MERCY OCEANS, Book 01 (Shaykh Nazim, 208 pages, 2/12)
https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=5762
Our Grandshaykh was the representative of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for his century. He tells us that there have been one hundred and twenty-four thousand Prophets from Adam (peace be upon him) up until the last Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him). For every station there is a higher station. Allah Almighty says, “Over every learned man, there is a more learned man.” Knowledge is an ocean without end; there
is horizon after horizon. We must always remember that however much we know, there is someone who knows more. Always, we tend to put all knowledge within the limits of what we, ourselves, know. We must not make this mistake. There is no limit to knowledge, or searching.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh says that Allah Almighty gives to those of His servants who are on the straight way divine knowledge to come to His Presence. Unless we follow that way, we cannot benefit from that divine help. We must realize, for instance, that Allah Almighty gave us our bodies, our precious organs, to use only according to His desires. “O my servants!” He says, “Do as I would like, not contrary to My desire!” When we use our bodies in ways that are not pleasing to our Lord, it is as if we are saying to Him, “I know, and You don’t.” We are, at that time, fighting with our Lord.
For example, Allah says to us, “Don’t look at that which is haram (forbidden).” Our nafs (egos), on the other hand, say, “It is a pleasure to look. I know more than You!” In addition to looking, there are, of course, many ways in which we may use our bodies in rebellion to our Lord. When we do this, we say, “I am free! No one orders me!” Bad kufr (disbelief) begins with this.
We must, therefore, be very careful and never let our nafs command us. This is a very sensitive point. Your ego (your nafs) will make you a donkey for itself, riding you as it desires. There is a hadith: “Your nafs is your donkey! Don’t be a donkey to your nafs!” The majority of people are donkeys for their nafs. It is worse when you are angry over something. When a man is angry, he is being ridden by his nafs, who happily calls to Satan, “Come! Ride with me on this fellow!”
* * * * * * *
We are listening to the words of our Grandshaykh, and it is very important to get all points accurately and correctly. Each has an essential part in our Islamic life; leave one out, and the whole will suffer.
* * * * * * *
It is very difficult for our nafs to accept that we are servants of Allah. There is struggle. A hadith says that we are returning always from the lesser fights, which are for the things of this world (including wars), to the greater fights, which are to control our own egos. We must be very careful as our nafs will not leave us even for a moment. Our ego is not concerned with fighting for goodness. It claims instead to be our lord, and demands that we follow its wishes.
Nimrod, the king of Babylon, once built a great tower for fighting against Allah. Our Grandshaykh says that, unlike King Nimrod who only built his tower once, we are continually building towers for fighting our Lord, until we finally surrender and become Muslim.
Everyone knows fighting Allah, but almost no one knows fighting their nafs. A man who takes a sword and kills one million men is not brave. The brave one is he who fights his nafs. Everything your nafs says to do – do the opposite! This is fighting!
“Astaghfirullah!” This means asking forgiveness from your Lord, asking refuge in Him Almighty and from your ego’s claim to be king. “You can’t find one moment in which you don’t need to say ‘Astaghfirullah’,” says our Grandshaykh. “You are always in need of this. Furthermore, it is highly recommended to give thanks to Allah Almighty two times with each breath!”
Rabia (may Allah be pleased with her) was a descendant of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and a great Waliyya (lady saint). Once forty saints came to visit her. “O my brothers!” she told them, “For each ‘Astaghfirullah’ that we say, we need to say another until we overcome our nafs and nothing is left. Then, our ‘istighfar’ will be all right. Otherwise, it is just our nafs that are saying ‘Astaghfirullah’!”
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh relates a saying of Muhyiddin ‘ibn Arabi (may Allah be pleased with him):
“If they offered me all the treasures of this world, I would not give even one inch of my intestines!” To give such a thing may mean death for the giver. In that case, what value do this world’s treasures hold?
To be alive for one moment in which to speak one holy word, to do one sunnah, is more valuable than the treasure of the whole world. Our Grandshaykh says, “In the sight of Awliya, this is perfect respect for the Prophet (peace be upon him). They are ready to give all treasures for one sunnah. Muyhiddin is giving great respect to his Lord with this saying. This is a sign of a servant of Allah.”
* * * * * * *
Here we are, sitting together. We are pleased with this, our meeting. If not, we would look for another. Each to his own group. Some like stalks, some like grain. Vultures, for example, like carrion, but not fresh meat. In the marketplace there are thousands of shops. One person goes to this one, another goes to that one; not everyone to the same shop. If someone is not pleased with a group, he cannot sit with them. This is an unchanging law. Our class is a free market, one may stay and buy, or go. We are not angry if no one buys.
* * * * * * *
We believe that Allah Almighty has endless powers, that those powers are absolute, and that He can do anything. He is not tied to reasons as we are, nor is He compelled to do anything. “It is a big lesson for us,” says our Grandshaykh, “that Allah Almighty has endless power – without means and reasons. He is not limited, like men, to the world of cause and effect. If a man wants to grow crops, he must have seed, and fertile ground, and rain. Allah has no need of anything. He created all the worlds in seven days. He says ‘BE,’ and it is. For what? To be a big lesson for us that we must not be in a big hurry to do a thing. We must be patient. It is for Allah to bring results quickly. For men, all things in this world come step by step. Wheat grows little by little by little, until the ear ripens. Nothing comes immediately. The sons of Adam (peace be upon him) reach their aim, their Divine stations, step by step.”
Allah says, “Whoever fights their nafs for Us will reach to Our Heavenly ways.” This means that you must be patient always, until you reach a point where your Lord will take care of you. It can be compared to what happens to a rocket when it reaches the edge of the earth’s gravitational pull. That rocket must spend huge amounts of power to
reach that point, until suddenly it is free from gravity’s pull. Then it can travel easily. Likewise, until we cut the ‘gravity’ of our egos, it will be very difficult. We must be patient – spending so much energy – fighting until we can be free of our nafs hold. Then we may go more easily also.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh says that Allah Almighty gave us very valuable organs, and asks us to use them as He orders. When we do this, we are riding our nafs. If not, our nafs’ are riding us. We must have patience to ride. Otherwise it is impossible!
How are we to use our organs? What is the balance, what are the criteria against which we can observe and criticize our actions?
For every action, you may find three ways, or positions. These are called wajib, sunnah, and haram. We will illustrate these terms with some examples:
The top class of people are the Awliya, the Saints. They have, in their eyes, a divine light, a divine power, that burns away badness in those people upon whom they look. Because of this divine quality, they may look everywhere, at men or at women. It has been ordered for them to look. There is no prohibition for them. Therefore, their looking is ‘wajib.’
For the second class of people, their looking is ‘sunnah.’ When one looks at a beautiful girl in this manner, he sees her as she would appear two years after her death! In this way, he can know what is temporary and what remains. He looks and learns, like a medical student looking at a cadaver.
For the third class of people, looking is prohibited – ‘haram.’ This is because they are always present with their nafs. All bad powers come into action with their looking. It is on the same level as a donkey when he sees a mare.
What is music in Islam? It is haram, forbidden, to listen to music that is arousing to the ego. How can you tell? If the heart goes to haram, it is haram!
Some people, on the other hand, when they listen to music are changing, looking at their incompleteness. This is a funny happening, and with it comes a very strong desire to complete one’s self, to save one’s self from incompleteness. This is Divine music, special music. We may say it is ‘sunnah.’
There is also another class of people, those who must listen to music. The music of Jalaluddin Rumi (may Allah be pleased with him), for instance, was the opening to Divine knowledge. From it one could take a power to protect the nation of Muhammad (peace be upon him). This is ‘wajib’ music.
Originally, no action was prohibited. Prohibition came only after that action started leading away from Allah Almighty, and towards our nafs, our egos. This is a general law. As our Grandshaykh says, “I am giving you a balance and a base. You may now go anywhere, east or west, and not lose your way. In every action, you may find ‘wajib,’ ‘sunnah,’ and ‘haram.’ One man goes to a saloon to drink; it is haram, Another goes to take knowledge; it is sunnah. The third man goes to smash bottles; that is wajib!”
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh was telling us about our responsibilities, according to the Awliya:
“Every day,” he said, “there are twenty-four thousand breaths, sixteen thousand movements and thirty thousand works for each person. On the Judgment Day, each of us will be questioned: ‘What was your intention for each of those actions?’ If you can reply to Allah Almighty, ‘I was intending your pleasure,’ this will be enough.”
It is a clear hadith of our Prophet (peace be upon him): “I came to you with Shariah (laws, rules, methods) like the sun shining.” We are, therefore, under heavy responsibility every moment. Either we are obedient servants, or we are not.
If a man is thinking this, how can he find time to find faults with others? You must always be thinking, “What will be my situation in the
Divine Presence?” This makes for good character. It is a formula for human life, a base to build upon.
Allah Almighty says, “Your every action – your praying, working, living, and dying must be for Me only.” This means that we must live and act and die in His way. We are sitting here for Allah Almighty, not for ourselves. To find fault with others is haram. It is a big sin to set oneself up as a judge of others. That is for Allah alone. He has no partners. When a man looks for another’s faults, he is ‘junub,’ impure. He must quickly make ghusl (bath, major ablution) to be clean. Under this imposition he will be afraid to find fault with other people.
* * * * * * *
The Grand Wali in these times, the keeper of this world, is Sahib uz-Zamaan (peace be upon him). He said, in the assembly of the Awliya, one word; one very important sentence – Our Grandshaykh repeated it as he heard: “The summary of all Holy Books, what is it? It is fear of God!”
If you have fear of God in your heart, you have the summary of all holy books. You will not leave any good action; you will do it! Also, if you have fear of God, you will not be able to do any bad deed. It is the main aim of all Holy Books to direct people in this way. What thing does man need to escape badness, and go to goodness? It is the fear of Allah in the heart. Without this he is like a wild animal.
Hadith tells us that in the last days few people will have the fear of Allah Almighty in their hearts. Animal nature will surface among us, and human nature will disappear.
Yet, from Allah come ‘radio waves’ to guide us to Him. He who has fear of Allah Almighty in his heart, he who believes in the Judgment Day and that Allah is Judge, he who believes that he will be asked to give account for his life – for his actions, that man will fear his Lord, and keep away from doing bad deeds; keep away from evils and devils!
If a man says, “I believe in Allah, but not in the Judgment Day,” he has no fear of God in his heart. Now, in our time, devils are fighting to destroy Iman (faith) in Allah. If they are unable to destroy a man’s belief in God’s existence, then they will try to destroy his belief in the
Judgment Day. If those devils succeed in doing that, it is the same as if they had destroyed belief in the first place. With no Judgment, there is no fear, no responsibility, and a man without responsibility is terrible. If you say to a wild tiger, “Goodness, Justice, Mercy,” will he listen? A man without responsibility is worse!
In this way devils are now working against humanity and good character. Bad people are defending disbelief, fighting against believers. Show me one man who believes in akhira (the life hereafter) doing bad things.
A man without conscience is dangerous, you must be very careful of him. The character of bad people is that they want all others to be like them. In badness, they are envious (hasad). Now, in our community, people are too much like this. They can’t look on another person’s goodness without wishing that it would go away. Envy! This is the worst character! Iman (faith) never lives with this!
* * * * * * *
A hadith relates: “My Lord taught me all good manners.” In Islam, manners are known as ‘adab,’ and he who keeps adab will bear the fruit of good character. It will seep through and permeate his being, as if he were an earthen vessel.
It is sunnah for a man to keep the adab of the Prophet (peace be upon him). “A man may make mistakes,” says our Grandshaykh, “but if he keeps good manners, the Prophet (peace be upon him) will intercede for him. Therefore, good manners are a means for a man to gain intercession.”
* * * * * * *
“We must believe,” says our Grandshaykh, “and, we must know that all of our actions, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem to us, are recorded by two angels sent by Allah Almighty to observe our deeds here on earth.” One angel sits on our right, and records our good deeds and words. The other sits on our left, and makes note of the bad things we do and say. We must know this.
On the Judgment Day each of us will be witness to the deeds of his or her life. Everything has been recorded like a cinema, and on that Day, Allah Almighty says, “Each person will see the good that he has done; even as small as the smallest atomic particle! Also, every bad deed will be seen, no matter how slight.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) says that for every person there will be a life record consisting of seventy rolls. Each roll will be as long as the eye can see. Nothing is hidden, and all can be seen at a glance. Allah Almighty will say, “Look at this man’s actions! What is your judgment for him?” The ‘film’ is your own and you will be your judge. It will be exact justice! There can be no question of anything being left out as the two angels are with us always, recording all we say and do.
In addition, Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) each have a private book for us, one for every person. While the book written by the two angels is always open, the book of Allah is closed. It is opened only when a man is not occupied with this world, only when he is praying and working sincerely for his Lord. The book of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is opened for those servants who are keeping the sunnah, those who respect the Prophet (peace be upon him) in their hearts and in their actions.
* * * * * * *
Once our Grandshaykh was sitting at dinner with his murids. It was a big feast, with rice and turkeys, so big that the people could not finish it all. Grandshaykh looked at all the food that was left over and called to one of his disciples, a man named Taseen Effendi. “Eat!” instructed our Grandshaykh. Taseen rolled up his sleeves and ate it all! All night, until one hour before fajr (the morning prayer), that murid stood in prayer without drawing a single breath!
Hudur: this means to lose oneself in the Divine Presence, to give your heart to that ocean! It is like a man taking off his clothes and diving into the sea! There are so many beautiful things that we cannot speak about. It is prohibited!
* * * * * * *
From the sayings of our Grandshaykh, on the manners of the Sahaba (the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him):
“Visiting is sunnah among the Muslims. It is for the love of Allah, and for His sake and that of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Disciples of the Prophet (peace be upon him) always visited each other.
“Assemblies amongst believers must be in mutual confidence, with no share for Satan. lblis always searches for an opportunity to enter the assembly, but he should not be allowed to take part! This is an important point! Always, if two people are sitting together, he is trying to be the third!
“What was the way of the Sahaba? When they were in assembly, they were using such a power that all the devils of creation, numbering to infinity, could not find a way to enter. The wall of power!
“The Sahaba were all awakened people, not asleep. They never gave occasion to lblis; not with their eyes, ears, tongues, hands, legs, noses, hearts, or thoughts. There wasn’t occasion for him.
“If one party to an assembly gives way to Satan there will be trouble for all. lblis is always coming to lead you, to ride you. You must take shelter with Allah Almighty or Satan will wound you, bind you, and take you as his slave. You must be careful to guard every moment. Allah is the shelter for you; be ready with Him, and the devil cannot approach.
“Satan has arrows. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says, ‘They are poison arrows.’ If, for example, a man is looking at a forbidden thing, he is pierced by an arrow of Satan. A man who can’t refrain from looking to haram is not given the Divine Light for looking upon the Heavenly Universe. The eyes must be kept for Allah Almighty or He will not permit your heart to look upon the unseen worlds. If you can’t keep your eyes from haram, you will stay blind in this world and the other. You cannot attain the station of those who have learned the Heavenly looking.
“The Awliya have eyes in their hearts. Allah says, ‘It is important for every Muslim, while in this life, to take Divine Light for looking to the Heavens.’ This is impossible for a man with the love of this life in his
heart. It applies not only to men looking at women, but to any looking after this life.
“Who prefers to have a picture in place of the original? This life is like an imagination, a photograph. The original life is in akhira, the hereafter. That is the valuable thing, not this dirty world! He who believes always prefers the eternal life to this dunya. A mu’min takes care with his actions, because he knows that whoever looks at this ‘photography,’ to this world, is prohibited from looking at the ‘original.’”
* * * * * * *
We believe that Paradise and Hell are real. It is ‘Haqq,’ truth. Our Grandshaykh says, “I’m always surprised to hear people say, when told about Hell, ‘O my Lord! Protect us from Hell.’ They ask the wrong thing. They should say, ‘O my Lord! Protect us from bad actions, and reasons that would lead us to Hell!’ Don’t fear Hell, but your bad actions!”
A mu’min, a believer, must be awake to those things which are apt to make one fall into Hell. A person doing bad actions immediately has fire coming into his heart, burning there. He feels tormented, dark and troubled. He has fallen into Hell! Unable, therefore, to find pleasure within himself, ..he turns to the outer life, to the pleasures of this dunya. Thus, they are floundering around in search of pleasure – television, radios, discos, bars; they have fallen into Hell! Allah Almighty tells us that every time they come out of Hell a little bit, they are pushed back in!
There is not real pleasure for them. Real pleasure must come from the heart. A man may sit in Hell on a throne, but he will still have no happiness.
People’s bad characteristics bring all of Hell’s troubles into their lives. Worshipping, and good characteristics, on the other hand, will bring Paradise into their hearts. If a person has this, he may be put into prison and yet his soul will be free! Are you asking pleasure, or sorrow? It’s in your hands! Our Lord says, “Everyone must taste his own goodness and badness, even if it is as small as an atom.” Do you understand? You are free if you show mercy to all things. Mercy then comes to you. This lesson is enough to last a man his entire life. We must know, and we must act.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh asks, “How do we know what is good, and what is bad?” He answers, “Allah Almighty is teaching all people. He created the sons of Adam (peace be upon him), and He sees that each one has a conscience.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “You must ask your conscience!” A mufti (judge) may give a verdict here on earth, but on the Last Day, you must be the judge for yourself. Allah Almighty has given all people a judge right here in their hearts. It is always saying, “Be on the straight way, as you have been ordered!”
People think Islam is like a coat; something you carry around with you and put on whenever you like. This is a mistake. Islam must be both inside and outside of you. It is a way of living, the best way, for it contains all things needed by the sons of Adam (peace be upon him). Whoever is asking happiness, Islam gives him light. It is the solution to all problems.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh says, “For every believer, it is wajib (obligatory) to sacrifice, with his soul and with his life; to keep standing by Rasulullah (peace be upon him) and his ways, his sunnah. He must not leave them lying down. The Prophet (peace be upon him) brought the sunnah from Allah Almighty, to make it living, to bring the dead to life! For a man to sacrifice his life for the sake of one sunnah is not asking too much!
“What kind of benefit would you expect to take from a man who wouldn’t sacrifice to keep the sunnah alive? None!
“The sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is more valuable than our souls. We make our lives and our souls valuable only when we are willing to sacrifice them for it. Only then will Allah give us real life and a valuable Soul. This is the way to reach real life!”
* * * * * * *
How is a wife to receive her husband? Our Grandshaykh gives us Divine Knowledge on this subject:
“If a woman is smiling at her husband, Allah orders all Paradise to open for her to enter. For her, He especially prepares such a palace as was never before prepared. He will bestow blessings that have never before been bestowed! Why does Allah Almighty bestow such blessings? It is because when a wife smiles at her husband, she takes the whole day’s troubles from his shoulders. It gives love between them, from her heart to his.
“Love is the reason to continue family life. If there is no love, the family separates. Therefore, Allah likes smiling faces. It is a simple thing, but very important. Allah never likes hatred between husband and wife, or between mu’min.
“The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that a smile is a sadaqa (charity) for everyone. Rasulullah (peace be upon him) came to increase the love between people; therefore we must do likewise. Don’t behave differently with different people. Don’t show a good face to one man, and a bad face to another. You must remember that we are all servants of Allah Almighty, and we have been ordered to do only goodness to each other. This is a unique attribute of man, it is not given to animals to smile or cry.
“In Paradise there are private sections for each person. When one does a good action, it appears in one of these sections as a bounty, or blessing. Paradise is filled with such bounties so much that there isn’t an empty place to put a finger! Mu’min (the believer) will enjoy that abundance every moment, endlessly.
“However,” continues our Grandshaykh, “If a woman receives her husband with an angry face, Allah will order his angels to shut Paradise, and will order Hell to burn hotter for her. Because of her anger, all the abundance of this life and the next are made haram for her. She must quickly turn and make repentance, before it is written in Allah’s book!
“Angry looks cause her husband’s heart to feel hatred for her. Even if she herself has troubles and is feeling miserable, she must receive
her husband with a smile. For this, Allah will reward her by removing all her troubles. This is the secret that keeps the family strong.
“If the family is strong, the community is strong. Life can then proceed happily, with no troubles. Therefore, in Islam it is sunnah for wives to smile so that love can grow. A simple thing, but it carries great consequence.”
* * * * * * *
“Allah likes smiling people,” says our Grandshaykh. “The highest degree for the human being is to smile at every event. It is one of the signs of Iman (faith) that may be seen in those who sit on the throne of the Awliya. It means that he is satisfied with the will of Allah Almighty, not fighting or coming opposite to Him.”
Only a few people can reach this point; among millions only one or two will reach it. They are very rare, like rubies among stones. Our Grandshaykh is teaching us little by little, directing us to that aim. It is very hard. One doesn’t reach the summit of Everest on the first step! They who succeed are kings in the next life with private stations in paradise. No one can know what is in them. If one knew even a little, they would smile at every event, for every ‘wrong’ in this world! They would be pleased with everyone. If a man is pleased with everyone and everything, he is in Paradise now! It is difficult, but we must try. We must know that no pleasure or sorrow in this life can last, but will come to an end and pass away. There is, therefore, no need to dwell upon a sorrow, no need to hold it in the mind. When a sorrow comes have patience, and a pleasure will come as a result. It is difficult, but important, to be satisfied with Allah Almighty when there is sorrow and things are not to our liking.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh says, “There is no jealousy in Paradise!” There is no character worse than jealousy. lman (faith) cannot exist with jealousy. All sadness and troubles are a result of the envious. It is ugly between ordinary people, and even uglier between learned people. If there were no envy, people would be so pure as to shake hands with the angels!
Among children, the biggest will take everything for himself. When something is brought for the little ones, the older ones will try to take it away from them.
Envy is a veil over the heart. It comes between a man and his Lord. You may find jealousy among all peoples, everywhere. When a man becomes pure from envy, this veil is removed. At that moment he may look upon the Prophet (peace be upon him). It will be as if you were dreaming, but you will be awake and able to speak with him. He will appear in a spiritual body.
A sign of the end, of the last days, is envy. It is like psoriasis of the skin, leprosy. If you sit with one so afflicted, you may be affected also. That is why there are hospitals for them.
Now jealousy is spreading like fire among all people, all leaders, all learned men, even women. It is like an ocean. In it live all the bad characters. Even a single glassful of this ocean will support millions of death-causing bacteria. Iblis fell from grace for this ‘hasad,’ this jealousy. Cain and Abel knew all about envy. Everyone looking to another with jealousy will be thrown from Allah’s mercy. As long as jealousy exists, there will be unrest in the heart.
Jealous people burn in this life with the fire of Hell. If there is a little jealousy, it will be a little fire. If there is a lot of jealousy, there is a big fire. For both, there will be no rest day or night.
Islam is fighting against this ocean of jealousy. It doesn’t accept even the tiniest amount! Allah Almighty orders us to seek protection in Him from jealousy, to dry up that ocean so that all the bad characters in it will die. When it is dried up completely, then the Light of Iman will come to your heart.
Shaykh Muqtadee says, “Jealousy is when you ask for good things to go away from another person.” For example, when a man gets a new car, the jealous person will wish for the car’s owner to wreck it or drive it off a bridge. If the accident happens, the jealous man will gloat.
In the time of Moses (peace be upon him) there lived a very poor man. One day he asked Moses (peace be upon him) to pray to Allah to
give him a cow. Moses (peace be upon him) agreed and asked his Lord to send that poor fellow his cow. Allah Almighty answered, “O Moses! Tell that man to pray for his neighbour, and I shall give two cows, one for each of them!” So, Moses (peace be upon him) went back to the poor man and told him what Allah had said. “If my neighbour gets a cow,” replied the indignant man, “then what would I want one for!”
This story shows us the nature of jealousy. That man wanted good things for himself alone. Not only did he not care for his neighbour’s needs but he actually went out of his way to prevent the other man’s happiness.
The first step towards Iman is to ask on behalf of everyone what you ask for yourself. There is no envy in Paradise. Envy is the fruit of the jealousy tree. Where this tree does not exist there can be no envy and, therefore, no bad character.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh said that wives have three obligations to their husbands. Only these, and nothing more, can a man place upon them:
The first obligation is that she must be under her husband’s will. She must be as his shadow, her likes and dislikes must be his likes and dislikes. When she acts contrary to her husband’s will, she is not a wife in the sight of the Awliya.
Her second obligation is to be the keeper of his property. She must not spend without his permission even if he has millions. If he gives permission, she may spend all of it. This is adab.
Thirdly, she must keep his honour when out of his presence. She must not sit with another man in her husband’s absence, even his brother. When a man and a woman sit together alone, Satan is always the third party. In ancient times when a man knocked at the door, a woman would answer with her thumb in her mouth so as not to sound lovely.
Abu Muhammad al-Madani (may Allah be pleased with him) was the uncle of our Grandshaykh’s shaykh, Sayyid Sharafuddin Daghestani (may Allah be pleased with him), and a great Wali in his own right. No one
dared question him or raise their face to him, such was his majesty. And yet, he
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=5762
Our Grandshaykh was the representative of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for his century. He tells us that there have been one hundred and twenty-four thousand Prophets from Adam (peace be upon him) up until the last Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him). For every station there is a higher station. Allah Almighty says, “Over every learned man, there is a more learned man.” Knowledge is an ocean without end; there
is horizon after horizon. We must always remember that however much we know, there is someone who knows more. Always, we tend to put all knowledge within the limits of what we, ourselves, know. We must not make this mistake. There is no limit to knowledge, or searching.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh says that Allah Almighty gives to those of His servants who are on the straight way divine knowledge to come to His Presence. Unless we follow that way, we cannot benefit from that divine help. We must realize, for instance, that Allah Almighty gave us our bodies, our precious organs, to use only according to His desires. “O my servants!” He says, “Do as I would like, not contrary to My desire!” When we use our bodies in ways that are not pleasing to our Lord, it is as if we are saying to Him, “I know, and You don’t.” We are, at that time, fighting with our Lord.
For example, Allah says to us, “Don’t look at that which is haram (forbidden).” Our nafs (egos), on the other hand, say, “It is a pleasure to look. I know more than You!” In addition to looking, there are, of course, many ways in which we may use our bodies in rebellion to our Lord. When we do this, we say, “I am free! No one orders me!” Bad kufr (disbelief) begins with this.
We must, therefore, be very careful and never let our nafs command us. This is a very sensitive point. Your ego (your nafs) will make you a donkey for itself, riding you as it desires. There is a hadith: “Your nafs is your donkey! Don’t be a donkey to your nafs!” The majority of people are donkeys for their nafs. It is worse when you are angry over something. When a man is angry, he is being ridden by his nafs, who happily calls to Satan, “Come! Ride with me on this fellow!”
* * * * * * *
We are listening to the words of our Grandshaykh, and it is very important to get all points accurately and correctly. Each has an essential part in our Islamic life; leave one out, and the whole will suffer.
* * * * * * *
It is very difficult for our nafs to accept that we are servants of Allah. There is struggle. A hadith says that we are returning always from the lesser fights, which are for the things of this world (including wars), to the greater fights, which are to control our own egos. We must be very careful as our nafs will not leave us even for a moment. Our ego is not concerned with fighting for goodness. It claims instead to be our lord, and demands that we follow its wishes.
Nimrod, the king of Babylon, once built a great tower for fighting against Allah. Our Grandshaykh says that, unlike King Nimrod who only built his tower once, we are continually building towers for fighting our Lord, until we finally surrender and become Muslim.
Everyone knows fighting Allah, but almost no one knows fighting their nafs. A man who takes a sword and kills one million men is not brave. The brave one is he who fights his nafs. Everything your nafs says to do – do the opposite! This is fighting!
“Astaghfirullah!” This means asking forgiveness from your Lord, asking refuge in Him Almighty and from your ego’s claim to be king. “You can’t find one moment in which you don’t need to say ‘Astaghfirullah’,” says our Grandshaykh. “You are always in need of this. Furthermore, it is highly recommended to give thanks to Allah Almighty two times with each breath!”
Rabia (may Allah be pleased with her) was a descendant of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and a great Waliyya (lady saint). Once forty saints came to visit her. “O my brothers!” she told them, “For each ‘Astaghfirullah’ that we say, we need to say another until we overcome our nafs and nothing is left. Then, our ‘istighfar’ will be all right. Otherwise, it is just our nafs that are saying ‘Astaghfirullah’!”
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh relates a saying of Muhyiddin ‘ibn Arabi (may Allah be pleased with him):
“If they offered me all the treasures of this world, I would not give even one inch of my intestines!” To give such a thing may mean death for the giver. In that case, what value do this world’s treasures hold?
To be alive for one moment in which to speak one holy word, to do one sunnah, is more valuable than the treasure of the whole world. Our Grandshaykh says, “In the sight of Awliya, this is perfect respect for the Prophet (peace be upon him). They are ready to give all treasures for one sunnah. Muyhiddin is giving great respect to his Lord with this saying. This is a sign of a servant of Allah.”
* * * * * * *
Here we are, sitting together. We are pleased with this, our meeting. If not, we would look for another. Each to his own group. Some like stalks, some like grain. Vultures, for example, like carrion, but not fresh meat. In the marketplace there are thousands of shops. One person goes to this one, another goes to that one; not everyone to the same shop. If someone is not pleased with a group, he cannot sit with them. This is an unchanging law. Our class is a free market, one may stay and buy, or go. We are not angry if no one buys.
* * * * * * *
We believe that Allah Almighty has endless powers, that those powers are absolute, and that He can do anything. He is not tied to reasons as we are, nor is He compelled to do anything. “It is a big lesson for us,” says our Grandshaykh, “that Allah Almighty has endless power – without means and reasons. He is not limited, like men, to the world of cause and effect. If a man wants to grow crops, he must have seed, and fertile ground, and rain. Allah has no need of anything. He created all the worlds in seven days. He says ‘BE,’ and it is. For what? To be a big lesson for us that we must not be in a big hurry to do a thing. We must be patient. It is for Allah to bring results quickly. For men, all things in this world come step by step. Wheat grows little by little by little, until the ear ripens. Nothing comes immediately. The sons of Adam (peace be upon him) reach their aim, their Divine stations, step by step.”
Allah says, “Whoever fights their nafs for Us will reach to Our Heavenly ways.” This means that you must be patient always, until you reach a point where your Lord will take care of you. It can be compared to what happens to a rocket when it reaches the edge of the earth’s gravitational pull. That rocket must spend huge amounts of power to
reach that point, until suddenly it is free from gravity’s pull. Then it can travel easily. Likewise, until we cut the ‘gravity’ of our egos, it will be very difficult. We must be patient – spending so much energy – fighting until we can be free of our nafs hold. Then we may go more easily also.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh says that Allah Almighty gave us very valuable organs, and asks us to use them as He orders. When we do this, we are riding our nafs. If not, our nafs’ are riding us. We must have patience to ride. Otherwise it is impossible!
How are we to use our organs? What is the balance, what are the criteria against which we can observe and criticize our actions?
For every action, you may find three ways, or positions. These are called wajib, sunnah, and haram. We will illustrate these terms with some examples:
The top class of people are the Awliya, the Saints. They have, in their eyes, a divine light, a divine power, that burns away badness in those people upon whom they look. Because of this divine quality, they may look everywhere, at men or at women. It has been ordered for them to look. There is no prohibition for them. Therefore, their looking is ‘wajib.’
For the second class of people, their looking is ‘sunnah.’ When one looks at a beautiful girl in this manner, he sees her as she would appear two years after her death! In this way, he can know what is temporary and what remains. He looks and learns, like a medical student looking at a cadaver.
For the third class of people, looking is prohibited – ‘haram.’ This is because they are always present with their nafs. All bad powers come into action with their looking. It is on the same level as a donkey when he sees a mare.
What is music in Islam? It is haram, forbidden, to listen to music that is arousing to the ego. How can you tell? If the heart goes to haram, it is haram!
Some people, on the other hand, when they listen to music are changing, looking at their incompleteness. This is a funny happening, and with it comes a very strong desire to complete one’s self, to save one’s self from incompleteness. This is Divine music, special music. We may say it is ‘sunnah.’
There is also another class of people, those who must listen to music. The music of Jalaluddin Rumi (may Allah be pleased with him), for instance, was the opening to Divine knowledge. From it one could take a power to protect the nation of Muhammad (peace be upon him). This is ‘wajib’ music.
Originally, no action was prohibited. Prohibition came only after that action started leading away from Allah Almighty, and towards our nafs, our egos. This is a general law. As our Grandshaykh says, “I am giving you a balance and a base. You may now go anywhere, east or west, and not lose your way. In every action, you may find ‘wajib,’ ‘sunnah,’ and ‘haram.’ One man goes to a saloon to drink; it is haram, Another goes to take knowledge; it is sunnah. The third man goes to smash bottles; that is wajib!”
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh was telling us about our responsibilities, according to the Awliya:
“Every day,” he said, “there are twenty-four thousand breaths, sixteen thousand movements and thirty thousand works for each person. On the Judgment Day, each of us will be questioned: ‘What was your intention for each of those actions?’ If you can reply to Allah Almighty, ‘I was intending your pleasure,’ this will be enough.”
It is a clear hadith of our Prophet (peace be upon him): “I came to you with Shariah (laws, rules, methods) like the sun shining.” We are, therefore, under heavy responsibility every moment. Either we are obedient servants, or we are not.
If a man is thinking this, how can he find time to find faults with others? You must always be thinking, “What will be my situation in the
Divine Presence?” This makes for good character. It is a formula for human life, a base to build upon.
Allah Almighty says, “Your every action – your praying, working, living, and dying must be for Me only.” This means that we must live and act and die in His way. We are sitting here for Allah Almighty, not for ourselves. To find fault with others is haram. It is a big sin to set oneself up as a judge of others. That is for Allah alone. He has no partners. When a man looks for another’s faults, he is ‘junub,’ impure. He must quickly make ghusl (bath, major ablution) to be clean. Under this imposition he will be afraid to find fault with other people.
* * * * * * *
The Grand Wali in these times, the keeper of this world, is Sahib uz-Zamaan (peace be upon him). He said, in the assembly of the Awliya, one word; one very important sentence – Our Grandshaykh repeated it as he heard: “The summary of all Holy Books, what is it? It is fear of God!”
If you have fear of God in your heart, you have the summary of all holy books. You will not leave any good action; you will do it! Also, if you have fear of God, you will not be able to do any bad deed. It is the main aim of all Holy Books to direct people in this way. What thing does man need to escape badness, and go to goodness? It is the fear of Allah in the heart. Without this he is like a wild animal.
Hadith tells us that in the last days few people will have the fear of Allah Almighty in their hearts. Animal nature will surface among us, and human nature will disappear.
Yet, from Allah come ‘radio waves’ to guide us to Him. He who has fear of Allah Almighty in his heart, he who believes in the Judgment Day and that Allah is Judge, he who believes that he will be asked to give account for his life – for his actions, that man will fear his Lord, and keep away from doing bad deeds; keep away from evils and devils!
If a man says, “I believe in Allah, but not in the Judgment Day,” he has no fear of God in his heart. Now, in our time, devils are fighting to destroy Iman (faith) in Allah. If they are unable to destroy a man’s belief in God’s existence, then they will try to destroy his belief in the
Judgment Day. If those devils succeed in doing that, it is the same as if they had destroyed belief in the first place. With no Judgment, there is no fear, no responsibility, and a man without responsibility is terrible. If you say to a wild tiger, “Goodness, Justice, Mercy,” will he listen? A man without responsibility is worse!
In this way devils are now working against humanity and good character. Bad people are defending disbelief, fighting against believers. Show me one man who believes in akhira (the life hereafter) doing bad things.
A man without conscience is dangerous, you must be very careful of him. The character of bad people is that they want all others to be like them. In badness, they are envious (hasad). Now, in our community, people are too much like this. They can’t look on another person’s goodness without wishing that it would go away. Envy! This is the worst character! Iman (faith) never lives with this!
* * * * * * *
A hadith relates: “My Lord taught me all good manners.” In Islam, manners are known as ‘adab,’ and he who keeps adab will bear the fruit of good character. It will seep through and permeate his being, as if he were an earthen vessel.
It is sunnah for a man to keep the adab of the Prophet (peace be upon him). “A man may make mistakes,” says our Grandshaykh, “but if he keeps good manners, the Prophet (peace be upon him) will intercede for him. Therefore, good manners are a means for a man to gain intercession.”
* * * * * * *
“We must believe,” says our Grandshaykh, “and, we must know that all of our actions, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem to us, are recorded by two angels sent by Allah Almighty to observe our deeds here on earth.” One angel sits on our right, and records our good deeds and words. The other sits on our left, and makes note of the bad things we do and say. We must know this.
On the Judgment Day each of us will be witness to the deeds of his or her life. Everything has been recorded like a cinema, and on that Day, Allah Almighty says, “Each person will see the good that he has done; even as small as the smallest atomic particle! Also, every bad deed will be seen, no matter how slight.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) says that for every person there will be a life record consisting of seventy rolls. Each roll will be as long as the eye can see. Nothing is hidden, and all can be seen at a glance. Allah Almighty will say, “Look at this man’s actions! What is your judgment for him?” The ‘film’ is your own and you will be your judge. It will be exact justice! There can be no question of anything being left out as the two angels are with us always, recording all we say and do.
In addition, Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) each have a private book for us, one for every person. While the book written by the two angels is always open, the book of Allah is closed. It is opened only when a man is not occupied with this world, only when he is praying and working sincerely for his Lord. The book of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is opened for those servants who are keeping the sunnah, those who respect the Prophet (peace be upon him) in their hearts and in their actions.
* * * * * * *
Once our Grandshaykh was sitting at dinner with his murids. It was a big feast, with rice and turkeys, so big that the people could not finish it all. Grandshaykh looked at all the food that was left over and called to one of his disciples, a man named Taseen Effendi. “Eat!” instructed our Grandshaykh. Taseen rolled up his sleeves and ate it all! All night, until one hour before fajr (the morning prayer), that murid stood in prayer without drawing a single breath!
Hudur: this means to lose oneself in the Divine Presence, to give your heart to that ocean! It is like a man taking off his clothes and diving into the sea! There are so many beautiful things that we cannot speak about. It is prohibited!
* * * * * * *
From the sayings of our Grandshaykh, on the manners of the Sahaba (the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him):
“Visiting is sunnah among the Muslims. It is for the love of Allah, and for His sake and that of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Disciples of the Prophet (peace be upon him) always visited each other.
“Assemblies amongst believers must be in mutual confidence, with no share for Satan. lblis always searches for an opportunity to enter the assembly, but he should not be allowed to take part! This is an important point! Always, if two people are sitting together, he is trying to be the third!
“What was the way of the Sahaba? When they were in assembly, they were using such a power that all the devils of creation, numbering to infinity, could not find a way to enter. The wall of power!
“The Sahaba were all awakened people, not asleep. They never gave occasion to lblis; not with their eyes, ears, tongues, hands, legs, noses, hearts, or thoughts. There wasn’t occasion for him.
“If one party to an assembly gives way to Satan there will be trouble for all. lblis is always coming to lead you, to ride you. You must take shelter with Allah Almighty or Satan will wound you, bind you, and take you as his slave. You must be careful to guard every moment. Allah is the shelter for you; be ready with Him, and the devil cannot approach.
“Satan has arrows. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says, ‘They are poison arrows.’ If, for example, a man is looking at a forbidden thing, he is pierced by an arrow of Satan. A man who can’t refrain from looking to haram is not given the Divine Light for looking upon the Heavenly Universe. The eyes must be kept for Allah Almighty or He will not permit your heart to look upon the unseen worlds. If you can’t keep your eyes from haram, you will stay blind in this world and the other. You cannot attain the station of those who have learned the Heavenly looking.
“The Awliya have eyes in their hearts. Allah says, ‘It is important for every Muslim, while in this life, to take Divine Light for looking to the Heavens.’ This is impossible for a man with the love of this life in his
heart. It applies not only to men looking at women, but to any looking after this life.
“Who prefers to have a picture in place of the original? This life is like an imagination, a photograph. The original life is in akhira, the hereafter. That is the valuable thing, not this dirty world! He who believes always prefers the eternal life to this dunya. A mu’min takes care with his actions, because he knows that whoever looks at this ‘photography,’ to this world, is prohibited from looking at the ‘original.’”
* * * * * * *
We believe that Paradise and Hell are real. It is ‘Haqq,’ truth. Our Grandshaykh says, “I’m always surprised to hear people say, when told about Hell, ‘O my Lord! Protect us from Hell.’ They ask the wrong thing. They should say, ‘O my Lord! Protect us from bad actions, and reasons that would lead us to Hell!’ Don’t fear Hell, but your bad actions!”
A mu’min, a believer, must be awake to those things which are apt to make one fall into Hell. A person doing bad actions immediately has fire coming into his heart, burning there. He feels tormented, dark and troubled. He has fallen into Hell! Unable, therefore, to find pleasure within himself, ..he turns to the outer life, to the pleasures of this dunya. Thus, they are floundering around in search of pleasure – television, radios, discos, bars; they have fallen into Hell! Allah Almighty tells us that every time they come out of Hell a little bit, they are pushed back in!
There is not real pleasure for them. Real pleasure must come from the heart. A man may sit in Hell on a throne, but he will still have no happiness.
People’s bad characteristics bring all of Hell’s troubles into their lives. Worshipping, and good characteristics, on the other hand, will bring Paradise into their hearts. If a person has this, he may be put into prison and yet his soul will be free! Are you asking pleasure, or sorrow? It’s in your hands! Our Lord says, “Everyone must taste his own goodness and badness, even if it is as small as an atom.” Do you understand? You are free if you show mercy to all things. Mercy then comes to you. This lesson is enough to last a man his entire life. We must know, and we must act.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh asks, “How do we know what is good, and what is bad?” He answers, “Allah Almighty is teaching all people. He created the sons of Adam (peace be upon him), and He sees that each one has a conscience.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “You must ask your conscience!” A mufti (judge) may give a verdict here on earth, but on the Last Day, you must be the judge for yourself. Allah Almighty has given all people a judge right here in their hearts. It is always saying, “Be on the straight way, as you have been ordered!”
People think Islam is like a coat; something you carry around with you and put on whenever you like. This is a mistake. Islam must be both inside and outside of you. It is a way of living, the best way, for it contains all things needed by the sons of Adam (peace be upon him). Whoever is asking happiness, Islam gives him light. It is the solution to all problems.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh says, “For every believer, it is wajib (obligatory) to sacrifice, with his soul and with his life; to keep standing by Rasulullah (peace be upon him) and his ways, his sunnah. He must not leave them lying down. The Prophet (peace be upon him) brought the sunnah from Allah Almighty, to make it living, to bring the dead to life! For a man to sacrifice his life for the sake of one sunnah is not asking too much!
“What kind of benefit would you expect to take from a man who wouldn’t sacrifice to keep the sunnah alive? None!
“The sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is more valuable than our souls. We make our lives and our souls valuable only when we are willing to sacrifice them for it. Only then will Allah give us real life and a valuable Soul. This is the way to reach real life!”
* * * * * * *
How is a wife to receive her husband? Our Grandshaykh gives us Divine Knowledge on this subject:
“If a woman is smiling at her husband, Allah orders all Paradise to open for her to enter. For her, He especially prepares such a palace as was never before prepared. He will bestow blessings that have never before been bestowed! Why does Allah Almighty bestow such blessings? It is because when a wife smiles at her husband, she takes the whole day’s troubles from his shoulders. It gives love between them, from her heart to his.
“Love is the reason to continue family life. If there is no love, the family separates. Therefore, Allah likes smiling faces. It is a simple thing, but very important. Allah never likes hatred between husband and wife, or between mu’min.
“The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that a smile is a sadaqa (charity) for everyone. Rasulullah (peace be upon him) came to increase the love between people; therefore we must do likewise. Don’t behave differently with different people. Don’t show a good face to one man, and a bad face to another. You must remember that we are all servants of Allah Almighty, and we have been ordered to do only goodness to each other. This is a unique attribute of man, it is not given to animals to smile or cry.
“In Paradise there are private sections for each person. When one does a good action, it appears in one of these sections as a bounty, or blessing. Paradise is filled with such bounties so much that there isn’t an empty place to put a finger! Mu’min (the believer) will enjoy that abundance every moment, endlessly.
“However,” continues our Grandshaykh, “If a woman receives her husband with an angry face, Allah will order his angels to shut Paradise, and will order Hell to burn hotter for her. Because of her anger, all the abundance of this life and the next are made haram for her. She must quickly turn and make repentance, before it is written in Allah’s book!
“Angry looks cause her husband’s heart to feel hatred for her. Even if she herself has troubles and is feeling miserable, she must receive
her husband with a smile. For this, Allah will reward her by removing all her troubles. This is the secret that keeps the family strong.
“If the family is strong, the community is strong. Life can then proceed happily, with no troubles. Therefore, in Islam it is sunnah for wives to smile so that love can grow. A simple thing, but it carries great consequence.”
* * * * * * *
“Allah likes smiling people,” says our Grandshaykh. “The highest degree for the human being is to smile at every event. It is one of the signs of Iman (faith) that may be seen in those who sit on the throne of the Awliya. It means that he is satisfied with the will of Allah Almighty, not fighting or coming opposite to Him.”
Only a few people can reach this point; among millions only one or two will reach it. They are very rare, like rubies among stones. Our Grandshaykh is teaching us little by little, directing us to that aim. It is very hard. One doesn’t reach the summit of Everest on the first step! They who succeed are kings in the next life with private stations in paradise. No one can know what is in them. If one knew even a little, they would smile at every event, for every ‘wrong’ in this world! They would be pleased with everyone. If a man is pleased with everyone and everything, he is in Paradise now! It is difficult, but we must try. We must know that no pleasure or sorrow in this life can last, but will come to an end and pass away. There is, therefore, no need to dwell upon a sorrow, no need to hold it in the mind. When a sorrow comes have patience, and a pleasure will come as a result. It is difficult, but important, to be satisfied with Allah Almighty when there is sorrow and things are not to our liking.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh says, “There is no jealousy in Paradise!” There is no character worse than jealousy. lman (faith) cannot exist with jealousy. All sadness and troubles are a result of the envious. It is ugly between ordinary people, and even uglier between learned people. If there were no envy, people would be so pure as to shake hands with the angels!
Among children, the biggest will take everything for himself. When something is brought for the little ones, the older ones will try to take it away from them.
Envy is a veil over the heart. It comes between a man and his Lord. You may find jealousy among all peoples, everywhere. When a man becomes pure from envy, this veil is removed. At that moment he may look upon the Prophet (peace be upon him). It will be as if you were dreaming, but you will be awake and able to speak with him. He will appear in a spiritual body.
A sign of the end, of the last days, is envy. It is like psoriasis of the skin, leprosy. If you sit with one so afflicted, you may be affected also. That is why there are hospitals for them.
Now jealousy is spreading like fire among all people, all leaders, all learned men, even women. It is like an ocean. In it live all the bad characters. Even a single glassful of this ocean will support millions of death-causing bacteria. Iblis fell from grace for this ‘hasad,’ this jealousy. Cain and Abel knew all about envy. Everyone looking to another with jealousy will be thrown from Allah’s mercy. As long as jealousy exists, there will be unrest in the heart.
Jealous people burn in this life with the fire of Hell. If there is a little jealousy, it will be a little fire. If there is a lot of jealousy, there is a big fire. For both, there will be no rest day or night.
Islam is fighting against this ocean of jealousy. It doesn’t accept even the tiniest amount! Allah Almighty orders us to seek protection in Him from jealousy, to dry up that ocean so that all the bad characters in it will die. When it is dried up completely, then the Light of Iman will come to your heart.
Shaykh Muqtadee says, “Jealousy is when you ask for good things to go away from another person.” For example, when a man gets a new car, the jealous person will wish for the car’s owner to wreck it or drive it off a bridge. If the accident happens, the jealous man will gloat.
In the time of Moses (peace be upon him) there lived a very poor man. One day he asked Moses (peace be upon him) to pray to Allah to
give him a cow. Moses (peace be upon him) agreed and asked his Lord to send that poor fellow his cow. Allah Almighty answered, “O Moses! Tell that man to pray for his neighbour, and I shall give two cows, one for each of them!” So, Moses (peace be upon him) went back to the poor man and told him what Allah had said. “If my neighbour gets a cow,” replied the indignant man, “then what would I want one for!”
This story shows us the nature of jealousy. That man wanted good things for himself alone. Not only did he not care for his neighbour’s needs but he actually went out of his way to prevent the other man’s happiness.
The first step towards Iman is to ask on behalf of everyone what you ask for yourself. There is no envy in Paradise. Envy is the fruit of the jealousy tree. Where this tree does not exist there can be no envy and, therefore, no bad character.
* * * * * * *
Our Grandshaykh said that wives have three obligations to their husbands. Only these, and nothing more, can a man place upon them:
The first obligation is that she must be under her husband’s will. She must be as his shadow, her likes and dislikes must be his likes and dislikes. When she acts contrary to her husband’s will, she is not a wife in the sight of the Awliya.
Her second obligation is to be the keeper of his property. She must not spend without his permission even if he has millions. If he gives permission, she may spend all of it. This is adab.
Thirdly, she must keep his honour when out of his presence. She must not sit with another man in her husband’s absence, even his brother. When a man and a woman sit together alone, Satan is always the third party. In ancient times when a man knocked at the door, a woman would answer with her thumb in her mouth so as not to sound lovely.
Abu Muhammad al-Madani (may Allah be pleased with him) was the uncle of our Grandshaykh’s shaykh, Sayyid Sharafuddin Daghestani (may Allah be pleased with him), and a great Wali in his own right. No one
dared question him or raise their face to him, such was his majesty. And yet, he
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=5762