Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani
09-21-2008
Michigan Zawiya
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
Ati` Allah wa ati` ar-rasula wa uli 'l-amri minkum
As we said in the previous session that we need a ticket to paradise. And that ticket means you need a validated passport when you are traveling. You cannot have a passport which has no validation. They will not let you to come into any country. No, go, fix it and come. So our passport to paradise is very simple: it is to obey Allah swt. So that passport is la ilaha illa-Allah muhammadun Rasulullah. But la ilaha illa-Allah muhammadun Rasulullah will get you the passport but if you don’t … they don’t give you the passport unit they make clearance for you that you have no crimes, no problems, no mistakes. Then they give you 5 years or ten years or whatever and then you can travel. O kid! You need a passport you can have it, but you need to validate it.
Like you go to park a car in a parking lot and you go to the parking of that mall, and they say if you buy something in any store then you can have a validated ticket that you can go free, you don’t pay anything.
You have the car to go in but in order to go out you need a validated ticket.
la ilaha illa-Allah muhammadun Rasulullah. is your ticket to paradise but you have to validate it with the good `amal. If you are not doing what Allah wants from you to do, then as we said in previous session you will enter paradise but you will not be in the highest level of paradise sitting with the Prophet (s) –
فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِندَمَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ
fee maq`adi sidqin `inda maleekin muqtadir - In an Assembly of Truth, in the Presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent [54:55].
If you want to be there then you have to prove yourself.
He said, "don’t claim that you said la ilaha illa-Allah muhammadun Rasulullah. That you achieved higher levels, no. Like when you say ashhadu an la ilaha illa-Allah wa ashhadu anna muhammadun Rasulullah. You are saying it by tongue, but you are not acting on it. When you reach higher levels then you are seeing. You are bearing witness that Allah is your Lord, that means you have to see something.”
If there is no action there is no movie. The director is saying “action” and everyone is moving. If they don’t say “action” no one moves. So you have to have an action and that is the good `amal. To submit to the order, imtithaal al-amr. In the army you have to submit to the order. What do you say? “Yessir!” if you want to object, object later, with shaytan. You are ordered to make sajda, do it. You want to object, go over there, shaytan is there, there object as much as you like.
You have to pray, you have to pray, say, “Yessir! I am praying.” But might be your prayer is a habit, an exercise, a custom, an exercise. That you learned from childhood, you don’t know if it is accepted. You have to make sure it is accepted.
That is why the Prophet (s) said, " the one who is bankrupted is the one who has no `amal.” Said, "Even if he prayed and fasted?” He said, "Even if he prayed and fasted.”
So that is the one who prays for exercise or …on the other side he is cheating and deceiving. That one has no `amal. So you need `amal. You admit that Allah Is creator. If you admit how can you disobey. But we are weak servants. You disobey, you repent.
He said, "that, O my son, Ya ghulam.” Changing now. “You have to be patient on afflictions. You have to submit to Allah swt. Don’t create a monster to yourself. Submit, you overcome any problem. If you don’t submit, your problems will increase. You see anything coming to you is by Allah’s swt Will.
وَلاَ رَطْبٍ وَلاَ يَابِسٍ إِلاَّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ
Wa la ratbin wa la yabisin illa fee kitabin mubeen – nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read). [6:59]
Living and non-living. Ratbin is wet, has water in it, it is living and yabis is dry, non-living. Everything is in the Book. Which book? The Holy Qur'an. Allah is saying everything is in the Holy Qur'an. And the Holy Qur'an is what? It is Allah swt’s ancient words. His words to His Prophet. He sent it to the Prophet (s).
You think that someone who doesn’t know Arabic cannot read the Qur’an? How? [Allah makes him. They learn] How he read its? They are translating now. Only if you have the Qur’an in front of you the light of the secret of the letters of the Qur’an will be jumping on your heart, guiding you even if you don’t know the language. Every language is in the Holy Qur'an. There is not even a parasite that moves without it having been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. Not an electron can move it if it’s not mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. That secret you think the light… the Light you cannot cover it. Can you cover the light of the sun? No way. How you can cover the light of the Qur’an? It is always shining. That is why you have a Qur’an in your house baraka comes in your house. Now Allah made everyone to have a Qur’an in their house, Muslims and non-Muslims. Because some people want to see what is in it, and it is coming baraka in it [to them].
So when you submit to Allah swt, you submit to everything. Don’t be nagging. Nagger. New word? Don’t be a nagger. Don’t nag too much.
You cannot see except people nagging, nagging, nagging, day and night, wife to husband, husband to wife. Parents, children, people everyone.
He said, "O my son be patient. When you say la ilaha illa-Allah muhammadun Rasulullah, you are saying He is the Creator.”
Creator of what? When you say that it is not just by tongue but you have to accept what is coming and what is going. You have to accept every movement from you and from others.
From where, where? These are wooden beads [holds up tasbih], no? Imagine these beads coming from which tree in a forest, in a jungle, coming and it is in your hands. How you can imagine this is possible? Your name is written on that tree from the day of Alastu bi-rabbbikum that you are going to get that tree in the jungle in the picture of beads. Whose decision is that? It is Allah’s. Allah wrote for that tree to make dhikr on your behalf. You think this wood is dry and dead. No, when you count on them they are continuously making dhikr. How it comes.
Everything. This, the paper of the book. Form what? Which tree? In Canada, in Africa, in Far East that these papers are coming from which tree. It was living and Allah said “all that is living and non-living is in the Holy Qur'an.” So that paper is mentioned in Holy Qur'an, that is going to be page 37 in that book. And how many books there are, millions, trillions? “Trillions” now we are remembering that name too much now, this economic crisis.
So it is written that it is going to be page 37. Who made that to happen. Allah swt. So why to nag? Surrender. What comes, comes. If we submit Allah swt will give us a peaceful life.
So what you need to do? To act. When you say “action!” what happens. Everything moves. But if the battery is not charged, if you say action, action, action, nothing moves. What you need ot make the `amal to make it to move. `amal is an action. But to make the car to move you need what you need a battery. That battery is Ikhlaas - sincerity. That energy is to keep sincerity towards Allah swt in every action you do. You blend it with sincerity. If you do it without sincerity, because you have to do it, then that is not accepted. That is why the Prophet (s) said, "you pray and you fast but it is not accepted.” It is done out of laziness. Or they pray out of fear. In some countries they make adhan and if you don’t close your shop there are people who say “go!”, and they beat you. Sincerity is to do by yourself. Not by force.
So that is like Rabi`a, said, "I am worshipping you Ya Rabbee, for Your love. I am not interested in your heaven and I am not afraid of your hell. You put me where You want.”
To show sincerity it means you have to give from what Allah is giving you.
That is why he said, "wa as al-fuqara bi shayin min amwalikum” make poor people happy with some of your wealth. That is sincerity. You can pray hundreds of times but to come to someone and say pay $100 it is very difficult. Which is more important to you, your prayer or your money.
“I can pray 100 rakaats, no problem but don’t ask me donation at the end.” donation that is out of question. You can give one dollar, 2 dollars. They pass the box on Friday, they put 1, 2 dollars. We never saw 1,000 dollars. Why not 1,000 dollar to the one who can put it?
Because there is no sincerity. May Allah give us sincerity. When someone comes to you asking, give them. Allah is sending those who are asking as a gift ot you. They are being made by Allah to move to fid out if you are sincere to Allah or not. Don’t reject anyone who is asking. If you are able to give, give, don’t reject him.
Give as much as you can. Allah, be … look at how much Allah is giving. So sincerity means you have to follow the way of sincere people. Allah made Sayyidina Muhammad sincere. That is why he said, " if you want to love Allah follow the sincerity of the Prophet (s).” that is the guest of Allah coming, don’t reject him. That is why I tell story of Grandshaykh that he used to always keep money in his pocket. Whoever asks he gives. Keep a little in your pocket. You see the homeless in the street, if he asks, give. Muslim or non-Muslim. He might be a wali in dress of homeless. At least he might say, “thank you, god bless you.” That might be enough on Judgment Day, you think Allah will not be happy with you for that one praying for you.
Woe. That one is the gift of Allah to you, coming and asking you. If that one went to someone else and asked that one he would have that letter on Judgment Day. Prefer that guest and you don’t know by what you can reach Allah’s mercy, buy what you reach Allah’s love.
Small `amal might make you reach Allah’s love. Don’t try to minimize a good `amal. La tuhaqiru ma`ruf even if it is small you do it. “You are in my presence,” he is telling his students, “listening to me and you are crying.”
That means his words have reflected in their hearts and they have made them to feel that sincerity in their hearts and they begin to cry in the presence of their teachers. Many students in presence of their teachers they cry. They know they are helpless. “Don’t cry in front of me and then when you leave you become hard-hearted.”
“In my presence you listen and you cry and when the poor one, the guest of Allah is coming to you, your heart becomes hard and you cannot open your hand. It becomes like a frozen hand. Crippled hand and mind. Finished, you cannot give. Sincerity is gone.”
This shows that your sincerity was not really for Allah swt. You don’t know, "O my student, O ghulam, that I can read your secrets. I can read your hearts. You cannot hide yourself from me. That is why I am addressing to you, to tell you that I know what is going on thru your hearts and I know this is a sickness going thru the hearts of my students and I am trying to bring it up in order to correct you.”
“When you come to me come, come with no dress. Remove the dress of arrogance. Come to me naked, not naked from clothes, but naked of your own ego’s pride. Leave it behind and come submitting to Allah swt. Then I can fill you with knowledge. Then I can give you. Then I can validate your passport until you can begin your journey to the Divine Presence. Your passport has no dates on it, you need to renew it. Send your application. When you send your application you send what with it? A fee. A check. You cannot send it and say, “work on it.”
There are angels that work on your `amal, and you have to pay. Don’t think you can get something free. That is for some people, that is a grant from Allah swt. Not everyone gets a grant. Everyone has to work for something. Those who get grants are very few. There are people who get grants in dunya for nonsense. For garbage. But the real grant is to get it from Allah swt.
How much money has been wasted on grants? What do they do ? they do a conference. And bring 10-15 speakers from overseas and spending $5-10 thousand on every speaker. And the tickets are 5-10 thousand. They bring them to say what? Of no benefit.
What is of benefit is when you make a conference with your ego. Teleconference, speaking to your ego. If you want to know how to speak with your ego, take your turban and put it [in front of you].
This is my ego. “You were not good today. What have you done today?” So you have some one to speak to.
This is what awliyaullah do, this [turban] is a sign of iman. How much iman you have you carry it. How much these women Allah is giving them more and more, especially those women that are covered. How much they get heat from the communities? Men, they already have no mind. Because when you cover you keep your mind inside. When no cover, your mind evaporates. Women they cover. How much Allah is rewarding them every moment for their cover. That is why the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) is for men to cover. But they don’t cover.
Men have to cover first. Then women will look and say, “O my husband is covered” and they will cover. Can you see someone with a turban and his wife is not covered. He feels shy to walk with her, “I am wearing a turban and my wife has no ‘turban’.”
So you have to be role model for sincerity. So He knows the hearts. You cannot hide yourself. He knows what you are doing and he gives you the ticket to validate your passport. You can move forward now, from one obstacle to another. Then He takes you from one place to the next until you reach the shore of safety.
“You have to come to me naked,” that means you must have no interest in dunya. You have to take all dunya love out of your heart. “Then I will dress you with heavenly dresses and with that you can go to the presence of the Prophet (s) and from the presence of the Prophet (s) to the presence of Allah. If you want that, come to me; if not don’t waste my time. I am not going to give you candies if you come to me, but I am going to give you hardship. Hardship teaches discipline.”
The Prophet (s) said, akhshawshanoo fa inn an-ni`m lam tadoom. Try to train to live hard life. Train yourself to sleep on the earth, flat. Don’t say, “I want a mattress.” What kind of mattresses. I am surprised to see now mattresses for $5000. hah? [they make massage for you]
You sleep on the floor. Try to teach yourself the hard ways.
Now they are giving you everything the easy way so when the hard way comes you cannot take it. Be a village man, as we said previously, don’t be a city man. A village man can sleep anywhere he can accommodate himself anywhere. He goes to city it is good for him. He goes to village it is good for him. But city man can go to village, live without electricity. Can he live without TV? No. village man can live without TV, because he is not interested in politics. He has soft heart and he wants to live for presence of Prophet. What is happening outside is not my business. If you come to me like village man I give you light in my heart. So that is why the Prophet (s) said, “ittaqoo firasat ilmumin fa innahu yandhuru bi nurillah - fear the vision of the believer for verily he can see your hearts as Allah gave him light in his heart from Divine Light.” At that time you will be able to get that status.
May Allah guide us. And give us sincerity in our hearts for sake and baraka of his Prophet Muhammad. And His awliya, bi-hurmatil habib bi hurmatil Fatiha.
So whenever you make a tasbih on your beads remember from where that beads are coming. if you have plastic ones, sometimes they have plastic ones, from which oil file are they coming? From where? South America, North America, Siberia and now Alaska. Or from the Gulf countries, Middle Eastern countries. Coming from underground. Or on rocks, from which mountain they are coming, these pebbles you are doing Tasbih. Remember that Allah has sent them for you to bear witness on you on Judgment Day. The will bear witness that servant was making tasbih on these wood. Everything is praising Allah, and everything will witness for you if you are doing something good.
And if you have Holy Qur'an in the house it will bear witness, “I was in that house,” and all those lights of Allah’s Ancient Word are coming in that house; even the house of a non-Muslim, “because that person raised me on his shelf.” That is why he said, “la tahjar al-Qur'an - don’t abandon the Holy Qur'an.” For example if you have ten mashafs, when you read in one, don’t read form the same one because everyone has to have its share. Every page and every letter will bear witness. Even if they are the same, and of course they are same, they will come and bear witness, the ten copies. Each will bear witness. Try to read the Arabic even if you don’t know Arabic. The light will come to your eyes.
Salaam everyone,
