rooted in their faith
they can keep the earth from its oscillations and its shakings
because of the firmness of their faith, and what Allah (AJ) has tested them.
Then Sayyidina Ibrahim (as) and Sayyidina Musa (as) come into our lives
that, ‘Now that your faith is strong…’ These two Prophets deal with fire.
So, Nabi Musa (as) comes into our life and says, ‘Now Allah’s (AJ) freed you
from the sea and parted the sea for you, but the other side was much more intensive training.’
Because when Nabi Musa (as) when reached to the Promised Land – that’s when they had to burn
the gold, he had to open up the earth and throw his nation who were cheating into the earth.
It didn’t stop the test, they just intensified. So, that this burning bush of ishq and muhabbat
and love, Allah (AJ) want to deposit this fire within your heart, but this fire is going to
burn everything and that’s when the Sufi kalaams (words) begin to talk about the moth to the flame.
This flame Allah (AJ) going to begin to present to you this flame of Divinely Presence.
And Allah (AJ) instructing awliyaullah to teach you that, ‘Go into the flame,’
and everything is going to burn. Don’t circumambulate it and keep trying to avoid
these testings and these difficulties, but whatever your fate is, face it.
Go into that flame. So, then their life becomes extreme testing. Testing from every direction,
anger of people – everything. Because Sayyidina Ibrahim (as) comes and teaches of
Nimrud. That now every Nimrud of earth will throw a flame at you. At this flame that hitting you,
is the waswas (whispering) of shaitan, the attack of shaitan, everything, ‘Leave this, leave these
practices, leave these people.’ Find every single thing wrong because the flame is shaitan.
This is not a real fire, nobody going to throw matches at you.
The flame is a shaitan coming from every direction. Shaitan hit your kids - they come and
fight you. Hit this person - they come and fight you. Shaitan he… because he knows you’re guarded
so begin to hit flames everywhere and these flames running towards you like those horror movies
when they light somebody up and that guy all of a sudden is coming after you ‘Ahhh’ [shaykh laughs],
he’s on fire too. Why? Because shaitan knows, ‘I can make everything angry around you.
You maybe guarded by Allah (AJ) but I’m going to throw fire on all of these and
they’re going to run after you.’ So, means the mushkilat (difficulties) come so much onto you
that when Allah (AJ) going to test you to make you or break you. Are you going to let these
things jump on you and then make you to be fiery? Means then you stopped your fight. You stopped
fighting for Allah (AJ), and you surrendered to the fire. You decided, ‘I’m going to be fiery too
and I’m going to fight them and fight them and fight them and fight them, and I became them,
and I became fiery and I lost my Divinely character. I don’t know what this faith is
anymore. I don’t know what these practices… I don’t know who that guy is anymore.’
And then that became a narani (fiery) existence and they didn’t achieve that maqam (station).
But what Allah (AJ) want is what? “Qulna ya naaru, kunee Bardan wa Salaman ‘ala
Ibrahim” – that ‘Say to this fire: be cool and peaceful.’
Means their practice is strong, their muraqabah (spiritual connection) is strong,
their zikrs (Divine remembrance) are strong. And they understand that shaitan coming from
everywhere, they know how to go into a lock up mode. They know how to cut a communication, if
somebody not talking right to them they cut them off in a instant. They can wait two, three days
before they talk to them again because they know, ‘You’re coming with a fire towards me and I’m not
somebody normal, I know what you’re trying to do and shaitan who’s behind you trying to do.’ So,
means they’re trained, they understand when things are trying to come to them to make them to burn.
And they did their muraqabah, they do their muraqabah, they know how to immediately go into
their connection and as a result they put a shield out that makes it to be cool and peaceful for
them. Because everything around screaming but they have to be in a station of “Bardan wa Salaman” –
‘Cool and Peaceful.’ So, the whole world will be going upside down. Now they say, ‘There’s peace in
the eye of the storm.’ Allah (AJ) make a toofan (storm), if the toofan come - tornado comes and
threw you into it also, what would be the benefit? You’re just a part of the whole
tornado now. But the firmness in these practices is that, ‘My life became difficult but my love
for Prophet ﷺ intensified. As a result, I feel the coolness in the eye of the storm.’
So, whomever out there having immense difficulties and ‘ashiqeen (Lovers) – keep your connection,
push away the shaitans and know that their… their job is to throw
fire at you. And your connection with Prophet ﷺ and awliyaullah, that’s when you should be using
your madad (support). Because the next level that begin to open Sayyidina Isa (as) comes.
Right? Sayyidina Isa (as) comes for what? To teach you that - how we’re going to rise now to the
heaven. If Allah (AJ) accepted your struggle and continuous fight against difficulty, fight against
bad character that, ‘Ya Rabbi I’m overwhelmed by these shayateen (devils), grant me a najat - grant
me a salvation, grant me Your support.’ And Allah (AJ) say, ‘We will raise you to Our Presence.’
And at that time Allah (AJ) will begin to give that servant their ethereal reality
in which every time difficulties come, they don’t stop,
but they have an ethereal reality in which they can go to a higher place and a better place.
And as a result, they have very beatific experiences with their soul.
So, that the struggle of dunya is… becomes beatific, the energies that Allah (AJ) dress
them with become beatific, give them energy and hope, and all sorts of beatific lights
so they can go back down for another day of whatever this dunya is going to bring to them.
But Sayyidina Isa (as) has to come to them to begin to teach. That was all from the muraqabah
that, ‘Come now and leave the body.’ When it’s in these difficulties connect with your connection,
connect and come into this ocean of light, oceans of power and to be dressed by these realities. As
a result of the servant reaching these levels of effacing and testing, effacing and testing,
then the Akhfa (most hidden) reality is then to be brought into the presence of Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ.
Because you’ve… destroying all these characteristics and what is left of this
beatific characteristic, Prophet ﷺ, they want to bring us into the presence of Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ
so that ‘To completely annihilate your presence into my light, I take you to Allah (AJ).’
That’s the reality of ‘Muhammadun Rasul ﷺ.’ So, ‘Muhammadun Rasul ﷺ’
you have to come into his heart as nothing, as no one. And that what
will the Rasul (Messenger) show you? Is, ‘Allah.’ ‘Muhammadun Rasul-Allah.’
So, not the Allah (AJ) we understood with all the bad character but the One in which annihilates and
there’s nothing left and enter into the reality, into the fana (annihilation) of Sayyidina Muhammad
ﷺ. And at that time Prophet ﷺ is taking your light and bringing you into the presence of ‘Allah,
Allah, Allah.’ And that’s why in the principles of Naqshbandiya, because it’s a guide for shaykhs, is
then when you’re teaching the student the zikr of ‘Allah’ that’s only at that level. The real zikr
of Allah (AJ) is when you’ve annihilated in that reality, and you’ve annihilated your existence
into the oceans of Muhammadun Rasulallah ﷺ, and that Prophet ﷺ is bringing you in to ‘Where I make
zikr of Allah (AJ). I bring your soul in where I make zikr. And don’t be heedless in that ocean.’
So, then all these realities – these are openings of Muharram.
That’s why we eagerly wait for Muharram that, ‘Ya Rabbi grant us from these lights, grant us from
these blessings. That we’ve struggled for years, may You open a light from this. We struggled for
years under this type of testing, open for us from these realities.’ We pray that Allah (AJ) dress
us and bless us from the immensities of Muharram, and grant us forgiveness and tawbah,
maghfirah (forgiveness), every repentance to be accepted. And grant us the ishq and
love and muhabbat of Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ, and grant us the love of holy companions
and Ahlul Bayt (Holy Family of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) and awliyaullah fis samayi wa fil ard (saints
in heavens and on earth), inshaAllah. Bi hurmati Muhammad al-Mustafa
wa bi siri Surat al-Fatiha. Click the link to subscribe.