Muslimsufi : Run after Islam, Dunya Will Run After You
There are countless awliyaullah and scholars throughout Islamic history who went deep into knowledge, extracting the values and importance of Prophet (s) in human life, unlike today's scholars. Unfortunately in this time there is little barakah in what Muslim scholars teach as now they only try to accommodate contemporary lifestyles over Islam, or to find something in Islam that permits them to bring new ideas and policies as part of the religion, which was not the case a hundred years ago. Going back all the way to the time of the Prophet (s), scholars’ main focus was always on Islamic traditions and the importance of Islamic principles, and they analyzed how many rewards one receives for practicing that; they were not concerned with how much money they could make. Today, Islamic issues are based on a new system that is like a business model, preoccupied with money and generating dunya wealth.
In previous times there was more barakah as scholars did not approach Islamic teachings from a materialistic point of view, but rather looked to enrich intelligence of the mind and virtues of the heart by following Islamic principles. From it they received so much barakah in their daily lives that when they turned to Allah (swt), they never experienced a lack of provision; rather, dunya ran after them! Today it is the opposite: a majority of Muslim scholars focus primarily on finding Islamically acceptable ways to run after dunya. We aren’t saying Islam doesn't accept that, but we are trying to emphasize the difference between previous times and today, in which the first priority is materialism and the second is Islam.
One approach has barakah and the other has no barakah. Who chooses materialism over Islam, his money will be diluted and spent quickly, while the one who chooses Islam over materialistic life enjoys true barakah with less money and is happier. Historically, we see most `ulama of Ummat an-Nabi (s) focused on what Allah (swt) loved as their first priority, and it was very obvious that Allah (swt) wants His Servants to love what He loves! He didn't tell them, "Look after banking, economics and business planning ten or twenty years ahead." That ideology surfaced in the last century. Before that, the `ulama focused on the order of Allah (swt) to praise His Prophet (s):
Inna-Llaaha wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `ala 'n-nabiyy, yaa ayyuhal-ladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi was sallimoo tasleema.
Verily, Allah and His angels send praise on the Prophet. O Believers! Pray upon him and greet him. (Surat al-Ahzaab, 33:56)
So the priority was Allah (swt) saying, “Imitate what I and My angels do!” What was Allah’s Divine Message? Because Allah (swt) is Divine, everything for Him is Divine and what comes from Him is not created, it is Divine, so the words of Holy Qur'an are Divine, they are not created! His Divine Message has no beginning or end, because you cannot limit whatever is Divine! What is created is limited, but the Divine is not limited and even angels don’t know when it began, when there was no beginning and they know there is no end. So Allah (swt) is saying to them, "With My Divine Salawaat," meaning, “With the manifestation of My Divine Beautiful Names and Attributes that are not created, I am dressing My Prophet (s)!”
In every moment, endless Divine Names and Attributes from Allah's Essence are manifested! We know Ninety-nine Beautiful Names and Attributes, and what scholars spiritually extracted from verses of Holy Qur'an and hadith were several hundreds. So is that it? If every angel praises Allah (swt), and all their praising is unique, are there only hundreds of Divine Names and Attributes? Allah (swt) is saying, “Allah and His angels are making salawaat on the Prophet (s) with endless Divine Names and Attributes!” Every moment more and more Divine Names appear from Allah’s Essence; they are not created, and Allah (swt) is dressing the Prophet (s) with that!
According to the order that comes from Allah (swt), angels praise the Prophet (s) with the secret of that Divine Name. For example, when we say, “Yaa Allah!” we are calling on Allah (swt) through His Ninety-nine Beautiful Names and Attributes or through the seven-hundred that scholars have extracted. So Allah (swt) is opening more and more secrets of His Divine Names for His Angels, by which they make salawaat on the Prophet (s) in ways that differ from one angel to another. These are all signs of love Allah (swt) is giving to His Prophet (s).
On a human level, for example, you might call a particular friend or child more than any others because you feel more love to him or her. On an angelic level, Allah (swt) ordered His angels to continuously praise the Prophet (s) with different Divine Names that appear from His Essence, in order to show Muslims how much He loves Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! So reflect on this if you can, as this is beyond our understanding. What Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) is throwing into my heart is nothing compared to what he knows! If you add up all of what Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (s) and awliyaullah are saying, it will not be a drop in the ocean of Allah’s Love to His Prophet (s)!
It is not sufficient to only say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” as you must also say, “Muhammadan Rasoolullah.” This is not particular for Muslims alone, but for all creation! By this, Allah (swt) is showing us how much He has raised the name of Sayyidina Muhammad (s).
One time I asked a physicist, “What is the fuel earth uses to make it spin non-stop on its axis?” Earth is continually rotating on its axis to show that you too must keep rotating on your axis, which means to keep remembering! What makes earth rotate is its remembrance and praise of the Prophet (s); that is earth’s fuel, otherwise it would stop rotating! Earth’s rotation produces the day and the night, showing you both light and darkness. Although Allah (swt) has given us night to rest in, this is to only say that you must always be in noor, light. Allah (swt) is showing that there is a struggle between good and evil, where evil is always in darkness. Earth’s praises of the Prophet (s) produces a spin for us to see both light and darkness. So if you rotate around yourself by praising the Prophet (s), your whole life will become full of light; even your nights will become daylight for you, and you will see no more darkness! This is one of the many secrets of praising the Prophet (s). Awliyaullah have found noor, light in various forms of praising the Prophet (s) by which their nights have become like daytime, so they have no necessity to sleep.
In fifty years, I have never seen Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) sleep for more than one or two hours. He sleeps at 2:00 a.m. then wakes up two hours later for Tahajjud. His daughter, Hajjah Naziha, can also confirm this. One may wonder how he is able do that, but just as earth rotates around its axis in 24 hours, so are awliyaullah continuously rotating around themselves by praising the Prophet (s)!
Grandshaykh (q) said, “If someone makes wudu and prays two raka`ats every time he gets sleepy for forty days, ghaflah, heedlessness and sleepiness will be completely gone.” That is why when awliyaullah are in seclusion they are not in need to sleep, although they are still ordered to sleep in order not to show arrogance. Even if you don’t sleep, you have to put your head on the pillow for at least two or three hours. When I did seclusion, and I did it many times, I didn't get tired, because it was by order of the Shaykh. If you do seclusion by yourself without asking, you might sleep day and night! The order for seclusion comes when you are not prepared for it, like how I was unprepared the last time, when we went to visit Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) two or three days before Rajab and he said, “Go to Sham and enter seclusion!” I had to rush and take a plane to Damascus and immediately enter seclusion. When the order comes, you neither feel sleepy or hungry, as your nights become day and you get spiritual food.
As I was saying in the beginning, scholars of the past were awliyaullah, not like today’s scholars who are employees, making money as officers of government. Night for them becomes like daytime full of barakah with dunya as their slave.
One time the Prophet (s) went to Mt. Uhud with his Sahaabah (r) at Ishraaq time, when the sun was rising. As they were going, their shadows were in front of them as the sun was behind them and they saw their shadows. Then the Prophet (s) said, “Whoever can catch his shadow I will reward him with a gift.” You must not think on how to catch the shadow, but rather think that it is an order to be obeyed, and if you analyze the order of the Shaykh, you will disobey and fall into problems. If he says to run after your shadow, run after your shadow! If your Shaykh asks you to do something, do it; don’t ask why, as then the secret will go away.
The Prophet (s) said, “Run toward the mountain and catch your shadow.” The Sahaabah (r) never used their minds in front of the Prophet (s) because they knew it is bad adab, so they ran after their shadows trying to catch them, until they reached the mountain. Then the Prophet (s) said, “Now face me and run.” They ran, but this time their shadows were running behind them, and Prophet (s) said, “O my Companions! A person who runs after dunya is like someone running after his shadow; he will never reach it, whereas a person who runs after me will have his shadow chasing him, which means dunya will be a slave to him. If you chase dunya you will be its slave, but if you run after me dunya will be your slave.”
This doesn't mean to not work; don’t be lazy! Work, but be sure to also pray, fast in Ramadan and give sadaqah. Don’t say, “I will sit and not do any dunya work,” that is not for you. Only a select few people are given that secret in this dunya. Our duty is to work. Also, it is wrong to say that Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) is sitting in his corner making dhikrullah and not working. He is working, even when sitting in his corner, calling people to Allah (swt). Not everyone can do that and become a wali at the same time; they become walis due to their sincerity, which I personally witnessed when I was young. I saw Mawlana Shaykh Nazim more after I got married (to his daughter), as men aren’t allowed in the living quarters where the ladies are. He used to come downstairs to the kitchen, go through the garbage and collect pieces of bread that had been thrown. Since there was no refrigeration at that time, they used to store food in closets with holes that looked like chicken wire, and sometimes the food became smelly. In spite of that, he put aside for himself to eat the next day when Hajjah Anne cooked and he fed guests from the freshfood.
One time the Prophet (s) came to his house and found a piece of bread on the floor. He took it, cleaned it, blew on it and ate it. Today we are not only seeing pieces of bread on the floor, but we are throwing food from our plates; we take more than we can consume and then throw it in the garbage, which takes away all the barakah!
The Prophet (s) said to lick your five fingers upon finishing your food, as the barakah might be in the last bite from cleaning your plate:
Idhaa waqa`ta luqmat ahadikum fal-yaakhudhhaa fal-yumit maa kaana bihaa min adhaa wal-yaakulhaa wa laa yad`ahaa li’sh-shaytaani wa laa yamsah yadahu bi’l-mikdeeli hattaa yal`aqa asaabi`ahu fa innahu laa yadree fee ayyi ta`aamihi al-barakah.
Shaytan is ever present in all you attempt. At the time you eat, he is there too. Therefore, if a morsel falls down and something attaches to it, clean it off and eat it and do not leave it for Shaytan and when you have completed your meal, lick your fingers because one never knows which part of the meal contains the barakah. (Sahih Muslim)
Many people might object to this and say, “We didn’t know that,” but that is the sunnah of the Prophet (s), which is why you see Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) always cleaning his plate with either bread or rice. So the Prophet (s) said to lick your fingers as the barakah might be there. Today we are following the Western style of putting napkins to clean our hands, and if you lick your fingers, they say, “Shame on you!” It is okay to use spoons and forks, but try to eat with your hands as they do in Arab and Subcontinent countries and don’t let the barakah go in the fingers and then wipe it off with a napkin. The barakah might also be in the last grain of rice.
That is to tell us that barakah comes by first being pious, then material ways follow. That means follow Allah's orders and dunya will follow you and become your slave. Dunya became a slave to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) after many years of tests, and don’t say that awliyaullah are exempt from tests. Just look at the life of the Prophet (s), how much he was tested by his family and tribe who gave him a hard time! And look at his ummah today and how much barakah is coming to us. People object to this and that, coming to the Shaykh with a half-an-hour story of his or her problems. You need only to ask the Shaykh to pray for you!
Tests will always come, even to awliyaullah who suffered so much running for Islam and imaan. Look at the life of Hajjah Anne (q), how her father and grandparents fled from Russia to Turkey (during the early Communist era) and on their way lost all their money in the river. Because they were running for Allah (swt), He gave them a better life in Turkey where they built businesses, farms and homes, until one day Turkey banned religious practices and they said, “Let’s go to Sham.” In one night they left twelve years of hard work behind and moved to Sham without even looking back! Fitna will spread all over the world except in Mecca, Madinah and Sham. Currently there are some problems in Sham, but that will end. So awliyaullah have tests and don’t say otherwise. After many years of testing, Allah (swt) made dunya come to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q). When people visit him, they don’t come empty-handed, and whatever comes to him as a donation he distributes it and doesn't keep it.
There was a shaykh in Sham named `Abdul-Wahhab as-Salahi (q) who, before going to the mosque every day, distributed all the food in his kitchen to his neighbors. One night after coming home from the mosque, he was unable to sleep, he got up and checked everywhere to see if there was any food left in the house, but he couldn’t find anything.
He asked daughter, “Is there any food left that we did not distribute?”
He immediately grabbed the leg of lamb, chopped it into pieces, and as it was so late he didn’t know who to give it to, so he fed cats and dogs. The dogs knew he was a wali so they didn’t come near him (they knew their boundary), but they ate and wagged their tails. The next morning when he went to the mosque for Fajr, a line of dogs and cats followed him, giving respect to the Shaykh and returning his favor by showing loyalty. Human beings also exhibit animal characters: lion and tiger characters correspond to aggressiveness; the elephant’s character corresponds to pride; donkey character corresponds to patience; dog’s character corresponds to loyalty.
Awliyaullah cannot sleep if they possess anything materialistic life and they have to give it away. Whenever Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) receives something he immediately gives it away, not keeping it for the next day, and anyone who asks him for something, he gives it.
Tests come to everyone. In the previous times they looked for the mercy, barakah and love of the Prophet (s), and even the love of those who favored you, whether they were Muslims or not. The Prophet (s) urged us to help non-Muslims as they help us. We are living in non-Muslim countries where they accept us, so we must respect them, not curse them! You eat their food, live in their homes, compete in their businesses, then at the end you say they are bad, and Allah (swt) doesn’t like that! If you show them sincerity, some may become Muslim. If Allah (swt) guides through you even one person to imaan, it is better than all the wealth of this dunya!
Be good with your neighbors. In our countries, we know every neighbor around us. Try to get to know your neighbors and maybe even send them a cake. They will begin to greet you. We have to be sincere as they are sincere amongst themselves and we have to show them sincerity, because you cannot build a relationship based on argumentation. An example is the Prophet (s), when the order came to offer the five daily prayers, he turned his face towards the first qiblah, Masjid al-Aqsa. At that time he was still in Mecca and prayed behind the Ka`bah facing east towards the Temple of Solomon and the Church of Sayyidina `Isa (a), to build bridges between them. (He continued to pray facing east even in Madinah until the seventeen month of Hijra.) This was the first interfaith dialogue, showing them, “I am extending my hand and love to you by facing your holy places in prayer.” Then Allah (swt) told him, “That is enough; those who have accept, accepted. Now turn your face to the Ka`bah.”
Qad nara taqallaba wajhika fi 's-samaai fa-lanuwalliyannak qiblatan tardaaha fawalli wajhaka shatara ’l-masjidi 'l-haraam.
We see the turning of your face towards the Heavens. Now We will turn you to a qiblah that will please you. Turn then your face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:144)
Awliyaullah first seek piety, sincerity and generosity, then dunya follows. Today it is the opposite: we first seek dunya and delay our prayers until the last moment, making ourselves slave to dunya. As I said earlier on, this doesn’t mean don’t work. Work, but also make `ibaadah by offering your prayers and helping people in your community. Don’t show anger to people, Muslim or non-Muslim. Be friendly and loving, as Allah (swt) showed love to Sayyidina Muhammad (s). He ordered His Angels, “Make salawaat on the Prophet (s), then I will accept you!” The angels immediately followed that order, which is to show the importance of adding “Muhammadan Rasoolullah” to “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah.”
Awliyaullah always order their followers to often recite the Sacred Name “Allah,” which encompasses all Beautiful Names and Attributes, and also Kalimat at-Tawheed, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” with “Muhammadan Rasoolullah” immediately following it. By doing this you show love and Allah will dress you with barakah and take away all difficulties from you. When someone mentions the name and has love for His Prophet (s), that person will have very few difficulties; they may have some tests here and there but they will have a nice and happy life.
Awliyaullah extract knowledge from different dreams and visions of the Prophet (s) as we mentioned, and this is common among all awliyaullah, who see dreams of what salawaat they have to recite and they give that instruction to their students “ready-made.” We have given out six or seven of them, which we are collecting from different awliyaullah and you can use whichever ones you want. Grandshaykh (q) said, “The Prophet (s) opened a door for me, saying, ‘Yaa Waladee! I am giving you the easiest one and you will get the barakah of the easiest one. You will be rewarded as if you have made all the salawaat that all awliyaullah have done.’” It is the salawaat that we mentioned before:
`Alaa ashrafi ‘l-`alameena Sayyidina Muhammadin salawat.
Upon the Noblest of all Creation, our Master Muhammad, blessings.
And then the salawaat of Sayyidina `Ali (r):
Blessings of God (Exalted is He!), of His angels, of His prophets, of His Emissaries, and of all creation be upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad; may the peace and mercy of God (Exalted is He!) and His blessings be upon him and upon them.
And then the addition of Shaykh Sharafuddin (q):
Wa radiyy-Allahu tabaaraka wa ta`alaa `an saadaatinaa as-haabi rasoolillaahi ajma`een. Wa `ani ‘t-taabi`eena bihim bi-ihsaanin, wa `ani ‘l-a’immati ’l-mujtahideen al-maadeen, wa `ani ‘l-`ulamaai ’l-muttaqeen, wa `ani ‘l-awliyaai ‘s-saaliheen, wa `an mashayikhinaa fi ‘t-tareeqatin naqshibandiyyati ‘l-`aliyyah, qaddas Allaahu ta`ala arwaahahumu ’z-zakiyya, wa nawwarr Allaahu ta`alaa adrihatamu ’l-mubaaraka, wa a`adallaahu ta`alaa `alaynaa min barakaatihim wa fuyoodatihim daa’iman wa ‘l-hamdulillaahi rabbi ‘l-`alameen.
May God, the Blessed and Most High, be pleased with every one of our Masters, the Companions of the Emissary of God, and with those who followed them in excellence, and with the early masters of juristic reasoning, and with the pious scholars, and the righteous saints and with our Shaykhs in the exalted Naqshbandi Order. May God (Exalted is He!) sanctify their pure souls, and illuminate their blessed graves. May God (Exalted is He!) return to us of their blessings and overflowing bounty, always. Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the worlds, al-Fatihah.
Shaykh Sharafuddin (q) said that if you recite that salawat, it is as if you recited the salawaat of all human beings from the first of creation to Judgment Day, as if all you completed all their praising! We mentioned this salawaat before, as-Salaat al-`Aali al-Qadr, “The Salaat of Highest Value,” (the “al” before “`Aali” is for ta`reef, to be recognized as a high salawat), which you should recite as often as possible. It is from Allah's treasures in the book Jawaahir al-Ma`anee, page 153:
As-Salaat al-`Aali al-Qadr, The Praise of Highest Value
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa baarik `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy, al-Habeeb al-`Aliyy al-Qadr, al-`Azheemi ’l- ja’ahu, wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.
O Allah! Exalt and greet and bless our master Muhammad, the Unlettered Prophet, the Beloved of Highest Value, Possessing Immense Status, and on his Family and Companions, and send them upon them peace.
That tafseer of Imam Dardiri (r) and the `Allama was authenticated by Imam Suyuti (r), who said, “If someone recites it even once on a Friday night (Thursday evening), when he dies, the one who puts him in the grave is with the barakah of Sayyidina Muhammad (s).” When they put him in his grave, the Prophet (s) will appear to that deceased person.
It is also mentioned in Sayyid Ahmad Dahlan’s books about the benefit of this salawat, that if anyone consistently does this every Friday, even one time, Allah will open for him the vision of the Prophet’s spiritual presence, kashafa li-roohihi ru’yat an-Nabi, the soul of the Prophet (s). That person will be able to see the soul of the Prophet (s) at the moment he enters the grave, and he will see the Prophet (s) is putting him in the grave!
That is one salawaat compiled by different awliyaullah, so we will repeat it now:
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa baarik `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy, al-Habeeb al-`Aliyy al-Qadr, al-`Azheemi ’l- ja’a, wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallim.
It means may Allah (swt) send salawaat and prayers and give blessings on the Prophet (s), who miraculously did not read and write, but to whom Allah revealed the Holy Qur'an! He (s) is the Beloved One, so Allah ordered all angels to pray on the Prophet (s), so you will be granted a share in their prayers. The one of great honor and reputation for him by awliyaullah and by Allah and His angels and on his family and companion and peace on them.
May Allah give us the barakah of the Prophet (s) in our lives. Don’t say, “What did we come here for? We spent our time, effort, and money to come here.” It is enough to know that these secret treasures are enough from the whole dunya. You will not get anything from dunya as you will get from one salawaat that we mentioned today. If you didn't come I would not say it and you would not say it, and so you would not get that reward! We know this because awliyaullah are responsible for their words.
Alaa inna awliyaaullaahi laa khawfun `alayhim wa laa hum yahzanoon.
Behold! Verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve. (Surah Yunus, 10:62)
Man `adaa lee waliyyan faqad aadhantahu bi ’l-harb.
(Allah [swt] said) Whoever comes against a Friend of Mine, I declare war on him. (Hadith Qudsi)
Ibn Taymiyya authenticated it, and these are mentioned by many great scholars, such as Imaam Dardiri, Imaam Suyuti (r) and so on, that if we were not here today we wouldn’t get this barakah! Even if you spend millions or billions, you don’t get the reward of that salawat. May Allah bless us and this meeting, and make all our children healthy and happy with their families, and keep them Muslim and mu'min, and relieve them from their difficulties if they go to court or any kind of difficulties, and may our children and your children die on imaan and Kalimat! Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasoolullah, `alayhaa nahyaa wa `alayhaa namoot wa `alayhaa nalq ’Lllah. ...bi jaahi man ahbabta, bi jaahi Muhammad wa bi jaahi man anzalta `alayhi sirri Surat al-Fatihah.
Don’t let your family say you wasted your time by coming here! Tell them, “I am rich now, more than all your billions of dollars and I will share with my children all this benefit!” What came now, what Mawlana inspired to say is gone, so whatever is manifesting this moment of Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes will be different from subsequent sessions, as each time different tajalliyyaat come, either more or less, but not equal. That is why Sayyidina Imam al-Ghazali (r) received his heavenly knowledge.They say he was a scholar and a big Sufi. That guidance came from Divine Manifestation because that night was Mawlid an-Nabi (s) and a fly came on the ink with which he was writing a very important letter to the Sultan, and he delayed writing so the fly could quench its thirst on that ink! So for that reason, inaayatullah, Allah’s Care, came on that night, which was on Monday, the same day that Abu Lahab receives less punishment in his grave because he celebrated the birth of his nephew, Prophet (s), by releasing his slave Thuayba.
That night Sayyidina Imam al-Ghazali (r) received inayatullah, and every salawaat has its ascension of divine knowledge, and each day is different. Today is different, and may Allah keep it for us, as Grandshaykh `AbdAllah (q) said to send it immediately to presence of the Prophet (s), so we deposit that dhikr or Mawlid or lecture with you, Yaa Rasoolullah, as a savings deposit for us on the Day of Judgment! Then it goes to the hand of the Prophet (s); otherwise when you sin you will lose it, but when you send to the trusted hand of Prophet (s) he will keep it and Shaytan cannot approach it. Also, remember to wrap it with salawaat on the Prophet (s) so Shaytan can’t easily come and take it away.
May Allah (swt) make you happy and make those who are not married to get married, and those having no children to have children, and make those children to be good and on way of Allah (swt) and the Prophet (s), and make those with children to teach them to do what Allah (swt) and the Prophet (s) like! Did you ever hear that the Prophet (s) did anything Allah does not like? We are not ma`soom, infallible, only Prophets are ma`soom and we make mistakes. To make a big mistake like poisoning ones’ self is forbidden. Smoking is dirty; dukhan, marijuana is dirty regardless of whatever of benefit is in it.
Grandshaykh (q) told this story many times. Iblees came to the Prophet (s) and asked permission to do that. Allah (swt) allowed it and sent Jibreel (a) to the Prophet (s) and told him, “Iblees is coming; here are his questions and here are answers.” So he came and asked and the Prophet (s) answered, then blew on him, and Iblees was thrown seven months distance of a running horse, and fell into a ditch where he was unable to wake up from being faint. There he vomited repeatedly and the ditch was filled with all kinds of his waste, the filthy residue of Iblees! When he awoke he saw a plant had grown, what today they say is beneficial, marijuana, tobacco, cocaine, and other intoxicants. Anyone that uses them reflects all that bad energy and Shaytan is dressing him! So be careful about what you are doing; it is up to you! Don’t say that many people are smoking, as that is their responsibility, not yours! Don’t say many are getting high; don’t fall into this problem. Guide your children from childhood; don’t tell me later, “My son is on drugs,” because you made him do that by sending him to public school, where they teach children about birth control and dating, not fasting or praying! They are lost and you cannot control them. These are dangerous issues, because one leads to another. First they greet each other, the next day they smile at each other, the day after they laugh and start a conversation, which leads to dating and then ultimately kissing and sleeping with each other. Then you come to us and say, “My son/daughter is lost!” Who made them lost? You say, “This is how the system works,” but Allah (swt) is going to tell you, “Follow My system, not yours!” So we have to say “astaghfirullah” 100 to 700 times daily and Allah (swt) will forgive us as He will forgive all sins; therefore, if you fall into a mistake immediately say “astaghfirullah” and try not to repeat it, and even if you do, say “astaghfirullah” again until you slowly stop making that same mistake!
When someone has a heart attack the doctor tells him, “No more smoking and drinking as your life is in danger.” When Allah (swt) tells him not to smoke or drink, he says, “But my doctor didn’t say that!” So who is responsible? Still Allah (swt) will tell you, “Regardless of your disobedience, I have mercy towards you, so make istighfaar and send salawaat on the Prophet (s) and I will forgive your mistakes.” Remember Allah (swt) and ask for His Forgiveness. May Allah (swt) forgive us!
Awliyaullah say to be consistent in reading as-Salaat al-`Aali al-Qadr ten times daily and once on the night of Jumu`ah will bring you khayr al-jaseem, the uncountable good that comes from it. Also, the book Fath ar-Rasool states that who reads it ten times after `Isha will be rewarded as if they recited it all night.
Salawaat as-Sa`adah, The Praises of Happiness
I will mention one more salawaat from the book Afdal as-Salawaat by Shaykh Ahmad as-Saawee. Many awliyaullah said if you read this salawaat once, it is rewarded as if you said salawaat 600,000 times and if you recite it seventy times a day you will be released from Hellfire!
Allahumma salli wa sallim `alaa Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhammadin `adada maa fee `ilmillahi salaatan daa’imatan bi-dawaami mulkillah.
O Allah exalt and send peace on our Leader and Master Muhammad on the number of what exists in Allah’s Knowledge with ongoing prayers as long as Allah’s Kingdom exists.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
Run after Islam, Dunya Will Run After You
The Greatness of Prophet (s) Series, Vol 23
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
26 May 2012 Fenton, Michigan
Suhbah Before Zhuhr Salaat
Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallam. Dastoor yaa Sayyidee, madad!
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.
Should we continue with the importance of salawaat on the Prophet (s), or change to the importance of dhikrullah, or more on salawaat on the Prophet (s) and their importance? Importance of salawaat is
important for our lives. I think we need to continue a little bit more
on that and then in the future we will speak on the importance of dhikrullah.
There are countless awliyaullah and scholars throughout Islamic history who went deep into knowledge, extracting the values and importance of Prophet (s) in human life, unlike today's scholars. Unfortunately in this time there is little barakah in what Muslim scholars teach as now they only try to accommodate contemporary lifestyles over Islam, or to find something in Islam that permits them to bring new ideas and policies as part of the religion, which was not the case a hundred years ago. Going back all the way to the time of the Prophet (s), scholars’ main focus was always on Islamic traditions and the importance of Islamic principles, and they analyzed how many rewards one receives for practicing that; they were not concerned with how much money they could make. Today, Islamic issues are based on a new system that is like a business model, preoccupied with money and generating dunya wealth.
In previous times there was more barakah as scholars did not approach Islamic teachings from a materialistic point of view, but rather looked to enrich intelligence of the mind and virtues of the heart by following Islamic principles. From it they received so much barakah in their daily lives that when they turned to Allah (swt), they never experienced a lack of provision; rather, dunya ran after them! Today it is the opposite: a majority of Muslim scholars focus primarily on finding Islamically acceptable ways to run after dunya. We aren’t saying Islam doesn't accept that, but we are trying to emphasize the difference between previous times and today, in which the first priority is materialism and the second is Islam.
One approach has barakah and the other has no barakah. Who chooses materialism over Islam, his money will be diluted and spent quickly, while the one who chooses Islam over materialistic life enjoys true barakah with less money and is happier. Historically, we see most `ulama of Ummat an-Nabi (s) focused on what Allah (swt) loved as their first priority, and it was very obvious that Allah (swt) wants His Servants to love what He loves! He didn't tell them, "Look after banking, economics and business planning ten or twenty years ahead." That ideology surfaced in the last century. Before that, the `ulama focused on the order of Allah (swt) to praise His Prophet (s):
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Inna-Llaaha wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `ala 'n-nabiyy, yaa ayyuhal-ladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi was sallimoo tasleema.
Verily, Allah and His angels send praise on the Prophet. O Believers! Pray upon him and greet him. (Surat al-Ahzaab, 33:56)
So the priority was Allah (swt) saying, “Imitate what I and My angels do!” What was Allah’s Divine Message? Because Allah (swt) is Divine, everything for Him is Divine and what comes from Him is not created, it is Divine, so the words of Holy Qur'an are Divine, they are not created! His Divine Message has no beginning or end, because you cannot limit whatever is Divine! What is created is limited, but the Divine is not limited and even angels don’t know when it began, when there was no beginning and they know there is no end. So Allah (swt) is saying to them, "With My Divine Salawaat," meaning, “With the manifestation of My Divine Beautiful Names and Attributes that are not created, I am dressing My Prophet (s)!”
In every moment, endless Divine Names and Attributes from Allah's Essence are manifested! We know Ninety-nine Beautiful Names and Attributes, and what scholars spiritually extracted from verses of Holy Qur'an and hadith were several hundreds. So is that it? If every angel praises Allah (swt), and all their praising is unique, are there only hundreds of Divine Names and Attributes? Allah (swt) is saying, “Allah and His angels are making salawaat on the Prophet (s) with endless Divine Names and Attributes!” Every moment more and more Divine Names appear from Allah’s Essence; they are not created, and Allah (swt) is dressing the Prophet (s) with that!
According to the order that comes from Allah (swt), angels praise the Prophet (s) with the secret of that Divine Name. For example, when we say, “Yaa Allah!” we are calling on Allah (swt) through His Ninety-nine Beautiful Names and Attributes or through the seven-hundred that scholars have extracted. So Allah (swt) is opening more and more secrets of His Divine Names for His Angels, by which they make salawaat on the Prophet (s) in ways that differ from one angel to another. These are all signs of love Allah (swt) is giving to His Prophet (s).
On a human level, for example, you might call a particular friend or child more than any others because you feel more love to him or her. On an angelic level, Allah (swt) ordered His angels to continuously praise the Prophet (s) with different Divine Names that appear from His Essence, in order to show Muslims how much He loves Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! So reflect on this if you can, as this is beyond our understanding. What Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) is throwing into my heart is nothing compared to what he knows! If you add up all of what Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (s) and awliyaullah are saying, it will not be a drop in the ocean of Allah’s Love to His Prophet (s)!
It is not sufficient to only say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” as you must also say, “Muhammadan Rasoolullah.” This is not particular for Muslims alone, but for all creation! By this, Allah (swt) is showing us how much He has raised the name of Sayyidina Muhammad (s).
One time I asked a physicist, “What is the fuel earth uses to make it spin non-stop on its axis?” Earth is continually rotating on its axis to show that you too must keep rotating on your axis, which means to keep remembering! What makes earth rotate is its remembrance and praise of the Prophet (s); that is earth’s fuel, otherwise it would stop rotating! Earth’s rotation produces the day and the night, showing you both light and darkness. Although Allah (swt) has given us night to rest in, this is to only say that you must always be in noor, light. Allah (swt) is showing that there is a struggle between good and evil, where evil is always in darkness. Earth’s praises of the Prophet (s) produces a spin for us to see both light and darkness. So if you rotate around yourself by praising the Prophet (s), your whole life will become full of light; even your nights will become daylight for you, and you will see no more darkness! This is one of the many secrets of praising the Prophet (s). Awliyaullah have found noor, light in various forms of praising the Prophet (s) by which their nights have become like daytime, so they have no necessity to sleep.
In fifty years, I have never seen Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) sleep for more than one or two hours. He sleeps at 2:00 a.m. then wakes up two hours later for Tahajjud. His daughter, Hajjah Naziha, can also confirm this. One may wonder how he is able do that, but just as earth rotates around its axis in 24 hours, so are awliyaullah continuously rotating around themselves by praising the Prophet (s)!
Grandshaykh (q) said, “If someone makes wudu and prays two raka`ats every time he gets sleepy for forty days, ghaflah, heedlessness and sleepiness will be completely gone.” That is why when awliyaullah are in seclusion they are not in need to sleep, although they are still ordered to sleep in order not to show arrogance. Even if you don’t sleep, you have to put your head on the pillow for at least two or three hours. When I did seclusion, and I did it many times, I didn't get tired, because it was by order of the Shaykh. If you do seclusion by yourself without asking, you might sleep day and night! The order for seclusion comes when you are not prepared for it, like how I was unprepared the last time, when we went to visit Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) two or three days before Rajab and he said, “Go to Sham and enter seclusion!” I had to rush and take a plane to Damascus and immediately enter seclusion. When the order comes, you neither feel sleepy or hungry, as your nights become day and you get spiritual food.
As I was saying in the beginning, scholars of the past were awliyaullah, not like today’s scholars who are employees, making money as officers of government. Night for them becomes like daytime full of barakah with dunya as their slave.
One time the Prophet (s) went to Mt. Uhud with his Sahaabah (r) at Ishraaq time, when the sun was rising. As they were going, their shadows were in front of them as the sun was behind them and they saw their shadows. Then the Prophet (s) said, “Whoever can catch his shadow I will reward him with a gift.” You must not think on how to catch the shadow, but rather think that it is an order to be obeyed, and if you analyze the order of the Shaykh, you will disobey and fall into problems. If he says to run after your shadow, run after your shadow! If your Shaykh asks you to do something, do it; don’t ask why, as then the secret will go away.
The Prophet (s) said, “Run toward the mountain and catch your shadow.” The Sahaabah (r) never used their minds in front of the Prophet (s) because they knew it is bad adab, so they ran after their shadows trying to catch them, until they reached the mountain. Then the Prophet (s) said, “Now face me and run.” They ran, but this time their shadows were running behind them, and Prophet (s) said, “O my Companions! A person who runs after dunya is like someone running after his shadow; he will never reach it, whereas a person who runs after me will have his shadow chasing him, which means dunya will be a slave to him. If you chase dunya you will be its slave, but if you run after me dunya will be your slave.”
This doesn't mean to not work; don’t be lazy! Work, but be sure to also pray, fast in Ramadan and give sadaqah. Don’t say, “I will sit and not do any dunya work,” that is not for you. Only a select few people are given that secret in this dunya. Our duty is to work. Also, it is wrong to say that Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) is sitting in his corner making dhikrullah and not working. He is working, even when sitting in his corner, calling people to Allah (swt). Not everyone can do that and become a wali at the same time; they become walis due to their sincerity, which I personally witnessed when I was young. I saw Mawlana Shaykh Nazim more after I got married (to his daughter), as men aren’t allowed in the living quarters where the ladies are. He used to come downstairs to the kitchen, go through the garbage and collect pieces of bread that had been thrown. Since there was no refrigeration at that time, they used to store food in closets with holes that looked like chicken wire, and sometimes the food became smelly. In spite of that, he put aside for himself to eat the next day when Hajjah Anne cooked and he fed guests from the freshfood.
One time the Prophet (s) came to his house and found a piece of bread on the floor. He took it, cleaned it, blew on it and ate it. Today we are not only seeing pieces of bread on the floor, but we are throwing food from our plates; we take more than we can consume and then throw it in the garbage, which takes away all the barakah!
The Prophet (s) said to lick your five fingers upon finishing your food, as the barakah might be in the last bite from cleaning your plate:
عَنْ جَابِرٍ ،
قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : "
إِذَا وَقَعَتْ لُقْمَةُ أَحَدِكُمْ ، فَلْيَأْخُذْهَا فَلْيُمِطْ مَا
كَانَ بِهَا مِنْ أَذًى وَلْيَأْكُلْهَا ، وَلَا يَدَعْهَا لِلشَّيْطَانِ ،
وَلَا يَمْسَحْ يَدَهُ بِالْمِنْدِيلِ حَتَّى يَلْعَقَ أَصَابِعَهُ ،
فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَدْرِي فِي أَيِّ طَعَامِهِ الْبَرَكَةُ "
Idhaa waqa`ta luqmat ahadikum fal-yaakhudhhaa fal-yumit maa kaana bihaa min adhaa wal-yaakulhaa wa laa yad`ahaa li’sh-shaytaani wa laa yamsah yadahu bi’l-mikdeeli hattaa yal`aqa asaabi`ahu fa innahu laa yadree fee ayyi ta`aamihi al-barakah.
Shaytan is ever present in all you attempt. At the time you eat, he is there too. Therefore, if a morsel falls down and something attaches to it, clean it off and eat it and do not leave it for Shaytan and when you have completed your meal, lick your fingers because one never knows which part of the meal contains the barakah. (Sahih Muslim)
Many people might object to this and say, “We didn’t know that,” but that is the sunnah of the Prophet (s), which is why you see Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) always cleaning his plate with either bread or rice. So the Prophet (s) said to lick your fingers as the barakah might be there. Today we are following the Western style of putting napkins to clean our hands, and if you lick your fingers, they say, “Shame on you!” It is okay to use spoons and forks, but try to eat with your hands as they do in Arab and Subcontinent countries and don’t let the barakah go in the fingers and then wipe it off with a napkin. The barakah might also be in the last grain of rice.
That is to tell us that barakah comes by first being pious, then material ways follow. That means follow Allah's orders and dunya will follow you and become your slave. Dunya became a slave to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) after many years of tests, and don’t say that awliyaullah are exempt from tests. Just look at the life of the Prophet (s), how much he was tested by his family and tribe who gave him a hard time! And look at his ummah today and how much barakah is coming to us. People object to this and that, coming to the Shaykh with a half-an-hour story of his or her problems. You need only to ask the Shaykh to pray for you!
Tests will always come, even to awliyaullah who suffered so much running for Islam and imaan. Look at the life of Hajjah Anne (q), how her father and grandparents fled from Russia to Turkey (during the early Communist era) and on their way lost all their money in the river. Because they were running for Allah (swt), He gave them a better life in Turkey where they built businesses, farms and homes, until one day Turkey banned religious practices and they said, “Let’s go to Sham.” In one night they left twelve years of hard work behind and moved to Sham without even looking back! Fitna will spread all over the world except in Mecca, Madinah and Sham. Currently there are some problems in Sham, but that will end. So awliyaullah have tests and don’t say otherwise. After many years of testing, Allah (swt) made dunya come to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q). When people visit him, they don’t come empty-handed, and whatever comes to him as a donation he distributes it and doesn't keep it.
There was a shaykh in Sham named `Abdul-Wahhab as-Salahi (q) who, before going to the mosque every day, distributed all the food in his kitchen to his neighbors. One night after coming home from the mosque, he was unable to sleep, he got up and checked everywhere to see if there was any food left in the house, but he couldn’t find anything.
He asked daughter, “Is there any food left that we did not distribute?”
She said, “No, we gave everything to the neighbors.”
He said, “There must be something left because I cannot sleep tonight!”
Then she said, “Now I remember! Today someone gave us a leg of lamb that I placed on top of the cabinet.”
He immediately grabbed the leg of lamb, chopped it into pieces, and as it was so late he didn’t know who to give it to, so he fed cats and dogs. The dogs knew he was a wali so they didn’t come near him (they knew their boundary), but they ate and wagged their tails. The next morning when he went to the mosque for Fajr, a line of dogs and cats followed him, giving respect to the Shaykh and returning his favor by showing loyalty. Human beings also exhibit animal characters: lion and tiger characters correspond to aggressiveness; the elephant’s character corresponds to pride; donkey character corresponds to patience; dog’s character corresponds to loyalty.
Awliyaullah cannot sleep if they possess anything materialistic life and they have to give it away. Whenever Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) receives something he immediately gives it away, not keeping it for the next day, and anyone who asks him for something, he gives it.
Tests come to everyone. In the previous times they looked for the mercy, barakah and love of the Prophet (s), and even the love of those who favored you, whether they were Muslims or not. The Prophet (s) urged us to help non-Muslims as they help us. We are living in non-Muslim countries where they accept us, so we must respect them, not curse them! You eat their food, live in their homes, compete in their businesses, then at the end you say they are bad, and Allah (swt) doesn’t like that! If you show them sincerity, some may become Muslim. If Allah (swt) guides through you even one person to imaan, it is better than all the wealth of this dunya!
Be good with your neighbors. In our countries, we know every neighbor around us. Try to get to know your neighbors and maybe even send them a cake. They will begin to greet you. We have to be sincere as they are sincere amongst themselves and we have to show them sincerity, because you cannot build a relationship based on argumentation. An example is the Prophet (s), when the order came to offer the five daily prayers, he turned his face towards the first qiblah, Masjid al-Aqsa. At that time he was still in Mecca and prayed behind the Ka`bah facing east towards the Temple of Solomon and the Church of Sayyidina `Isa (a), to build bridges between them. (He continued to pray facing east even in Madinah until the seventeen month of Hijra.) This was the first interfaith dialogue, showing them, “I am extending my hand and love to you by facing your holy places in prayer.” Then Allah (swt) told him, “That is enough; those who have accept, accepted. Now turn your face to the Ka`bah.”
قَدْ نَرَى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاء فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَا
Qad nara taqallaba wajhika fi 's-samaai fa-lanuwalliyannak qiblatan tardaaha fawalli wajhaka shatara ’l-masjidi 'l-haraam.
We see the turning of your face towards the Heavens. Now We will turn you to a qiblah that will please you. Turn then your face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:144)
Awliyaullah first seek piety, sincerity and generosity, then dunya follows. Today it is the opposite: we first seek dunya and delay our prayers until the last moment, making ourselves slave to dunya. As I said earlier on, this doesn’t mean don’t work. Work, but also make `ibaadah by offering your prayers and helping people in your community. Don’t show anger to people, Muslim or non-Muslim. Be friendly and loving, as Allah (swt) showed love to Sayyidina Muhammad (s). He ordered His Angels, “Make salawaat on the Prophet (s), then I will accept you!” The angels immediately followed that order, which is to show the importance of adding “Muhammadan Rasoolullah” to “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah.”
Awliyaullah always order their followers to often recite the Sacred Name “Allah,” which encompasses all Beautiful Names and Attributes, and also Kalimat at-Tawheed, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” with “Muhammadan Rasoolullah” immediately following it. By doing this you show love and Allah will dress you with barakah and take away all difficulties from you. When someone mentions the name and has love for His Prophet (s), that person will have very few difficulties; they may have some tests here and there but they will have a nice and happy life.
Awliyaullah extract knowledge from different dreams and visions of the Prophet (s) as we mentioned, and this is common among all awliyaullah, who see dreams of what salawaat they have to recite and they give that instruction to their students “ready-made.” We have given out six or seven of them, which we are collecting from different awliyaullah and you can use whichever ones you want. Grandshaykh (q) said, “The Prophet (s) opened a door for me, saying, ‘Yaa Waladee! I am giving you the easiest one and you will get the barakah of the easiest one. You will be rewarded as if you have made all the salawaat that all awliyaullah have done.’” It is the salawaat that we mentioned before:
على أشْرَفِ العالَمينَ سَيِّدِنا مُحَمَّدٍ الصَلَوات.
على أفْضَلِ العالَمينَ سَيِّدِنا مُحَمَّدٍ الصَلَوات.
على أكْمَلِ العالَمينَ سَيِّدِنا مُحَمَّدٍ الصَلَوات.
`Alaa ashrafi ‘l-`alameena Sayyidina Muhammadin salawat.
`Alaa afdali ‘l-`alameena Sayyidina Muhammadin salawat.
`Alaa akmali’ l-`alameena Sayyidina Muhammadin salawat.
Upon the Noblest of all Creation, our Master Muhammad, blessings.
Upon the most Preferred of all Creation, our Master Muhammad, blessings.
Upon the most Perfect of all Creation, our Master Muhammad, blessings.
And then the salawaat of Sayyidina `Ali (r):
صَلَواتُ
اللهِ تعالى ومَلائِكَتِهِ وأنبيائه ورَسُلِهِ وجَميعِ خَلْقِهِ على
مُحَمِّدٍ وعلى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عليه وعليهمُ السَّلامُ ورَحْمَةُ اللهِ
تَعالى وبَرَكاتُهُ
Salawatullaahi
wa malaa’ikatihi wa anbiyaaihi wa rusulihi wa jami`ee khalqihi `alaa
Muhammadin wa `alaa aali Muhammad `alayhi wa `alayhimu ‘s-salaam wa
rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
Blessings of God (Exalted is He!), of His angels, of His prophets, of His Emissaries, and of all creation be upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad; may the peace and mercy of God (Exalted is He!) and His blessings be upon him and upon them.
And then the addition of Shaykh Sharafuddin (q):
ورَضِىَ
اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وتَعالى عَنْ سادَاتِنا أصْحابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ أجْمَعين
وعَنِ التَّابِعينَ بِهِم بِإحْسان وعَنِ الأئِمَّة المُجْتَهِدين الماضين
وعَنِ العُلَماءِ المُتَّقين وعَنِ الأوْلياءِ الصالِحين وعَن مَشايخِنا في
الطَريقةِ النَقْشْبَنْدِيّة العَليّة، قدَّسَ اللهُ تَعالى أرْواحَهُمُ
الزَكِيّة ونَوَّر اللهُ تَعالى أضْرِحَتَهُم المُبارَكة وأعادَ اللهُ
تَعالى علينا من بَركاَتِهِم وفُيُوضاتِهِم دائِمًا والحَمدُ للهِ رّبِّ
العالَمين - الفاتِحة
Wa radiyy-Allahu tabaaraka wa ta`alaa `an saadaatinaa as-haabi rasoolillaahi ajma`een. Wa `ani ‘t-taabi`eena bihim bi-ihsaanin, wa `ani ‘l-a’immati ’l-mujtahideen al-maadeen, wa `ani ‘l-`ulamaai ’l-muttaqeen, wa `ani ‘l-awliyaai ‘s-saaliheen, wa `an mashayikhinaa fi ‘t-tareeqatin naqshibandiyyati ‘l-`aliyyah, qaddas Allaahu ta`ala arwaahahumu ’z-zakiyya, wa nawwarr Allaahu ta`alaa adrihatamu ’l-mubaaraka, wa a`adallaahu ta`alaa `alaynaa min barakaatihim wa fuyoodatihim daa’iman wa ‘l-hamdulillaahi rabbi ‘l-`alameen.
May God, the Blessed and Most High, be pleased with every one of our Masters, the Companions of the Emissary of God, and with those who followed them in excellence, and with the early masters of juristic reasoning, and with the pious scholars, and the righteous saints and with our Shaykhs in the exalted Naqshbandi Order. May God (Exalted is He!) sanctify their pure souls, and illuminate their blessed graves. May God (Exalted is He!) return to us of their blessings and overflowing bounty, always. Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the worlds, al-Fatihah.
Shaykh Sharafuddin (q) said that if you recite that salawat, it is as if you recited the salawaat of all human beings from the first of creation to Judgment Day, as if all you completed all their praising! We mentioned this salawaat before, as-Salaat al-`Aali al-Qadr, “The Salaat of Highest Value,” (the “al” before “`Aali” is for ta`reef, to be recognized as a high salawat), which you should recite as often as possible. It is from Allah's treasures in the book Jawaahir al-Ma`anee, page 153:
As-Salaat al-`Aali al-Qadr, The Praise of Highest Value
اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد النبي الأمي الحبيب العالي القدر العظيم الجاه وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa baarik `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy, al-Habeeb al-`Aliyy al-Qadr, al-`Azheemi ’l- ja’ahu, wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.
O Allah! Exalt and greet and bless our master Muhammad, the Unlettered Prophet, the Beloved of Highest Value, Possessing Immense Status, and on his Family and Companions, and send them upon them peace.
That tafseer of Imam Dardiri (r) and the `Allama was authenticated by Imam Suyuti (r), who said, “If someone recites it even once on a Friday night (Thursday evening), when he dies, the one who puts him in the grave is with the barakah of Sayyidina Muhammad (s).” When they put him in his grave, the Prophet (s) will appear to that deceased person.
It is also mentioned in Sayyid Ahmad Dahlan’s books about the benefit of this salawat, that if anyone consistently does this every Friday, even one time, Allah will open for him the vision of the Prophet’s spiritual presence, kashafa li-roohihi ru’yat an-Nabi, the soul of the Prophet (s). That person will be able to see the soul of the Prophet (s) at the moment he enters the grave, and he will see the Prophet (s) is putting him in the grave!
That is one salawaat compiled by different awliyaullah, so we will repeat it now:
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa baarik `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy, al-Habeeb al-`Aliyy al-Qadr, al-`Azheemi ’l- ja’a, wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallim.
It means may Allah (swt) send salawaat and prayers and give blessings on the Prophet (s), who miraculously did not read and write, but to whom Allah revealed the Holy Qur'an! He (s) is the Beloved One, so Allah ordered all angels to pray on the Prophet (s), so you will be granted a share in their prayers. The one of great honor and reputation for him by awliyaullah and by Allah and His angels and on his family and companion and peace on them.
May Allah give us the barakah of the Prophet (s) in our lives. Don’t say, “What did we come here for? We spent our time, effort, and money to come here.” It is enough to know that these secret treasures are enough from the whole dunya. You will not get anything from dunya as you will get from one salawaat that we mentioned today. If you didn't come I would not say it and you would not say it, and so you would not get that reward! We know this because awliyaullah are responsible for their words.
أَلا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاء اللّهِ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Alaa inna awliyaaullaahi laa khawfun `alayhim wa laa hum yahzanoon.
Behold! Verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve. (Surah Yunus, 10:62)
ن عدى لي ولياً فقد آذنته بالحرب
Man `adaa lee waliyyan faqad aadhantahu bi ’l-harb.
(Allah [swt] said) Whoever comes against a Friend of Mine, I declare war on him. (Hadith Qudsi)
Ibn Taymiyya authenticated it, and these are mentioned by many great scholars, such as Imaam Dardiri, Imaam Suyuti (r) and so on, that if we were not here today we wouldn’t get this barakah! Even if you spend millions or billions, you don’t get the reward of that salawat. May Allah bless us and this meeting, and make all our children healthy and happy with their families, and keep them Muslim and mu'min, and relieve them from their difficulties if they go to court or any kind of difficulties, and may our children and your children die on imaan and Kalimat! Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasoolullah, `alayhaa nahyaa wa `alayhaa namoot wa `alayhaa nalq ’Lllah. ...bi jaahi man ahbabta, bi jaahi Muhammad wa bi jaahi man anzalta `alayhi sirri Surat al-Fatihah.
Don’t let your family say you wasted your time by coming here! Tell them, “I am rich now, more than all your billions of dollars and I will share with my children all this benefit!” What came now, what Mawlana inspired to say is gone, so whatever is manifesting this moment of Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes will be different from subsequent sessions, as each time different tajalliyyaat come, either more or less, but not equal. That is why Sayyidina Imam al-Ghazali (r) received his heavenly knowledge.They say he was a scholar and a big Sufi. That guidance came from Divine Manifestation because that night was Mawlid an-Nabi (s) and a fly came on the ink with which he was writing a very important letter to the Sultan, and he delayed writing so the fly could quench its thirst on that ink! So for that reason, inaayatullah, Allah’s Care, came on that night, which was on Monday, the same day that Abu Lahab receives less punishment in his grave because he celebrated the birth of his nephew, Prophet (s), by releasing his slave Thuayba.
That night Sayyidina Imam al-Ghazali (r) received inayatullah, and every salawaat has its ascension of divine knowledge, and each day is different. Today is different, and may Allah keep it for us, as Grandshaykh `AbdAllah (q) said to send it immediately to presence of the Prophet (s), so we deposit that dhikr or Mawlid or lecture with you, Yaa Rasoolullah, as a savings deposit for us on the Day of Judgment! Then it goes to the hand of the Prophet (s); otherwise when you sin you will lose it, but when you send to the trusted hand of Prophet (s) he will keep it and Shaytan cannot approach it. Also, remember to wrap it with salawaat on the Prophet (s) so Shaytan can’t easily come and take it away.
May Allah (swt) make you happy and make those who are not married to get married, and those having no children to have children, and make those children to be good and on way of Allah (swt) and the Prophet (s), and make those with children to teach them to do what Allah (swt) and the Prophet (s) like! Did you ever hear that the Prophet (s) did anything Allah does not like? We are not ma`soom, infallible, only Prophets are ma`soom and we make mistakes. To make a big mistake like poisoning ones’ self is forbidden. Smoking is dirty; dukhan, marijuana is dirty regardless of whatever of benefit is in it.
Grandshaykh (q) told this story many times. Iblees came to the Prophet (s) and asked permission to do that. Allah (swt) allowed it and sent Jibreel (a) to the Prophet (s) and told him, “Iblees is coming; here are his questions and here are answers.” So he came and asked and the Prophet (s) answered, then blew on him, and Iblees was thrown seven months distance of a running horse, and fell into a ditch where he was unable to wake up from being faint. There he vomited repeatedly and the ditch was filled with all kinds of his waste, the filthy residue of Iblees! When he awoke he saw a plant had grown, what today they say is beneficial, marijuana, tobacco, cocaine, and other intoxicants. Anyone that uses them reflects all that bad energy and Shaytan is dressing him! So be careful about what you are doing; it is up to you! Don’t say that many people are smoking, as that is their responsibility, not yours! Don’t say many are getting high; don’t fall into this problem. Guide your children from childhood; don’t tell me later, “My son is on drugs,” because you made him do that by sending him to public school, where they teach children about birth control and dating, not fasting or praying! They are lost and you cannot control them. These are dangerous issues, because one leads to another. First they greet each other, the next day they smile at each other, the day after they laugh and start a conversation, which leads to dating and then ultimately kissing and sleeping with each other. Then you come to us and say, “My son/daughter is lost!” Who made them lost? You say, “This is how the system works,” but Allah (swt) is going to tell you, “Follow My system, not yours!” So we have to say “astaghfirullah” 100 to 700 times daily and Allah (swt) will forgive us as He will forgive all sins; therefore, if you fall into a mistake immediately say “astaghfirullah” and try not to repeat it, and even if you do, say “astaghfirullah” again until you slowly stop making that same mistake!
When someone has a heart attack the doctor tells him, “No more smoking and drinking as your life is in danger.” When Allah (swt) tells him not to smoke or drink, he says, “But my doctor didn’t say that!” So who is responsible? Still Allah (swt) will tell you, “Regardless of your disobedience, I have mercy towards you, so make istighfaar and send salawaat on the Prophet (s) and I will forgive your mistakes.” Remember Allah (swt) and ask for His Forgiveness. May Allah (swt) forgive us!
Awliyaullah say to be consistent in reading as-Salaat al-`Aali al-Qadr ten times daily and once on the night of Jumu`ah will bring you khayr al-jaseem, the uncountable good that comes from it. Also, the book Fath ar-Rasool states that who reads it ten times after `Isha will be rewarded as if they recited it all night.
Salawaat as-Sa`adah, The Praises of Happiness
I will mention one more salawaat from the book Afdal as-Salawaat by Shaykh Ahmad as-Saawee. Many awliyaullah said if you read this salawaat once, it is rewarded as if you said salawaat 600,000 times and if you recite it seventy times a day you will be released from Hellfire!
اللهم صلى وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد عدد ما فى علم الله صلاة دائمة بدوام ملك
Allahumma salli wa sallim `alaa Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhammadin `adada maa fee `ilmillahi salaatan daa’imatan bi-dawaami mulkillah.
O Allah exalt and send peace on our Leader and Master Muhammad on the number of what exists in Allah’s Knowledge with ongoing prayers as long as Allah’s Kingdom exists.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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by international copyright law. Please attribute Sufilive when sharing it. JazakAllahu khayr.
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