MERCY OCEANS, Book 03 (Divine Sources, Shaykh Nazim, 83 pages, 2/4)
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just what you declare but that there is more behind that (i.e. your jealousy) which you dare not voice. Yes, and despite the fact that they will be so evil and shed blood, I am giving them that honour, making them
My deputies on Earth.”
This account is related in all Holy Books, and we believe in what the Lord has revealed to us. Not only do we believe, but it is plain to see that this is a reality: The Descendants of Adam rule the Earth above all other creatures, and the Lord Almighty has given them from His Own Divine Attributes. ‘That share of the Lord’s Attributes that has been bestowed upon the Descendants of Adam is the source of their honour thatsets them apart from all the Creation.
One of the Most prominent Attributes of Allah Almighty is His Uniqueness. He is the One and Only God with no god beside Him. Therefore, Uniqueness is a very basic and important Attribute of our Lord Almighty, so much so that, if recognition of this attribute is lost in any religion or in the worship of any individual worshipper, that worship becomes unacceptable to the Lord. To lose sight of His Uniqueness is one of the greatest sins.
He Almighty bestowed on His deputies, also, a share of this attribute, therefore, everyone likes to be unique. Because of this there must always be conflict between people; from this attribute grow all our bad actions.
I shall tell you one tale about our ancestor Adam. When
23 Allah Almighty caused Adam and Eve to descend from Paradise to earthly existence, He caused them also to be separated, Adam found himself on Mount Serendip in Ceylon and Eve in Jeddah, Arabia. Then they began to run back and forth in search of each other, There were no other human beings on Earth, so you can imagine Adam’s surprise when he saw what appeared to be aman like himself (but who was in reality the Angel Gabriel sent down in the shape of a man in order to check up on Adam).
Adam approached Gabriel, inquiring: “Who are you? And what are you doing here?” Gabriel replied: “I am a man like you and I am living on this Earth.” Adam, very displeased, said: “What shall we do now? If you are now also here we must establish a border so that you will have your territory and I mine. You shall not trespass onto my side, neither will I onto yours.” So they began erecting a border with boulders, and when they had thus demarcated the boundary they went their separate ways.
But no sooner had Adam departed when Gabriel came back and moved the boulders in order to make his territory larger. The next day Adam came in order to make a border patrol. When he noticed that the border had been changed he rushed on Gabriel and grabbed him, demanding: “Why have you moved the boundary markers?” Gabriel replied: The ptevious border was wrong, We had mis-measured. When I checked the survey again I discovered the mistake and made
the correction.”
Then Adam lost his temper and they began to fight. But Gabriel is an Angel with angelic power, so naturally he
24 overcame Adam. But Adam was very clever, and even when he was pinned down by Gabriel he kicked one of the marker-
rocks with his foot, moving it towards its original position.
Such is the character of mankind, planted in the very “yeast” of our being, in our very nature. Therefore, it is impossible for anyone to change human behaviour totally, and our Lord knows very well what characteristics He has planted in His creatures, and the wisdom in planting them. He never accepts any rejection of His honoured deputies, though they may be ever quarrelsome.
So many millions of people all are living on the face of one and the same World, and each one has in himself the need to be unique, to feel himself singular. And so, the kind of disputes as the one in our tale of Adam will always break out, as we are his heirs and the heirs of his attributes. He couldn't get along with even one other man on Earth, so what about billions?
By giving the descendants of Adam this attribute Allah Almighty has exposed us to a great trial indeed. Because of imen's attributes and also the inherent sufferings built into a temporary existence, the world can be termed a “House of Affliction”, a cursed place, with suffering overcoming us {rom every side. And the inhabitants of the heavens (i.e. Angels) wonder at our ability to do any good at all with sucha ature and in such a world; they have marvelled at our patience under such conditions, By being patient with the circumstances of our inner being and the circumstances that surround us, we have an opportunity of gaining high stations ini the Divine Presence, and endless fayours from our Lord.
25 Because of this God-given nature, it is impossible for anyone to do away with disagreements between people in this world, The duty of the Prophets has been to awaken peopleto the life of the hereafter, to remind them that this world is only a testing ground, and to train them to live in it in such a way that will bring them eternal felicity. The Prophets give people the weapons needed to fight their own bad characteristics and the evils of this world so that they may attain their eternal goals. They advised people: “Oh People, don’t fight over this world! It is a temporary life and of no real lasting value — it doesn’t matter whether you accumulate wealth in it or not, for you will leave it with empty hands, and all that will benefit you from it is your self-control while in it and obedience to your Lord’s orders. So be patient and turn your gaze to eternity.”
But so many people turn deaf ears to the advice of the Prophets and refuse to train their egos, which in the manner that is natural for them since they are the essence of selfishness —carry those people into conflict and wildness.
It is within the possibility of individuals to choose either of these two ways: to undergo the training of the Prophets and to learn to discipline themselves so that they may live in peace, or to follow the way of devils and try to gain selfish - pleasure at all costs. Anytime that trained people may be in power and establish their kingdom, there will be relative peace on Earth. But at any time that devils establish their kingdom, fighting and struggle continues and grows. Thete is no third force: at all times one may encounter sympathetic people trained in the ways of the Prophets and also merciless
26
“wildlife people” following the teachings of Satan.
Without a doubt the time we are living in is the age of the sovereignty of devils: from East to West, from North to South, and at the present time, until Divine intervention reaches to us, we can do nothing about, it. Iris a time in which people of good will find themselves caught up unwillingly in the conflicts ordered by devils, and, as those devils are the sovereigns of our time, Evil Oceans have covered the Earth, leaving mankind struggling in them trying to keep itself from drowning.
Our only responsibility as members of society, (beyond what we do in the way of keeping goodness alive in ourselves and in our contacts with those around us) is to be seeking to pledge our allegiance to a righteous sovereign, should one appear. It is written in the Qur’an and in the Bible that once, when the Children of Israel were suffering under the oppression of tyrants, they pleaded with their Prophet (Samuel) to ask the Lord to send them one of His sincere ser- vants, supported by Divine Power, to establish the kingdom of righteousness on Earth and to destroy the sovereignty of devils,
In this we find a good example for believers in all times, for the Lord says: “Oh people, Oh My servants, when you are oppressed by tyrants cry out to Me and ask Me to take the load of their cruelty from your shoulders. Ask Me to sweep away the sovereignty of devils and establish the heavenly kingdom on Earth.” Nowadays Christians, Jews and Muslims alike are all suffering under the rule of devils, whether those devils claim to be believers or openly deny faith. It is the duty
27 of all sincere people from all Nations to ask: “Oh our Lord, send us one of Your empowered servants to help us do as You have ordered us.” Let all men of good will pray in such a manner,
ink eae
Sheikh Nazim Al-Qubrusi (May Allah Sanctify his Blessed Soul)!
28 WHEN TRAGEDY COMES INTO OUR LIVES, HOW CAN WE KEEP OUR FAITH IN GOD’S MERCY?
Question: “Sheikh Efendi, when we behold the glory of the rising sun and the endless sky full of stars, we feel and know thereby that the Creator is and that He is very Great. But sometimes in the life of a person there occur very sad and terrible events: people whom we love die - parents, brothets, friends. When tragedy comes into out lives, how can we keep our faith in God's Mercy, how can we feel that He cares about what is happening to each and every one of us?”
Now our distinguished guest has asked a very important question that every single person in the world must be asking is his heart.
His eyes have been opened to the Infinite Glory of the Creator by the wonders He Almighty has created for that purpose. Therefore, he is praising the Creator and is saying that these wondrous signs in the cosmos and the perfection and harmony of the intricate movements of heavenly bodies, of the balance of nature etc. may cause a person to awaken to the Majesty of the Creator, Sustainer and Guide of All Creation.
He recognizes, as do all believers, that the Lord's Endless Mercy pervades the Universe, for without it neither we nor any othet creature could exist and take its sustenance. He sees that we are swimming in Allah’s Mercy Oceans. But he asks, as do so many people, how to reconcile our belief in Allah’s
29 Mercy with the bitterness and horror we feel at the death of loved ones and other seemingly merciless events in the world. He is asking how we can deal with the doubts that creep into our minds in respect to that mercy, how to deal with that voice that says to us; “If Allah is so merciful, how can He allow such events to happen?”
Yesterday we spoke of the creation of Adam, and we said that, according to tradition, the Descendants of Adam have been granted the most honourable station possible among
creatures of this world: therank of deputies of their Creator.
Every creature may ask to be in possession of such a high rank, but Allah Almighty cautioned them all, asking: “Who among you is prepated to pay the price and carry the burden of that most honoured rank? Who can carry that heaviest of tanks on their shoulders?” Yes, all creation was shown the nature of that rank, and its responsibilities. As Allah Almighty states in the Holy Qur’an:
“Verily, We offered that trust to the heavens, the earth and the mountains; and they refused to accept it, and they feared it. But man, he took it upon himself to bear it. Surely he was sinful, very foolish.”
And He Almighty revealed to creation all that was involved in that trust, so that no creature could plead that he had been burdened beyond what he himself had accepted. The result was, that when faced with such a choice, all of creation refused to take it upon themselves, saying that they could not trust themselves with such a task under such circumstances; saying that they were aftaid in the face of such an awesome challenge. But man said: “T can
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carry it. I am ready to make the necessary sacrifices, I am ready to pay the price.”
Here, then, is your answer. If you lay claim to that honour, if you value the nobility of your rank as “Crown of creation”, if you consider that which sets you apart from dogs and monkeys to be worth preserving, worth sacrificing for, then you must be prepared to agree with your Lord’s decrees; that is the price you pay for that most honourable rank. You must not reject what He wills in directing the course of life in His Creation. He does as He wills, and it is for us to be patient in matters that are beyond our sphere of influence (like the inevitability of death), for the sake of our Lord’s love, as He has given His love to the Descendants of Adam above all creatures.
Look, our Lord asked the Prophet Abraham, Peace be - upon him, to slaughter his son for the love of his Lord. In this story is a lesson for all of us. He Almighty ordered Abraham: “Slaughter your son for Me. The price of My Love is even more than the sacrifice of that love you harbour for your son. Give that love (which is now for yout son) to Mealso: by slaughtering him give it to Me.”
Then Abraham made teady to obey his Lord, despite Satan's repeated attempts to dissuade him. Thus (by proving his readiness to carry out the Lord’s order) Abraham proved his steadfastness in obeying the divine command. But the Lord, who is not in need of the blood of our sacrifices, but accepts the sincerity with which they are offered, prevented the knife from cutting. He Almighty ordered the knife: “Don’t cut!” Then Abraham tried to cut
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his son’s throat, but the knife wouldn't cut, would not even make a scratch, though he had sharpened it himself with the greatest care. Repeatedly he drew the knife across the delicate throat of his son, but with no result. At last Abraham threw down the knife, and in order to show Abraham the Power of His Will, He Almighty made that knife cut through a big rock like a knife cuts through cheese. Then an Angel appeared to the astonished Abraham, saying: “Oh Abraham, don’t think that your knife is dull! You have proved your sincerity, now take this ram and slaughter it...”
He Almighty has given His Divine Love to the De- scendants of Adam, and we have responded to our Lord, saying: “We are true unto You, oh our Lord.” Then He Almighty said: “Iam going to try you, to examine all of youto see who is true in his claim of loving Me.” Who can withstand such a trial as Abraham’s? But in all of our lives there are also trials, and by being patient in the face of them may we gain our Lord’s endless love.
One of the most famous of Islam’s Saints was the King of the land of Balkh, Ibrahim bin Adham. He abandoned his kingship for his Lord’s sake and went away to live on what he earned by performing tasks of menial labour, and devoted his spare time, and alll his heart, to his Lord’s worship.
When he abdicated his throne and went away he left behind him a pregnant wife. After twelve years the boy his
wife had borne began to inquire after his father. The boy set out in search of his father, and successfully traced his movements until he finally came across him in Mecca.
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Ibrahim bin Adham knew that the boy was his son the very first time he layed eyes upon his noble face. He said: “You are my son.” The boy said: “You are my father. Then Ibrahim prayed to his Lord: “Oh my Lord, You know best that, up until now, all of my love has been exclusively for You. Now I see that some of my love is going to this boy. Oh my Lord, all I want in this life is that my heart be purely for You; therefore, I implore You to please transform this love in my heart for the boy to love for You.”
Then Allah Almighty took the soul of that boy to His Divine Presence. The love that the boy had had for his father was transformed into Divine Love so that he went to the Divine Presence totally pure; and the love that Ibrahim bin Adham had for the boy also penetrated to the realm of Divine Loye, merged into the Divine Love Oceans of his saintly heart.
Allah Almighty is “Al-Ghayyur” or “The Jealous God”. He calls us to merge all the love we feel into His Divine Love; to take the love we feel for our loved ones and transform it into a love that will penetrate into the realm of Divine Love. This is the meaning of His requiring a “pure heart” (qalbun - salim) from His servants, for all that you love in those dear ones is but the attraction of a ray of the attributes of your Lord which you see in them, which shines through the familiarity between you and them and reaches your heart.
Those loved ones will die, and so will you; but if that love reaches to the ultimate recipient of all love. then the goal of human love has been attained, and it is acceptable and lovely in the Divine Presence. But if we fail to surrender to out
33 Lord’s decree of mortality for all His creatures, and hate Him for putting us in a temporary existence of passing images, states and feelings, life becomes a pill too bitter to swallow. In such a case life itself becomes a sorrow ocean, as He Almighty calls all of His servants, one by one, back to His Divine
Presence an awy from usand this world.
He is our Lord, the sole Sustainer of our existence. He has tights over us and tries us to see who will be true and hold to the love of their Lord. Therefore, all manner of events may occur: lovely people may die, young people may die, brothers, parents, wives and husbands may die, will die, must die, Everyone you love will die. Then He looks to see what you will do: Can you transform your love and make tragedy a cause of increasing your love for your Lord? So few people understand this, and that is why they can’t see the Divine Wisdom in sorrowful events. They don’t recognize that our Lord is beckoning us to love Him wholly and exclusively; therefore they suffer.
Everything He Almighty has given to the Descendants of Adam is temporary, not worthy of that ultimate love. You must give your love to the One who is always in existence — from pre-eternity to post- etemity.
“Glorified is the Ever - Living (Lord), for whom there is no Death”
Therefore, you must awaken to these realities and not ever think that events represent the decrees of a merciless Lord. No! For in these apparently merciless events is contained boundless mercy, as our Lord rewards us in accordance with the severity of our trials: the recompense is more and more of
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His Love. At any time sorrowful and unliked events may (and will) descend upon you. Your Lord makes them a means of approach to Him, that He may pour out everlasting Love Oceans on His beloved servants.
This is a very important point, and a very heavy one. We must comprehend these wisdoms and their import, but such realization will evade us as long as we are thinking that these ate just some words. That Divine Love must be tasted. As much as I may repeat the words: “Honey, honey, honey...” or describe the characteristics and flavour of honey, you are not going to taste it, not going to be satisfied, These realities must be tasted, and unless you have reached that point you cannot understand more than these words.
My god Oe
ag
” Sheikh Bahanddin Adil 35 A TRUE DREAM IS ONE-FORTIETH OF PROPHECY
True dreams open up ways for people to approach to heavenly spheres and heavenly beings. The Holy Prophet said that a true spiritual dream is one-fortieth of prophethood. Therefore, extraordinary dreams may indicate an imner
awakening, and may aid in establishing knowledge of reality.
When a person sleeps, his physical processes are maintained at a low level, but one continues to experience through dreams — which are the result of strange and extraordinary powers working on us. In dreams we may see ourselyes coming and going, doing and making so many things, sometimes very strange things. When a dreamed- of event actually occurs in real life, explains hidden aspects of events or involves visions of Saints or Prophets, that dream indicates a beginning for that individual's relation to heaven, an awakening of that person's spiritual life.
Prophethood itself started with such dreams, as the Holy Books are full of accounts of youths and children who were destined to become Prophets and saw extra- ordinary dreams in their youth before the full realities of Prophethood were revealed to them. The next level after seeing dreams, is the seeing of visions while in a waking state: being visited by Allah’s hidden servants and learning inner knowledge from them.
That is the beginning of prophecy, the signs of that special awakening that has occured from the earliest history
36 of mankind. Now billions of people follow those Holy Prophets, and for true believers in the Prophets the message they brought is of utmost importance in trying to understand man’s position in this life. When they were sent they came with so many signs, and their truthfulness and wisdom is beyond question. Therefore, as people have no way to refute them, no evidence upon which to base a rejection, we should follow them and pay heed to their instructions and prophecies.
To deny the truthfulness of Prophets despite the signs they brought, and despite their indisputably honest character is asin and a foolishness. “Positive Knowledge” has no basis upon which to base a rejection of the Prophets, and the most they can do is to say, “maybe or maybe not”. Some scientists however, who are more broadminded and perceptive than the average modem scientist, through the use of theit minds have come to the door of prophecy, have come face to face with the proof of its existence. But through their mind-productions they can never touch upon, what to speak of penetrating, the secrets of prophecy.
To understand the secrets of prophecy one must have been given prophecy. Men can never fully grasp a woman's situation, because they have never been women, and neither cana woman fully understand how aman feels. A child doesn’t understand an adult's feelings until he grows up. Only the Angels can fully understand the meaning of “Angelic”. Only
Prophets can understand prophethood and only Saints saint- | 100d,
And so, man can only come to the door of prophethood
37 and be in a position to confirm its existence, but he can never describe it accurately or understand it until he stops wracking his brain in the attempt — until he realizes that the mind and its productions are woefully inadequate means for understanding that reality. To taste the reality of prophecy he must leave aside his own “mind~productions” and follow prophecy. Then, and only then, he may take a “graft” of prophethood. This tree may be wild, but bring some bark from another tree and, though the tree may still be wild, it will take on some of the characteristics of that other tree.
The Holy Prophets have the same power of imparting their attributes to sincere and capable followers. They may cut away some bark from that person's ego and graft prophetic attributes onto him, so that lights of prophecy may also make themselves apparent in the personality of that individual. Though still not a Prophet, he may then look, see, hear and know in a way that normal people cannot. Such an exalted station is held in store for the true followers of the Prophets. Who are those true followers? He who leaves his ego and goes after that Prophet with all his soul is a true follower; it is he who may receive that graft of prophetic realities which is called Sainthood.
Once Abdullah ibn Umar (A son of the Khalipha Umar) was travelling with some of his companions on camel. Suddenly, as they were passing a certain place, he made his camel deviate from the path and after a short distance he made it return to the path. His fellow travellers asked him: — “Oh our master, why did you turn off the path in that place and then come back?” He replied: “Oh my sons and brothers, —
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as I passed that point I perceived that the Holy Prophet, Peace be upon him, deviated from the track in that same place and then returned to it at the place you saw me return. So I wanted
to do everything the way he did and follow him every step of the way.”
Those Saints who have been given light from the lights of the Prophet may perceive where the Holy Prophet stepped and where be stood — for in those places they can behold a light. Such lights may be seen by the Saints in different places in Medina where the Holy Prophet often stopped or sat. Such sincere followers are given “grafts” of miraculous powers, they are the Holy Prophet's true inheritors. Religious schol- ars are the inheritors of letters, of words and sayings, but the Awliya, the Saints are inheritors of the Prophet's realities, his actions and his attributes. Because of their true following they have been granted a kind of miraculous power called “Karamah”, which are miracles of a lesser scope but of the same essence as those given to Prophets, and they receive this power through the power of the Holy Prophet Peace be upon him.
Yes, this lecture is important; it clarifies for us that there is something else beyond our minds, that there are always some extraordinary beings living among mankind, and that you yourself can approach heavenly stations if you can follow your Prophet with complete abandon. If you can perfect such a surrender you may come to understand exactly what man- kind's position on this planet is. The Holy Prophet understood this better than anyone else and spoke openly about it in his prophecies. Now we can find those prophecies
39 recorded in Islamic books, but not everyone who reads those prophecies can understand their realities.
Once the Holy Prophet, Peace be upon him, asked one of his companions: “Oh Abdullah, in what condition have you awakened this morning?” He replied: “Indeed I have awakened this morning ina state of real faith and certainty. I have seen Paradise and Hell and the narrow bridge across Hell on Resurrection Day and I saw the revelation of our Lord’s Holy Presence and the multitudes assembled there.” Thus a true believer and complete follower can witness something of the truths beheld by Prophets and rent the veils that cover the eyes of the common people. But as long as you are imprisoned by your mind’s productions you will never witness the truth. The way to approach that unveiling is to follow the Way of the Prophets in righteousness and sincerity. In particular, for us living in this time that means following the way of the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, Peace be upon him, and his inheritors, the Awliya.
40 HEART MEDICINE
Question: “What medicine do you prescribe for heartaches?”
Each and every human being has two hearts. One is a physical lump of flesh the size of a fist and the other is the spiritual heart of immeasurable size and depth, more immense than the Universe. If you are asking about aches in the physical heart, the remembrance of Allah is one good medicine, as it imparts unto our bodies strength and regularity and helps the bodily systems that effect the heart to maintain better equilibrium,
If your question pertains to the spiritual heart, the heart that encompasses the whole universe, the remembrance of Allah is the medicine and nourishment of that heart as well. But to even become aware of the existence and functions of that heart, certain teachings must be absorbed and certain practices maintained, for these teachings and practices are what can make our remembrance effective. For both of man’s hearts remembrance, “dhikr”, is the elixir that can remove the strain of the burden of our heavy responsibility.
There are five stations of the spiritual heart. These stations are virtually unattainable to people because they never place a guard at the first station, and thus Satan is free to enter it at will and to make his mischievous, evil proclamations. When we let him enter he immediately starts to discourage us from our spiritual endeavours by announcing that, in reality, there is no “train”, no “spiritual station”, no “destination”. He claims, indeed, that even this
41 first station is no station at all but only a place where we are wasting our time waiting to go somewhere when in fact there is nowhere to go. By making such false proclamations he hopes to influence us to abandon the hope of attaining spiritual enlightenment — to leave even that first station and occupy ourselves as his servants in his realm. If we heed his tricky words and abandon our journey he will keep us in constant misery and distress, like prisoners in a very tiny cell. But if you post a guard at the first station of your heart to prevent Satan and his soldiers from entering, you will be safe from the invasion of
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just what you declare but that there is more behind that (i.e. your jealousy) which you dare not voice. Yes, and despite the fact that they will be so evil and shed blood, I am giving them that honour, making them
My deputies on Earth.”
This account is related in all Holy Books, and we believe in what the Lord has revealed to us. Not only do we believe, but it is plain to see that this is a reality: The Descendants of Adam rule the Earth above all other creatures, and the Lord Almighty has given them from His Own Divine Attributes. ‘That share of the Lord’s Attributes that has been bestowed upon the Descendants of Adam is the source of their honour thatsets them apart from all the Creation.
One of the Most prominent Attributes of Allah Almighty is His Uniqueness. He is the One and Only God with no god beside Him. Therefore, Uniqueness is a very basic and important Attribute of our Lord Almighty, so much so that, if recognition of this attribute is lost in any religion or in the worship of any individual worshipper, that worship becomes unacceptable to the Lord. To lose sight of His Uniqueness is one of the greatest sins.
He Almighty bestowed on His deputies, also, a share of this attribute, therefore, everyone likes to be unique. Because of this there must always be conflict between people; from this attribute grow all our bad actions.
I shall tell you one tale about our ancestor Adam. When
23 Allah Almighty caused Adam and Eve to descend from Paradise to earthly existence, He caused them also to be separated, Adam found himself on Mount Serendip in Ceylon and Eve in Jeddah, Arabia. Then they began to run back and forth in search of each other, There were no other human beings on Earth, so you can imagine Adam’s surprise when he saw what appeared to be aman like himself (but who was in reality the Angel Gabriel sent down in the shape of a man in order to check up on Adam).
Adam approached Gabriel, inquiring: “Who are you? And what are you doing here?” Gabriel replied: “I am a man like you and I am living on this Earth.” Adam, very displeased, said: “What shall we do now? If you are now also here we must establish a border so that you will have your territory and I mine. You shall not trespass onto my side, neither will I onto yours.” So they began erecting a border with boulders, and when they had thus demarcated the boundary they went their separate ways.
But no sooner had Adam departed when Gabriel came back and moved the boulders in order to make his territory larger. The next day Adam came in order to make a border patrol. When he noticed that the border had been changed he rushed on Gabriel and grabbed him, demanding: “Why have you moved the boundary markers?” Gabriel replied: The ptevious border was wrong, We had mis-measured. When I checked the survey again I discovered the mistake and made
the correction.”
Then Adam lost his temper and they began to fight. But Gabriel is an Angel with angelic power, so naturally he
24 overcame Adam. But Adam was very clever, and even when he was pinned down by Gabriel he kicked one of the marker-
rocks with his foot, moving it towards its original position.
Such is the character of mankind, planted in the very “yeast” of our being, in our very nature. Therefore, it is impossible for anyone to change human behaviour totally, and our Lord knows very well what characteristics He has planted in His creatures, and the wisdom in planting them. He never accepts any rejection of His honoured deputies, though they may be ever quarrelsome.
So many millions of people all are living on the face of one and the same World, and each one has in himself the need to be unique, to feel himself singular. And so, the kind of disputes as the one in our tale of Adam will always break out, as we are his heirs and the heirs of his attributes. He couldn't get along with even one other man on Earth, so what about billions?
By giving the descendants of Adam this attribute Allah Almighty has exposed us to a great trial indeed. Because of imen's attributes and also the inherent sufferings built into a temporary existence, the world can be termed a “House of Affliction”, a cursed place, with suffering overcoming us {rom every side. And the inhabitants of the heavens (i.e. Angels) wonder at our ability to do any good at all with sucha ature and in such a world; they have marvelled at our patience under such conditions, By being patient with the circumstances of our inner being and the circumstances that surround us, we have an opportunity of gaining high stations ini the Divine Presence, and endless fayours from our Lord.
25 Because of this God-given nature, it is impossible for anyone to do away with disagreements between people in this world, The duty of the Prophets has been to awaken peopleto the life of the hereafter, to remind them that this world is only a testing ground, and to train them to live in it in such a way that will bring them eternal felicity. The Prophets give people the weapons needed to fight their own bad characteristics and the evils of this world so that they may attain their eternal goals. They advised people: “Oh People, don’t fight over this world! It is a temporary life and of no real lasting value — it doesn’t matter whether you accumulate wealth in it or not, for you will leave it with empty hands, and all that will benefit you from it is your self-control while in it and obedience to your Lord’s orders. So be patient and turn your gaze to eternity.”
But so many people turn deaf ears to the advice of the Prophets and refuse to train their egos, which in the manner that is natural for them since they are the essence of selfishness —carry those people into conflict and wildness.
It is within the possibility of individuals to choose either of these two ways: to undergo the training of the Prophets and to learn to discipline themselves so that they may live in peace, or to follow the way of devils and try to gain selfish - pleasure at all costs. Anytime that trained people may be in power and establish their kingdom, there will be relative peace on Earth. But at any time that devils establish their kingdom, fighting and struggle continues and grows. Thete is no third force: at all times one may encounter sympathetic people trained in the ways of the Prophets and also merciless
26
“wildlife people” following the teachings of Satan.
Without a doubt the time we are living in is the age of the sovereignty of devils: from East to West, from North to South, and at the present time, until Divine intervention reaches to us, we can do nothing about, it. Iris a time in which people of good will find themselves caught up unwillingly in the conflicts ordered by devils, and, as those devils are the sovereigns of our time, Evil Oceans have covered the Earth, leaving mankind struggling in them trying to keep itself from drowning.
Our only responsibility as members of society, (beyond what we do in the way of keeping goodness alive in ourselves and in our contacts with those around us) is to be seeking to pledge our allegiance to a righteous sovereign, should one appear. It is written in the Qur’an and in the Bible that once, when the Children of Israel were suffering under the oppression of tyrants, they pleaded with their Prophet (Samuel) to ask the Lord to send them one of His sincere ser- vants, supported by Divine Power, to establish the kingdom of righteousness on Earth and to destroy the sovereignty of devils,
In this we find a good example for believers in all times, for the Lord says: “Oh people, Oh My servants, when you are oppressed by tyrants cry out to Me and ask Me to take the load of their cruelty from your shoulders. Ask Me to sweep away the sovereignty of devils and establish the heavenly kingdom on Earth.” Nowadays Christians, Jews and Muslims alike are all suffering under the rule of devils, whether those devils claim to be believers or openly deny faith. It is the duty
27 of all sincere people from all Nations to ask: “Oh our Lord, send us one of Your empowered servants to help us do as You have ordered us.” Let all men of good will pray in such a manner,
ink eae
Sheikh Nazim Al-Qubrusi (May Allah Sanctify his Blessed Soul)!
28 WHEN TRAGEDY COMES INTO OUR LIVES, HOW CAN WE KEEP OUR FAITH IN GOD’S MERCY?
Question: “Sheikh Efendi, when we behold the glory of the rising sun and the endless sky full of stars, we feel and know thereby that the Creator is and that He is very Great. But sometimes in the life of a person there occur very sad and terrible events: people whom we love die - parents, brothets, friends. When tragedy comes into out lives, how can we keep our faith in God's Mercy, how can we feel that He cares about what is happening to each and every one of us?”
Now our distinguished guest has asked a very important question that every single person in the world must be asking is his heart.
His eyes have been opened to the Infinite Glory of the Creator by the wonders He Almighty has created for that purpose. Therefore, he is praising the Creator and is saying that these wondrous signs in the cosmos and the perfection and harmony of the intricate movements of heavenly bodies, of the balance of nature etc. may cause a person to awaken to the Majesty of the Creator, Sustainer and Guide of All Creation.
He recognizes, as do all believers, that the Lord's Endless Mercy pervades the Universe, for without it neither we nor any othet creature could exist and take its sustenance. He sees that we are swimming in Allah’s Mercy Oceans. But he asks, as do so many people, how to reconcile our belief in Allah’s
29 Mercy with the bitterness and horror we feel at the death of loved ones and other seemingly merciless events in the world. He is asking how we can deal with the doubts that creep into our minds in respect to that mercy, how to deal with that voice that says to us; “If Allah is so merciful, how can He allow such events to happen?”
Yesterday we spoke of the creation of Adam, and we said that, according to tradition, the Descendants of Adam have been granted the most honourable station possible among
creatures of this world: therank of deputies of their Creator.
Every creature may ask to be in possession of such a high rank, but Allah Almighty cautioned them all, asking: “Who among you is prepated to pay the price and carry the burden of that most honoured rank? Who can carry that heaviest of tanks on their shoulders?” Yes, all creation was shown the nature of that rank, and its responsibilities. As Allah Almighty states in the Holy Qur’an:
“Verily, We offered that trust to the heavens, the earth and the mountains; and they refused to accept it, and they feared it. But man, he took it upon himself to bear it. Surely he was sinful, very foolish.”
And He Almighty revealed to creation all that was involved in that trust, so that no creature could plead that he had been burdened beyond what he himself had accepted. The result was, that when faced with such a choice, all of creation refused to take it upon themselves, saying that they could not trust themselves with such a task under such circumstances; saying that they were aftaid in the face of such an awesome challenge. But man said: “T can
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carry it. I am ready to make the necessary sacrifices, I am ready to pay the price.”
Here, then, is your answer. If you lay claim to that honour, if you value the nobility of your rank as “Crown of creation”, if you consider that which sets you apart from dogs and monkeys to be worth preserving, worth sacrificing for, then you must be prepared to agree with your Lord’s decrees; that is the price you pay for that most honourable rank. You must not reject what He wills in directing the course of life in His Creation. He does as He wills, and it is for us to be patient in matters that are beyond our sphere of influence (like the inevitability of death), for the sake of our Lord’s love, as He has given His love to the Descendants of Adam above all creatures.
Look, our Lord asked the Prophet Abraham, Peace be - upon him, to slaughter his son for the love of his Lord. In this story is a lesson for all of us. He Almighty ordered Abraham: “Slaughter your son for Me. The price of My Love is even more than the sacrifice of that love you harbour for your son. Give that love (which is now for yout son) to Mealso: by slaughtering him give it to Me.”
Then Abraham made teady to obey his Lord, despite Satan's repeated attempts to dissuade him. Thus (by proving his readiness to carry out the Lord’s order) Abraham proved his steadfastness in obeying the divine command. But the Lord, who is not in need of the blood of our sacrifices, but accepts the sincerity with which they are offered, prevented the knife from cutting. He Almighty ordered the knife: “Don’t cut!” Then Abraham tried to cut
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his son’s throat, but the knife wouldn't cut, would not even make a scratch, though he had sharpened it himself with the greatest care. Repeatedly he drew the knife across the delicate throat of his son, but with no result. At last Abraham threw down the knife, and in order to show Abraham the Power of His Will, He Almighty made that knife cut through a big rock like a knife cuts through cheese. Then an Angel appeared to the astonished Abraham, saying: “Oh Abraham, don’t think that your knife is dull! You have proved your sincerity, now take this ram and slaughter it...”
He Almighty has given His Divine Love to the De- scendants of Adam, and we have responded to our Lord, saying: “We are true unto You, oh our Lord.” Then He Almighty said: “Iam going to try you, to examine all of youto see who is true in his claim of loving Me.” Who can withstand such a trial as Abraham’s? But in all of our lives there are also trials, and by being patient in the face of them may we gain our Lord’s endless love.
One of the most famous of Islam’s Saints was the King of the land of Balkh, Ibrahim bin Adham. He abandoned his kingship for his Lord’s sake and went away to live on what he earned by performing tasks of menial labour, and devoted his spare time, and alll his heart, to his Lord’s worship.
When he abdicated his throne and went away he left behind him a pregnant wife. After twelve years the boy his
wife had borne began to inquire after his father. The boy set out in search of his father, and successfully traced his movements until he finally came across him in Mecca.
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Ibrahim bin Adham knew that the boy was his son the very first time he layed eyes upon his noble face. He said: “You are my son.” The boy said: “You are my father. Then Ibrahim prayed to his Lord: “Oh my Lord, You know best that, up until now, all of my love has been exclusively for You. Now I see that some of my love is going to this boy. Oh my Lord, all I want in this life is that my heart be purely for You; therefore, I implore You to please transform this love in my heart for the boy to love for You.”
Then Allah Almighty took the soul of that boy to His Divine Presence. The love that the boy had had for his father was transformed into Divine Love so that he went to the Divine Presence totally pure; and the love that Ibrahim bin Adham had for the boy also penetrated to the realm of Divine Loye, merged into the Divine Love Oceans of his saintly heart.
Allah Almighty is “Al-Ghayyur” or “The Jealous God”. He calls us to merge all the love we feel into His Divine Love; to take the love we feel for our loved ones and transform it into a love that will penetrate into the realm of Divine Love. This is the meaning of His requiring a “pure heart” (qalbun - salim) from His servants, for all that you love in those dear ones is but the attraction of a ray of the attributes of your Lord which you see in them, which shines through the familiarity between you and them and reaches your heart.
Those loved ones will die, and so will you; but if that love reaches to the ultimate recipient of all love. then the goal of human love has been attained, and it is acceptable and lovely in the Divine Presence. But if we fail to surrender to out
33 Lord’s decree of mortality for all His creatures, and hate Him for putting us in a temporary existence of passing images, states and feelings, life becomes a pill too bitter to swallow. In such a case life itself becomes a sorrow ocean, as He Almighty calls all of His servants, one by one, back to His Divine
Presence an awy from usand this world.
He is our Lord, the sole Sustainer of our existence. He has tights over us and tries us to see who will be true and hold to the love of their Lord. Therefore, all manner of events may occur: lovely people may die, young people may die, brothers, parents, wives and husbands may die, will die, must die, Everyone you love will die. Then He looks to see what you will do: Can you transform your love and make tragedy a cause of increasing your love for your Lord? So few people understand this, and that is why they can’t see the Divine Wisdom in sorrowful events. They don’t recognize that our Lord is beckoning us to love Him wholly and exclusively; therefore they suffer.
Everything He Almighty has given to the Descendants of Adam is temporary, not worthy of that ultimate love. You must give your love to the One who is always in existence — from pre-eternity to post- etemity.
“Glorified is the Ever - Living (Lord), for whom there is no Death”
Therefore, you must awaken to these realities and not ever think that events represent the decrees of a merciless Lord. No! For in these apparently merciless events is contained boundless mercy, as our Lord rewards us in accordance with the severity of our trials: the recompense is more and more of
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His Love. At any time sorrowful and unliked events may (and will) descend upon you. Your Lord makes them a means of approach to Him, that He may pour out everlasting Love Oceans on His beloved servants.
This is a very important point, and a very heavy one. We must comprehend these wisdoms and their import, but such realization will evade us as long as we are thinking that these ate just some words. That Divine Love must be tasted. As much as I may repeat the words: “Honey, honey, honey...” or describe the characteristics and flavour of honey, you are not going to taste it, not going to be satisfied, These realities must be tasted, and unless you have reached that point you cannot understand more than these words.
My god Oe
ag
” Sheikh Bahanddin Adil 35 A TRUE DREAM IS ONE-FORTIETH OF PROPHECY
True dreams open up ways for people to approach to heavenly spheres and heavenly beings. The Holy Prophet said that a true spiritual dream is one-fortieth of prophethood. Therefore, extraordinary dreams may indicate an imner
awakening, and may aid in establishing knowledge of reality.
When a person sleeps, his physical processes are maintained at a low level, but one continues to experience through dreams — which are the result of strange and extraordinary powers working on us. In dreams we may see ourselyes coming and going, doing and making so many things, sometimes very strange things. When a dreamed- of event actually occurs in real life, explains hidden aspects of events or involves visions of Saints or Prophets, that dream indicates a beginning for that individual's relation to heaven, an awakening of that person's spiritual life.
Prophethood itself started with such dreams, as the Holy Books are full of accounts of youths and children who were destined to become Prophets and saw extra- ordinary dreams in their youth before the full realities of Prophethood were revealed to them. The next level after seeing dreams, is the seeing of visions while in a waking state: being visited by Allah’s hidden servants and learning inner knowledge from them.
That is the beginning of prophecy, the signs of that special awakening that has occured from the earliest history
36 of mankind. Now billions of people follow those Holy Prophets, and for true believers in the Prophets the message they brought is of utmost importance in trying to understand man’s position in this life. When they were sent they came with so many signs, and their truthfulness and wisdom is beyond question. Therefore, as people have no way to refute them, no evidence upon which to base a rejection, we should follow them and pay heed to their instructions and prophecies.
To deny the truthfulness of Prophets despite the signs they brought, and despite their indisputably honest character is asin and a foolishness. “Positive Knowledge” has no basis upon which to base a rejection of the Prophets, and the most they can do is to say, “maybe or maybe not”. Some scientists however, who are more broadminded and perceptive than the average modem scientist, through the use of theit minds have come to the door of prophecy, have come face to face with the proof of its existence. But through their mind-productions they can never touch upon, what to speak of penetrating, the secrets of prophecy.
To understand the secrets of prophecy one must have been given prophecy. Men can never fully grasp a woman's situation, because they have never been women, and neither cana woman fully understand how aman feels. A child doesn’t understand an adult's feelings until he grows up. Only the Angels can fully understand the meaning of “Angelic”. Only
Prophets can understand prophethood and only Saints saint- | 100d,
And so, man can only come to the door of prophethood
37 and be in a position to confirm its existence, but he can never describe it accurately or understand it until he stops wracking his brain in the attempt — until he realizes that the mind and its productions are woefully inadequate means for understanding that reality. To taste the reality of prophecy he must leave aside his own “mind~productions” and follow prophecy. Then, and only then, he may take a “graft” of prophethood. This tree may be wild, but bring some bark from another tree and, though the tree may still be wild, it will take on some of the characteristics of that other tree.
The Holy Prophets have the same power of imparting their attributes to sincere and capable followers. They may cut away some bark from that person's ego and graft prophetic attributes onto him, so that lights of prophecy may also make themselves apparent in the personality of that individual. Though still not a Prophet, he may then look, see, hear and know in a way that normal people cannot. Such an exalted station is held in store for the true followers of the Prophets. Who are those true followers? He who leaves his ego and goes after that Prophet with all his soul is a true follower; it is he who may receive that graft of prophetic realities which is called Sainthood.
Once Abdullah ibn Umar (A son of the Khalipha Umar) was travelling with some of his companions on camel. Suddenly, as they were passing a certain place, he made his camel deviate from the path and after a short distance he made it return to the path. His fellow travellers asked him: — “Oh our master, why did you turn off the path in that place and then come back?” He replied: “Oh my sons and brothers, —
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as I passed that point I perceived that the Holy Prophet, Peace be upon him, deviated from the track in that same place and then returned to it at the place you saw me return. So I wanted
to do everything the way he did and follow him every step of the way.”
Those Saints who have been given light from the lights of the Prophet may perceive where the Holy Prophet stepped and where be stood — for in those places they can behold a light. Such lights may be seen by the Saints in different places in Medina where the Holy Prophet often stopped or sat. Such sincere followers are given “grafts” of miraculous powers, they are the Holy Prophet's true inheritors. Religious schol- ars are the inheritors of letters, of words and sayings, but the Awliya, the Saints are inheritors of the Prophet's realities, his actions and his attributes. Because of their true following they have been granted a kind of miraculous power called “Karamah”, which are miracles of a lesser scope but of the same essence as those given to Prophets, and they receive this power through the power of the Holy Prophet Peace be upon him.
Yes, this lecture is important; it clarifies for us that there is something else beyond our minds, that there are always some extraordinary beings living among mankind, and that you yourself can approach heavenly stations if you can follow your Prophet with complete abandon. If you can perfect such a surrender you may come to understand exactly what man- kind's position on this planet is. The Holy Prophet understood this better than anyone else and spoke openly about it in his prophecies. Now we can find those prophecies
39 recorded in Islamic books, but not everyone who reads those prophecies can understand their realities.
Once the Holy Prophet, Peace be upon him, asked one of his companions: “Oh Abdullah, in what condition have you awakened this morning?” He replied: “Indeed I have awakened this morning ina state of real faith and certainty. I have seen Paradise and Hell and the narrow bridge across Hell on Resurrection Day and I saw the revelation of our Lord’s Holy Presence and the multitudes assembled there.” Thus a true believer and complete follower can witness something of the truths beheld by Prophets and rent the veils that cover the eyes of the common people. But as long as you are imprisoned by your mind’s productions you will never witness the truth. The way to approach that unveiling is to follow the Way of the Prophets in righteousness and sincerity. In particular, for us living in this time that means following the way of the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, Peace be upon him, and his inheritors, the Awliya.
40 HEART MEDICINE
Question: “What medicine do you prescribe for heartaches?”
Each and every human being has two hearts. One is a physical lump of flesh the size of a fist and the other is the spiritual heart of immeasurable size and depth, more immense than the Universe. If you are asking about aches in the physical heart, the remembrance of Allah is one good medicine, as it imparts unto our bodies strength and regularity and helps the bodily systems that effect the heart to maintain better equilibrium,
If your question pertains to the spiritual heart, the heart that encompasses the whole universe, the remembrance of Allah is the medicine and nourishment of that heart as well. But to even become aware of the existence and functions of that heart, certain teachings must be absorbed and certain practices maintained, for these teachings and practices are what can make our remembrance effective. For both of man’s hearts remembrance, “dhikr”, is the elixir that can remove the strain of the burden of our heavy responsibility.
There are five stations of the spiritual heart. These stations are virtually unattainable to people because they never place a guard at the first station, and thus Satan is free to enter it at will and to make his mischievous, evil proclamations. When we let him enter he immediately starts to discourage us from our spiritual endeavours by announcing that, in reality, there is no “train”, no “spiritual station”, no “destination”. He claims, indeed, that even this
41 first station is no station at all but only a place where we are wasting our time waiting to go somewhere when in fact there is nowhere to go. By making such false proclamations he hopes to influence us to abandon the hope of attaining spiritual enlightenment — to leave even that first station and occupy ourselves as his servants in his realm. If we heed his tricky words and abandon our journey he will keep us in constant misery and distress, like prisoners in a very tiny cell. But if you post a guard at the first station of your heart to prevent Satan and his soldiers from entering, you will be safe from the invasion of
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