MERCY OCEANS, Book 07 (Hidden Treasures, Shaykh Nazim, 220 pages, 9/12)
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d them with your ego which prevents any Inayah from coming to that assembly, so no benefit is possible from that meeting; they are like fish thrown out of the sea, and it is your fault.”
“And thus, virtually every learned person is thinking that he is like a deputy of Allah Almighty or the Holy Prophet; so their address to the people is full of pride. They see the people as being on the lowest level and themselves as being on the highest. But, if you put yourself on such a high level, how can your words possibly reach to those lowly creatures whom you hope to benefit? Allah Almighty Himself, in His Essence, is with every creature, as it says in the Holy Qur’an: ‘And
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He is with you wherever you are.’ So if Allah Himself sees it fit to be with His creatures through His Power, Knowledge and Divine Will, how shall you mount yourself high and mighty upon a throne of pride and look down at the rest of the world? You miscreant! You monster! You are killing them with your pride!”
Thereupon, full of shame and remorse, the son said to his father: “Oh my father and my Grandshaykh, please guide me to the path you are on so that I may follow you in it.” And he begged forgiveness of his father and followed him on his way until he reached his heavenly station.
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THE GRAND MUFTI WHO CLEANED TOILETS
Our Grandshaykh always spoke about Divine Knowledge, but ordinary learned people usually do not accept the knowledge of the Sufis; they accept no other than book knowledge. Sufis who have this Divine Knowledge are also aware of and learned in book knowledge, and they know it well. Why, you might ask, do they acquire this book knowledge, although they are not in need of it, thanks to the springs of wisdom that have opened in their hearts? My Grandshaykh says that the People of Truth (Ahl-ul-Haqiqa) utilize this book knowledge for the purpose of ‘hunting’, for drawing learned people to the Sufi way; because they know that unless they show their knowledge of books, these learned people will never follow them nor surrender to them; but if they exhibit learning and book knowledge, they may be able to effectively bring them to the Way. ThosepeoplewhohavebeengivenDivineKnowledge’s
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are hunters, and hunters with a miraculous ability for catching prey, so that by using those powers they can catch learned people of even the highest degree: Muftis, Grand-Muftis and Shaykhs of Islam (highest title for outward scholars), who are so proud of their knowledges.
Mawlana Khalid al-Baghdadi (died about 150 years ago) was a Great-Grandshaykh of the Sufi Way, and he was also very learned in book knowledge. With the combination of his skills he ‘caught’ the Shaykh of Islam who was considered to be the most eminent scholar of his time. That Shaykh of Islam, the Grand-Mufti, left his position and all the honours attached to it in order to devote himself fully to following Mawlana Khalid’s teaching. When the Grand-Mufti came to Mawlana Khalid, the very first thing he bade him do was to go down to the Great Mosque and take on work as the cleaner of the toilets. “This,” he was told, “shall be your duty.”
Grandshaykhs may order their followers to do such tasks in order that their egos may be reduced to the level of humility, as egos, especially those of learned people, are so proud — and pride is for Allah only, no one else. Satan became proud, and because of his pride he was cast down low. The Prophet says: “Whosoever has even the smallest particle of pride cannot enter Paradise.” So, since pride is such a dangerous and unacceptable attribute, the first thing that Grandshaykhs teach their followers is how to forego their pride. A Grand-Mufti is such a very learned person that surely he is most proud of his many knowledges, and that pride is no good for him. Therefore, he was ordered to leave his station of Grand-Mufti and to come to work on the level of humble servitude.
Every service is honourable, except those actions which Allah Almighty has forbidden; therefore, no
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one should say to you, “You should be ashamed of this job,” because your work may be humble or lowly. Now, cleaning the toilets of a Mosque is in no way prohibited —it is not like cleaning toilets in a bar or cinema. It is the toilet of a holy place, and there is no disgrace in cleaning it. Any objections the Grand-Mufti could have had when his Shaykh ordered him to do the job would have been proceeding from his ego, saying to him: “This kind of work is not befitting of one such as you; look what an honoured position you formerly were in compared to that which you’re in now — cleaning toilets!” In reality there is nothing wrong with the job, but it does not agree with ego’s whims. So, in order to oppose his murid’s ego, the Grandshaykh ordered his murid to do that work, and the murid answered: “I will do as you say, not as my ego dictates.”
Then that Grand-Mufti began to clean toilets every day and became completely devoted to his service, disregarding his family, friends and all things beside that duty which his Grandshaykh had ordered him to perform. One day a former colleague of his — a very learned person — came to the Great Mosque and, seeing the Grand-Mufti in his new job, he objected, saying: “What are you doing? What sort of a place are you working in? Does not the Prophet, blessed be he, say: ‘Cleanliness is of Iman (Faith)?’, so how can you do such a defiling job? It is not right that a person of your rank and standing should perform such menial tasks, getting yourself dirty in the process.”
People of his kind understand cleanliness to be only of the outward kind, the cleanliness of the clothes and body, and they never consider the cleanliness of the heart, which does not seem important to them. They are making it easy for themselves, for if they were concerned with the cleaning of the hearts, they would have to surrender to a Grandshaykh.
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Then the former Grand-Mufti answered his critic: “As much as you know, I know also, and more, so don’t try to make me feel ashamed at the service I am performing. Don’t set yourself up to judge me but leave judgement up to the Judge of Judges; go about minding your own business. When you judge me, you are attempting to be a judge beside Allah Almighty, and thus you are, in that moment, an unbeliever. All of your knowledge, if it does not spring from the completeness of inheritance from the Prophet, is useless and nothing but a veil which is preventing you from witnessing reality. Oh you of meagre capacities, I knew all that you know before you ever entered school.”
In reality, it was his Grandshaykh who had sent this visitor to him in order to test him — to see whether he was firm yet, or not. From what he told that man, he could see that his murid was indeed standing firmly and not swaying. That night the Grand-Mufti was in the mosque. Suddenly his Grandshaykh appeared at his side and catching him by the hand, ordered him: “Close your eyes.” After that he ordered again, “Open your eyes.”
When he did as instructed, he found himself transported to Makkah — through the power of his Grandshaykh he went from Baghdad to Makkah in but a few seconds; and as he looked around, he found himself in the presence of 124,000 Prophets and the same number of Awliya in the Holy Mosque of Makkah, assembled there to witness the Holy Prophet Muhammad giving the order to Grandshaykh Mawlana Khalid to bestow upon his murid, the Mufti, the station of trustworthiness —the station in which his ego can no longer assail him, in which he is firmly fixed, no longer falling in ego’s traps. There he may receive the keys to the treasures which have been given to him by his Lord on the Day of Promises; after it has been proven that he has enough
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power to care for and keep his treasures well. Neither Satan nor his ego can trick him in that station, for he is under special Divine Protection that keeps the subtle enemies endangering him far away from him; and at that moment he has reached his Heavenly Station in the Divine Presence, his goal in this life, and he has completed the Divine Purpose destined for him.
Such people who have reached completion during this life are kings in the afterlife, and in this life Allah chooses them to wear the crown that was given to Sayyidina Adam — the crown of the Khalifa-t-ullah (Allah’s Khalifa) in the Universe. If anyone is aspiring to reach that highest rank in this life, Allah Almighty says: “Follow such a person who has attained that position and be like him, then I will dress you in My robe of honour and crown you as I have ever done for My loyal servants.” The way is open for the aspirant to that highest honour. For those who are not seeking the highest positions, their place is that of ordinary subjects under the sovereignty of those spiritual kings, and they may be loyal servants to them; to belong to one of the Khalifas of Allah Almighty on Earth is an honour for all people.
We are mainly interested here in casting light on the Way for those people who are aspiring to the highest ranks of surrender and servitude to Allah during this life. Whoever is interested, we are ready and have permission from our Grandshaykh to guide anyone who would like to receive guidance; we are saying to you ‘Ahlan wa Sahlan’ you are most welcome.
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EPILOGUE
(A question was asked concerning some brothers who had encountered difficulties while anticipating rapid progress — what led to their disappointment?)
Walking is not like riding on a donkey, and riding on a donkey is not like riding in a car — each traveller makes progress in accordance with his own particular capability.
The Ottoman Sultan Sulayman once ordered an architect to build him a huge mosque in Istanbul. When that architect undertook the great task, he built the foundation so deep that it reached to sea-level. After he had completed laying this formidable foundation, he suddenly disappeared for seven years. The Sultan was furious and sent many people out to try and find him, but they returned with no success. Finally, he showed up of his own accord and went to report to the Sultan, who flew into a blind rage and was ready to cut off his head. The Sultan bellowed at him: “How dare you disappear for such a long period of time! I want this Mosque to be completed during my lifetime, and no one can know when he might die!”
The architect replied: “Oh Sultan, you know your job and I know mine; no foundation of such huge proportions can properly settle in any less than seven years. If I would have built it any earlier, the building would have been in danger of collapsing on the worshippers inside — and who would have been cursed in that case? — I would. When I build it now, its great dome will be so firmly set that even when the earthquakes of the Resurrection Day occur, that dome will not crumble or fall apart, but will pop off the Mosque like a lid from a pot.”
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And so, anyone wanting to follow this Tariqat ought to know that he must be tested many, many times before he can be considered responsible enough to receive any spiritual stations. Those brothers were yet so new and untested, and as soon as the first little trial came to them they listened to ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ instead of their Shaykh. Therefore, only when many tests have been passed, will the Prophet send a message to Grandshaykh that such-and-such a murid has attained to trustworthiness, and may now be given the keys to his treasures. Only when it has been proven that the murid is firmly with the Shaykh — with him the Last Day — will the treasure be revealed to him; for otherwise, maybe he would take those treasures and give them over to Satan — God forbid! * * * END OF PART ONE ~DAMASCUS LECTURES~ WINTER 1401 H. (1981 C.E.)
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE ALL BENEFICENT, THE ALL MERCIFUL
PART TWO
SPRING LECTURES DAMASCUS 1400 H. (1980 C.E.)
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DO YOUR BEST FOR THE WHOLE WORLD AND CARRY NO ENMITY IN YOUR HEART
Today we will speak about friendly relations among men, and I speak to you from the heart of my Grandshaykh, as I heard it from him when he was with us; even now, I listen to him in my heart. The Holy Prophet ordered: “Oh servants of Allah — be brothers; Allah Almighty has made you brothers through your faith.” This is the Judgement of the Almighty: Every believer is the brother of every other believer.
You have as many brothers as there are believers. Brothers should love and protect each other; therefore, it is forbidden to offend or hurt any person. You must be good to everyone — even to unbelievers, but you must do your very best for your brothers; also, you are ordered by Allah, since you are a believer and a human being, not a wild animal, to do your best with everyone in this world. This is real belief — in all religions. Every believer, especially in Islam, must do his best for the whole world. Every believer must love his Lord. But our love for our Lord does not become visible except through our love toward our fellow human beings, because the love of Allah is hidden within the hearts of men. This is the proof of our truly loving our Lord: to love everyone in the world without distinction. This is the attribute of our Lord in relation to all the creatures of the Earth —He loves every one of His servants and bestows His blessings on all of them. No one remains without His mercy and blessings, and He is pleased when His servants acquire and wear His Attributes.
“In Islam,” Grandshaykh said, “to carry enmity in your heart for anyone is forbidden. Enmity follows on the heels of anger. If you are angry at someone, enmity
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arises. If a man carries anger in his heart for another man for one hour, Satan will assault his heart and dominate him for three days; if he has anger for three days, then Satan will control him for forty days. If this person should die during these forty days, he won’t meet a good end; he’ll die in the grasp of Satan, and he will be like a slave in his hands.” We must pay heed to this point with utmost care.
Nowadays, the devils come rushing, especially on the believers, to make them each other’s enemies. You can find Satan and his soldiers chasing the families of believers: brothers, parents and neighbours. You must be very careful. It may be a bad thought between husband and wife to make them enemies, or to make the children enemies of their parents’ — this is in evidence everywhere. Do not leave Satan any chance to sow enmity among your brothers. Allah wants all His servants to love one another; this is true faith and true Islam. Islam opposes all devils and their enmity, and it came to promote peace in general; therefore, Islam places highest importance on man’s living together in friendship and harmony.
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THE TWO CONDEMNED ACTIONS
Grandshaykh says that Allah condemns two types of actions: the first of these condemned actions is being a ‘fifth witness’. Four witnesses are required in order to convict anyone of adultery. Now, Allah wishes to cover the dark deeds of His servants. Just as Allah covers our bad deeds, it is the first duty of every believer not to display his bad deeds in public. Conceal yourself from shame, and if someone else does anything bad, do not look; do not be a witness to anyone’s bad action. This is
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highest nobility of character. Given the case of adultery, only four witnesses may present testimony. If, for any reason, the testimony of one or more of these witnesses is rejected, no one else has the right to offer further testimony after them.
We are speaking about the spirit of Islam and of its spiritual perfume — the fragrance of the spiritual perfection of Islam. Whoever incorporates this high quality does not need any courts or lawsuits; for him, there will be no more of such troubles. Islam came to us not only with outward formalities, but with the holy spirit, representing the very highest character of our hearts.
What is the second action which Allah has condemned? Our Grandshaykh says that it consists of one’s taking more than four enemies. The Sons of Adam have four real enemies, and it is cursed to take on more than these four. These four common enemies cause men to turn against each other.
It is not the Frenchman who is the real enemy of the German, and the same is true for all other nations. But all people have these four common enemies:
1)The Lower Self; Ego (Nafs)
2)Vain Desires (Hawa)
3)Satan the Accursed (Shaitan)
4)This World (Dunya; lit.: ‘the Lower’)
Everyone fights the other for the sake of this world. If not for the lust after this world no one would fight anymore. Russia says, “All of this world is for me.”
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America says, “No, all is for me.” And they will wage war against each other. We must realize that their real enemies are, at the same time, our enemies, and that it is they who make us fight. Islam opposes these four common enemies of mankind.
When the Prophet, Peace be Upon Him, called people to Islam, all the chiefs of Makkah were wondering what they should do about his preaching. They said to him, “If it is this world you are after, we can give you all the treasures you want, and if that is not enough, we shall give you the most beautiful women, and if you are yet not satisfied, we will make you our king — only, you must stop this preaching of yours.”
Needless to say, he rejected their proposal. He replied: “Even if you were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, I would still not desist from calling people to what is right.” This reply shows us clearly that the Holy Prophet did not come to pursue the pleasures of this world.
Therefore, when he fought, he did not fight to become king, for kingship had already been offered to him; but he fought solely for the love of Allah in order to eliminate from this world the things which make men enemies to one another. Those who claim that the Holy Prophet fought for the sake of this world are entirely mistaken. War in Islam is not for the acquisition of the riches of this world. So, if anyone has more than the four common enemies of man: Nafs, Hawa, Shaitan, Dunya, the curse of Allah is upon him.
We must be heedful of these two condemned actions, for whoever is cursed by Allah Almighty cannot be successful, neither in this life, nor in the next.
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THE FOUR WITNESSES
Allah’s curse falls upon the fifth witness. Who are the four true witnesses? The first witness for every action is Allah Almighty and the second is Muhammad, Peace be Upon Him. He, Muhammad, witnesses every action of his nation, as all of those actions are presented to him. The third and fourth witnesses are the two angels who record every one of our actions. Thus, every other witness from among mankind is the fifth. This means that you must never desire to be witness for any bad action. The second action which Allah’s curse is upon is for one to have a fifth enemy. Curse means that Allah is not pleased with such a person; He does not love him who takes enemies from among mankind, forgetting our four common enemies.
Our Grandshaykh explained this point: Let us assume that someone treats you badly and you are angry with him, saying, “Is it not right for me to be angry with him who treats me badly?” What is the answer to this? If I strike someone, he will strike back. Don’t be angry at anyone for this except yourself, your ego, because if you don’t treat anyone badly, no one will treat you badly. Your badness brings badness upon you and, likewise, your goodness brings only goodness. Do not say: he hit you, or he respects you. That beating came only as a result of your bad actions and that respect came only from your respect for people. If you don’t respect everyone, you can never expect people to respect you; you have no claim to their respect.
Our Grandshaykh said we must know that good and bad both come according to the Will of our Lord, and the Will of our Lord corresponds to our actions. As long as
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you think that anyone’s good actions towards you are proceeding from himself, you are committing “shirk’’, attributing partners unto Allah, because, in reality, everyone’s goodness is proceeding from Allah.
The Holy Prophet said: “You must walk on the straight path with the right steps, then nothing bad will happen to you; fear naught!” Just as one unhesitatingly drives down the motorway, so goes he who takes the right steps on the straight way. These are glad tidings: No one can be your enemy. However, if you lose control of your automobile, you hit the railing, you swerve, and you have an accident. If one misses the straight path, he is made to feel the “divine whip”. What will this whip be? It will be something with which you are most displeased —something thoroughly odious must happen to you. Allah’s whip is for bringing you to the right path. His attributes are not like ours; we would strike someone and our ego would rejoice, but not so our Guardian Lord —His Will is only that we come to the straight path. * * *
A WARNING TO MANKIND
Our Grandshaykh always advised people to stay on the straight and right path. Never leave that path. If someone leaves the right way, he will incur large or small troubles. Our Grandshaykh was speaking about the wars in the Middle East some years ago. He saw so much disaster, so many refugees who left everything behind and came to Damascus, Syria. He warned those people to stay on the right path. In general, people believe that their actions will have no effect on them. They say, “Of what consequence are our actions to heavenly orders? No reaction comes from our actions; we do not believe in punishment.” But our Grandshaykh
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was saying that every action upon the Earth has a result in the Heavens; that each good deed brings good results which show themselves in the Heavens upon the doer of that deed. Every bad action has bad results for that person in the Heavens. Individual, as well as general calamity is always the result of bad thoughts, actions, and ideas.
Grandshaykh often wondered, “Why do they not think about punishment?” Allah causes people to be attacked by others because of their bad characteristics. If they are unjust in their actions, they will find unjust treatment. Grandshaykh participated in the First World War, fighting for the Holy Khalifa of the Muslims. During the Second World War he was in Damascus; he wasn’t fighting because the Holy War had ended with the demise of the Khalifate of the Muslims. The last Khalifa was in Constantinople, and after the First World War the Khalifate had ended. Then Grandshaykh, following the advice of the Holy Prophet, came to Damascus, where he witnessed the effects of the Second World War. After that, there were several wars on account of Palestine, and he witnessed many people in great distress seeking refuge in Damascus. He said to them, “Oh people, look at your situations, surely they are not the results of your good actions. You must know that your Lord is not pleased with you, and you must repent.” Our sins are the primary cause of all calamity befalling us. He said that these small wars contain but a little suffering (compared to the torment of Hell), but that they are an opportunity for people to reflect. Still, despite their war experiences, the people do not repent, and their sins continue to grow. Up until the Second World War, most people were sinners who said, “God exists but we don’t keep His laws because we are sinners.” After the Second World War they said, “There is no God, no one can tell us
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anything, we shall do what we want.” They are very brave; they boast that they will fight against any power. What do they rely upon — their atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, etc? If they are relying upon these, they must know that such bombs will destroy virtually everyone on both sides. Grandshaykh also warned us that soon the Greatest War will take place. This prediction comes from the Holy Prophet, Peace be Upon Him, who says that before the Day of Resurrection the Greatest War must take place: “At the end of this World, in the last time of my Nation, the Greatest War will be fought between two great powers in this World.” This war is the divine punishment for all people who deny the existence of Allah Almighty. All people on Earth who deny the existence of Allah Almighty must perish in this war. Allah preserves those who believe in His existence; but from among the Muslims all those will die who do not prostrate themselves in front of Allah. It is insufficient to be a Muslim while not keeping up the prescribed prayer; such obstinacy as refusing to do what one knows one ought to be doing will remove that Divine Protection. For non-Muslims, it will be enough to believe in the existence of Allah in order to gain that protection; for Muslims, however, at least one prostration a day is the condition. All atheists will perish. Anyone who denies the existence of God will not survive that war. Therefore, do your best to teach people that God exists and that He is the Creator and the Lord of All Creation. If someone says every day, “Oh my Lord, Lord of the Heavens and the Earth, bestow upon us Your blessings and mercy,” this will keep him from all evil. These words are acceptable to every religion. Jews can say it, or Christians; there can be nothing against it in their beliefs. Muslims, however, must pray, must prostrate themselves in front of their Lord, even if only once a day, to have hope for this protection.
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Grandshaykh furthermore said about mankind’s protection during the Greatest War: Allah Almighty commissioned the Angels to protect man. Allah kept Abraham safe in the midst of the fire which Nimrod kindled to destroy him; so, Allah is well capable of preserving His servants in the midst of atomic or biological warfare. Don’t be worried.
This lecture is very important. It shows us many truths and teaches us important points. It shows us the future of mankind and informs us about his destiny. This lesson is a warning to all people living in this time, and each one is going to meet his destiny. We pray for Divine Guidance and for the blessing of our Lord and His Mercy for all.
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THE INTRICACIES OF RULING
This is the advice of our Grandshaykh for me and for everyone; advice which, if heeded, will benefit us throughout our lives. The words of the Saints are living words — you may constantly derive spiritual power from their discourses. What I mean is that today people have lemons made of plastic; they don’t give you anything. But Allah Almighty gave to His Prophets and their inheritors the real, live, juicy lemons, and these are their living words.
Now, Grandshaykh speaks on an important point: Once there came a man from Aleppo to visit him. He was a man who was abiding very strictly by the Shariah, the Divinely Revealed Law, and gave no one permission to deviate from it in the least. He is right in this respect, but we must be very careful in this matter, for it cannot be completely carried out by everyone. Testifying to
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this point is the fact that during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, Allah revealed His laws over a span of twenty-three years. Although it was the Prophet himself who taught such eminent followers as the Sahaba, the Prophet’s companions, he found it necessary to teach them the Law step by step. Now, came this man from Aleppo, and before he could say anything, my Grandshaykh spoke, addressing me: “Oh Nazim Efendi, you must use skill in ruling; not everyone can rule. You must be lenient, cautious and always remain aware of the peculiarities of the people you are asked to rule. It is very important in ruling that you make use of subtle intimations and indirect, suggestive hints.’’
“If rulers can rule in a good manner, then people will carry them on their heads smoothly and ease, like the sea carries the ship; but sometimes the sea can be so rough that even the biggest ships become like straws. The people are the same: if there is a no- good government, strong though it may be, it will sink. Everyone has dominion only over himself, and he must be careful regarding anyone else belonging to him or in whom he interested.”
Grandshaykh asked: “What is most important in ruling? — To rule properly. Everyone who is calling people to Islam must have this good manner. Our Prophet, Peace be Upon Him, described what the characters of people living in this, our time, would be like. He said: ‘Soon there will come a time in which everyone will be very proud of his knowledge and his views.’ In fact, these days, you cannot find anyone who will agree with your opinion. Even within a family, you will seldom find concordance of opinion. Husband, wife, sons, daughters, they each hold separate, independent opinions they won’t back down from, saying, ‘I am right, not you.’ There are now at least as many opinions as there are people. It is very difficult to gather together
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even a small group of people who all subscribe to the same view. So, it is difficult to say, ‘Come to my way,’ for no one will listen to you and you are sure to get nothing but arguments — so what shall we do?”
Saints have strong, penetrating vision into the hearts of men. Grandshaykh said to me: “Tell this man that he must be soft and not hard with people, that he must not be like a big mountain which no one can climb.” One must make it as easy as possible for everyone. Wherever they go, you may follow them. Allah gave wisdom to man; all creatures know that man was given intelligence and that they can’t elude him, not in the deepest oceans nor in the loftiest skies. All creatures fear man, as he is able to ensnare even the fearsome lion and poisonous snakes. The Sons of Adam are terrible; among the attributes of men you may find the likeness of every animal on Earth. These wild attributes are lying dormant in man, and when they are awakened, men may become just like tigers, scorpions and snakes. All men have some of these attributes. In every ego you can find something harmful; if you can control your ego, you will protect people from harm. It is forbidden for a believer to give hurt or harm to anyone, even to insects and flies (excepting those injurious to health), — so how shall it be permitted to do harm to mankind?
Man may be very adept at hunting wild animals and at emulating their behaviour, but to hunt people in the way of Allah is more important. A hunter hunts one animal at a time, not several. He must chase his prey until it falls into his hand. Now, a person who is calling another to his path must agree with him, he must follow him ninety-nine steps until that person finally takes one step towards him. Say to him always, “Yes, you are right,” until he finally says once, “You are right!” How can this change be brought about? Our
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Grandshaykh says that no one can follow anyone else until he trusts him. Once a person trusts you you have won; to whatever you say, he will say, “It is correct.” Until he begins to trust you, you must follow him. You may go with him to the places of worldly amusement which he frequents (without, of course, participating in any forbidden activitie
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d them with your ego which prevents any Inayah from coming to that assembly, so no benefit is possible from that meeting; they are like fish thrown out of the sea, and it is your fault.”
“And thus, virtually every learned person is thinking that he is like a deputy of Allah Almighty or the Holy Prophet; so their address to the people is full of pride. They see the people as being on the lowest level and themselves as being on the highest. But, if you put yourself on such a high level, how can your words possibly reach to those lowly creatures whom you hope to benefit? Allah Almighty Himself, in His Essence, is with every creature, as it says in the Holy Qur’an: ‘And
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He is with you wherever you are.’ So if Allah Himself sees it fit to be with His creatures through His Power, Knowledge and Divine Will, how shall you mount yourself high and mighty upon a throne of pride and look down at the rest of the world? You miscreant! You monster! You are killing them with your pride!”
Thereupon, full of shame and remorse, the son said to his father: “Oh my father and my Grandshaykh, please guide me to the path you are on so that I may follow you in it.” And he begged forgiveness of his father and followed him on his way until he reached his heavenly station.
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THE GRAND MUFTI WHO CLEANED TOILETS
Our Grandshaykh always spoke about Divine Knowledge, but ordinary learned people usually do not accept the knowledge of the Sufis; they accept no other than book knowledge. Sufis who have this Divine Knowledge are also aware of and learned in book knowledge, and they know it well. Why, you might ask, do they acquire this book knowledge, although they are not in need of it, thanks to the springs of wisdom that have opened in their hearts? My Grandshaykh says that the People of Truth (Ahl-ul-Haqiqa) utilize this book knowledge for the purpose of ‘hunting’, for drawing learned people to the Sufi way; because they know that unless they show their knowledge of books, these learned people will never follow them nor surrender to them; but if they exhibit learning and book knowledge, they may be able to effectively bring them to the Way. ThosepeoplewhohavebeengivenDivineKnowledge’s
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are hunters, and hunters with a miraculous ability for catching prey, so that by using those powers they can catch learned people of even the highest degree: Muftis, Grand-Muftis and Shaykhs of Islam (highest title for outward scholars), who are so proud of their knowledges.
Mawlana Khalid al-Baghdadi (died about 150 years ago) was a Great-Grandshaykh of the Sufi Way, and he was also very learned in book knowledge. With the combination of his skills he ‘caught’ the Shaykh of Islam who was considered to be the most eminent scholar of his time. That Shaykh of Islam, the Grand-Mufti, left his position and all the honours attached to it in order to devote himself fully to following Mawlana Khalid’s teaching. When the Grand-Mufti came to Mawlana Khalid, the very first thing he bade him do was to go down to the Great Mosque and take on work as the cleaner of the toilets. “This,” he was told, “shall be your duty.”
Grandshaykhs may order their followers to do such tasks in order that their egos may be reduced to the level of humility, as egos, especially those of learned people, are so proud — and pride is for Allah only, no one else. Satan became proud, and because of his pride he was cast down low. The Prophet says: “Whosoever has even the smallest particle of pride cannot enter Paradise.” So, since pride is such a dangerous and unacceptable attribute, the first thing that Grandshaykhs teach their followers is how to forego their pride. A Grand-Mufti is such a very learned person that surely he is most proud of his many knowledges, and that pride is no good for him. Therefore, he was ordered to leave his station of Grand-Mufti and to come to work on the level of humble servitude.
Every service is honourable, except those actions which Allah Almighty has forbidden; therefore, no
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one should say to you, “You should be ashamed of this job,” because your work may be humble or lowly. Now, cleaning the toilets of a Mosque is in no way prohibited —it is not like cleaning toilets in a bar or cinema. It is the toilet of a holy place, and there is no disgrace in cleaning it. Any objections the Grand-Mufti could have had when his Shaykh ordered him to do the job would have been proceeding from his ego, saying to him: “This kind of work is not befitting of one such as you; look what an honoured position you formerly were in compared to that which you’re in now — cleaning toilets!” In reality there is nothing wrong with the job, but it does not agree with ego’s whims. So, in order to oppose his murid’s ego, the Grandshaykh ordered his murid to do that work, and the murid answered: “I will do as you say, not as my ego dictates.”
Then that Grand-Mufti began to clean toilets every day and became completely devoted to his service, disregarding his family, friends and all things beside that duty which his Grandshaykh had ordered him to perform. One day a former colleague of his — a very learned person — came to the Great Mosque and, seeing the Grand-Mufti in his new job, he objected, saying: “What are you doing? What sort of a place are you working in? Does not the Prophet, blessed be he, say: ‘Cleanliness is of Iman (Faith)?’, so how can you do such a defiling job? It is not right that a person of your rank and standing should perform such menial tasks, getting yourself dirty in the process.”
People of his kind understand cleanliness to be only of the outward kind, the cleanliness of the clothes and body, and they never consider the cleanliness of the heart, which does not seem important to them. They are making it easy for themselves, for if they were concerned with the cleaning of the hearts, they would have to surrender to a Grandshaykh.
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Then the former Grand-Mufti answered his critic: “As much as you know, I know also, and more, so don’t try to make me feel ashamed at the service I am performing. Don’t set yourself up to judge me but leave judgement up to the Judge of Judges; go about minding your own business. When you judge me, you are attempting to be a judge beside Allah Almighty, and thus you are, in that moment, an unbeliever. All of your knowledge, if it does not spring from the completeness of inheritance from the Prophet, is useless and nothing but a veil which is preventing you from witnessing reality. Oh you of meagre capacities, I knew all that you know before you ever entered school.”
In reality, it was his Grandshaykh who had sent this visitor to him in order to test him — to see whether he was firm yet, or not. From what he told that man, he could see that his murid was indeed standing firmly and not swaying. That night the Grand-Mufti was in the mosque. Suddenly his Grandshaykh appeared at his side and catching him by the hand, ordered him: “Close your eyes.” After that he ordered again, “Open your eyes.”
When he did as instructed, he found himself transported to Makkah — through the power of his Grandshaykh he went from Baghdad to Makkah in but a few seconds; and as he looked around, he found himself in the presence of 124,000 Prophets and the same number of Awliya in the Holy Mosque of Makkah, assembled there to witness the Holy Prophet Muhammad giving the order to Grandshaykh Mawlana Khalid to bestow upon his murid, the Mufti, the station of trustworthiness —the station in which his ego can no longer assail him, in which he is firmly fixed, no longer falling in ego’s traps. There he may receive the keys to the treasures which have been given to him by his Lord on the Day of Promises; after it has been proven that he has enough
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power to care for and keep his treasures well. Neither Satan nor his ego can trick him in that station, for he is under special Divine Protection that keeps the subtle enemies endangering him far away from him; and at that moment he has reached his Heavenly Station in the Divine Presence, his goal in this life, and he has completed the Divine Purpose destined for him.
Such people who have reached completion during this life are kings in the afterlife, and in this life Allah chooses them to wear the crown that was given to Sayyidina Adam — the crown of the Khalifa-t-ullah (Allah’s Khalifa) in the Universe. If anyone is aspiring to reach that highest rank in this life, Allah Almighty says: “Follow such a person who has attained that position and be like him, then I will dress you in My robe of honour and crown you as I have ever done for My loyal servants.” The way is open for the aspirant to that highest honour. For those who are not seeking the highest positions, their place is that of ordinary subjects under the sovereignty of those spiritual kings, and they may be loyal servants to them; to belong to one of the Khalifas of Allah Almighty on Earth is an honour for all people.
We are mainly interested here in casting light on the Way for those people who are aspiring to the highest ranks of surrender and servitude to Allah during this life. Whoever is interested, we are ready and have permission from our Grandshaykh to guide anyone who would like to receive guidance; we are saying to you ‘Ahlan wa Sahlan’ you are most welcome.
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EPILOGUE
(A question was asked concerning some brothers who had encountered difficulties while anticipating rapid progress — what led to their disappointment?)
Walking is not like riding on a donkey, and riding on a donkey is not like riding in a car — each traveller makes progress in accordance with his own particular capability.
The Ottoman Sultan Sulayman once ordered an architect to build him a huge mosque in Istanbul. When that architect undertook the great task, he built the foundation so deep that it reached to sea-level. After he had completed laying this formidable foundation, he suddenly disappeared for seven years. The Sultan was furious and sent many people out to try and find him, but they returned with no success. Finally, he showed up of his own accord and went to report to the Sultan, who flew into a blind rage and was ready to cut off his head. The Sultan bellowed at him: “How dare you disappear for such a long period of time! I want this Mosque to be completed during my lifetime, and no one can know when he might die!”
The architect replied: “Oh Sultan, you know your job and I know mine; no foundation of such huge proportions can properly settle in any less than seven years. If I would have built it any earlier, the building would have been in danger of collapsing on the worshippers inside — and who would have been cursed in that case? — I would. When I build it now, its great dome will be so firmly set that even when the earthquakes of the Resurrection Day occur, that dome will not crumble or fall apart, but will pop off the Mosque like a lid from a pot.”
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And so, anyone wanting to follow this Tariqat ought to know that he must be tested many, many times before he can be considered responsible enough to receive any spiritual stations. Those brothers were yet so new and untested, and as soon as the first little trial came to them they listened to ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ instead of their Shaykh. Therefore, only when many tests have been passed, will the Prophet send a message to Grandshaykh that such-and-such a murid has attained to trustworthiness, and may now be given the keys to his treasures. Only when it has been proven that the murid is firmly with the Shaykh — with him the Last Day — will the treasure be revealed to him; for otherwise, maybe he would take those treasures and give them over to Satan — God forbid! * * * END OF PART ONE ~DAMASCUS LECTURES~ WINTER 1401 H. (1981 C.E.)
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE ALL BENEFICENT, THE ALL MERCIFUL
PART TWO
SPRING LECTURES DAMASCUS 1400 H. (1980 C.E.)
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DO YOUR BEST FOR THE WHOLE WORLD AND CARRY NO ENMITY IN YOUR HEART
Today we will speak about friendly relations among men, and I speak to you from the heart of my Grandshaykh, as I heard it from him when he was with us; even now, I listen to him in my heart. The Holy Prophet ordered: “Oh servants of Allah — be brothers; Allah Almighty has made you brothers through your faith.” This is the Judgement of the Almighty: Every believer is the brother of every other believer.
You have as many brothers as there are believers. Brothers should love and protect each other; therefore, it is forbidden to offend or hurt any person. You must be good to everyone — even to unbelievers, but you must do your very best for your brothers; also, you are ordered by Allah, since you are a believer and a human being, not a wild animal, to do your best with everyone in this world. This is real belief — in all religions. Every believer, especially in Islam, must do his best for the whole world. Every believer must love his Lord. But our love for our Lord does not become visible except through our love toward our fellow human beings, because the love of Allah is hidden within the hearts of men. This is the proof of our truly loving our Lord: to love everyone in the world without distinction. This is the attribute of our Lord in relation to all the creatures of the Earth —He loves every one of His servants and bestows His blessings on all of them. No one remains without His mercy and blessings, and He is pleased when His servants acquire and wear His Attributes.
“In Islam,” Grandshaykh said, “to carry enmity in your heart for anyone is forbidden. Enmity follows on the heels of anger. If you are angry at someone, enmity
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arises. If a man carries anger in his heart for another man for one hour, Satan will assault his heart and dominate him for three days; if he has anger for three days, then Satan will control him for forty days. If this person should die during these forty days, he won’t meet a good end; he’ll die in the grasp of Satan, and he will be like a slave in his hands.” We must pay heed to this point with utmost care.
Nowadays, the devils come rushing, especially on the believers, to make them each other’s enemies. You can find Satan and his soldiers chasing the families of believers: brothers, parents and neighbours. You must be very careful. It may be a bad thought between husband and wife to make them enemies, or to make the children enemies of their parents’ — this is in evidence everywhere. Do not leave Satan any chance to sow enmity among your brothers. Allah wants all His servants to love one another; this is true faith and true Islam. Islam opposes all devils and their enmity, and it came to promote peace in general; therefore, Islam places highest importance on man’s living together in friendship and harmony.
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THE TWO CONDEMNED ACTIONS
Grandshaykh says that Allah condemns two types of actions: the first of these condemned actions is being a ‘fifth witness’. Four witnesses are required in order to convict anyone of adultery. Now, Allah wishes to cover the dark deeds of His servants. Just as Allah covers our bad deeds, it is the first duty of every believer not to display his bad deeds in public. Conceal yourself from shame, and if someone else does anything bad, do not look; do not be a witness to anyone’s bad action. This is
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highest nobility of character. Given the case of adultery, only four witnesses may present testimony. If, for any reason, the testimony of one or more of these witnesses is rejected, no one else has the right to offer further testimony after them.
We are speaking about the spirit of Islam and of its spiritual perfume — the fragrance of the spiritual perfection of Islam. Whoever incorporates this high quality does not need any courts or lawsuits; for him, there will be no more of such troubles. Islam came to us not only with outward formalities, but with the holy spirit, representing the very highest character of our hearts.
What is the second action which Allah has condemned? Our Grandshaykh says that it consists of one’s taking more than four enemies. The Sons of Adam have four real enemies, and it is cursed to take on more than these four. These four common enemies cause men to turn against each other.
It is not the Frenchman who is the real enemy of the German, and the same is true for all other nations. But all people have these four common enemies:
1)The Lower Self; Ego (Nafs)
2)Vain Desires (Hawa)
3)Satan the Accursed (Shaitan)
4)This World (Dunya; lit.: ‘the Lower’)
Everyone fights the other for the sake of this world. If not for the lust after this world no one would fight anymore. Russia says, “All of this world is for me.”
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America says, “No, all is for me.” And they will wage war against each other. We must realize that their real enemies are, at the same time, our enemies, and that it is they who make us fight. Islam opposes these four common enemies of mankind.
When the Prophet, Peace be Upon Him, called people to Islam, all the chiefs of Makkah were wondering what they should do about his preaching. They said to him, “If it is this world you are after, we can give you all the treasures you want, and if that is not enough, we shall give you the most beautiful women, and if you are yet not satisfied, we will make you our king — only, you must stop this preaching of yours.”
Needless to say, he rejected their proposal. He replied: “Even if you were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, I would still not desist from calling people to what is right.” This reply shows us clearly that the Holy Prophet did not come to pursue the pleasures of this world.
Therefore, when he fought, he did not fight to become king, for kingship had already been offered to him; but he fought solely for the love of Allah in order to eliminate from this world the things which make men enemies to one another. Those who claim that the Holy Prophet fought for the sake of this world are entirely mistaken. War in Islam is not for the acquisition of the riches of this world. So, if anyone has more than the four common enemies of man: Nafs, Hawa, Shaitan, Dunya, the curse of Allah is upon him.
We must be heedful of these two condemned actions, for whoever is cursed by Allah Almighty cannot be successful, neither in this life, nor in the next.
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THE FOUR WITNESSES
Allah’s curse falls upon the fifth witness. Who are the four true witnesses? The first witness for every action is Allah Almighty and the second is Muhammad, Peace be Upon Him. He, Muhammad, witnesses every action of his nation, as all of those actions are presented to him. The third and fourth witnesses are the two angels who record every one of our actions. Thus, every other witness from among mankind is the fifth. This means that you must never desire to be witness for any bad action. The second action which Allah’s curse is upon is for one to have a fifth enemy. Curse means that Allah is not pleased with such a person; He does not love him who takes enemies from among mankind, forgetting our four common enemies.
Our Grandshaykh explained this point: Let us assume that someone treats you badly and you are angry with him, saying, “Is it not right for me to be angry with him who treats me badly?” What is the answer to this? If I strike someone, he will strike back. Don’t be angry at anyone for this except yourself, your ego, because if you don’t treat anyone badly, no one will treat you badly. Your badness brings badness upon you and, likewise, your goodness brings only goodness. Do not say: he hit you, or he respects you. That beating came only as a result of your bad actions and that respect came only from your respect for people. If you don’t respect everyone, you can never expect people to respect you; you have no claim to their respect.
Our Grandshaykh said we must know that good and bad both come according to the Will of our Lord, and the Will of our Lord corresponds to our actions. As long as
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you think that anyone’s good actions towards you are proceeding from himself, you are committing “shirk’’, attributing partners unto Allah, because, in reality, everyone’s goodness is proceeding from Allah.
The Holy Prophet said: “You must walk on the straight path with the right steps, then nothing bad will happen to you; fear naught!” Just as one unhesitatingly drives down the motorway, so goes he who takes the right steps on the straight way. These are glad tidings: No one can be your enemy. However, if you lose control of your automobile, you hit the railing, you swerve, and you have an accident. If one misses the straight path, he is made to feel the “divine whip”. What will this whip be? It will be something with which you are most displeased —something thoroughly odious must happen to you. Allah’s whip is for bringing you to the right path. His attributes are not like ours; we would strike someone and our ego would rejoice, but not so our Guardian Lord —His Will is only that we come to the straight path. * * *
A WARNING TO MANKIND
Our Grandshaykh always advised people to stay on the straight and right path. Never leave that path. If someone leaves the right way, he will incur large or small troubles. Our Grandshaykh was speaking about the wars in the Middle East some years ago. He saw so much disaster, so many refugees who left everything behind and came to Damascus, Syria. He warned those people to stay on the right path. In general, people believe that their actions will have no effect on them. They say, “Of what consequence are our actions to heavenly orders? No reaction comes from our actions; we do not believe in punishment.” But our Grandshaykh
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was saying that every action upon the Earth has a result in the Heavens; that each good deed brings good results which show themselves in the Heavens upon the doer of that deed. Every bad action has bad results for that person in the Heavens. Individual, as well as general calamity is always the result of bad thoughts, actions, and ideas.
Grandshaykh often wondered, “Why do they not think about punishment?” Allah causes people to be attacked by others because of their bad characteristics. If they are unjust in their actions, they will find unjust treatment. Grandshaykh participated in the First World War, fighting for the Holy Khalifa of the Muslims. During the Second World War he was in Damascus; he wasn’t fighting because the Holy War had ended with the demise of the Khalifate of the Muslims. The last Khalifa was in Constantinople, and after the First World War the Khalifate had ended. Then Grandshaykh, following the advice of the Holy Prophet, came to Damascus, where he witnessed the effects of the Second World War. After that, there were several wars on account of Palestine, and he witnessed many people in great distress seeking refuge in Damascus. He said to them, “Oh people, look at your situations, surely they are not the results of your good actions. You must know that your Lord is not pleased with you, and you must repent.” Our sins are the primary cause of all calamity befalling us. He said that these small wars contain but a little suffering (compared to the torment of Hell), but that they are an opportunity for people to reflect. Still, despite their war experiences, the people do not repent, and their sins continue to grow. Up until the Second World War, most people were sinners who said, “God exists but we don’t keep His laws because we are sinners.” After the Second World War they said, “There is no God, no one can tell us
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anything, we shall do what we want.” They are very brave; they boast that they will fight against any power. What do they rely upon — their atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, etc? If they are relying upon these, they must know that such bombs will destroy virtually everyone on both sides. Grandshaykh also warned us that soon the Greatest War will take place. This prediction comes from the Holy Prophet, Peace be Upon Him, who says that before the Day of Resurrection the Greatest War must take place: “At the end of this World, in the last time of my Nation, the Greatest War will be fought between two great powers in this World.” This war is the divine punishment for all people who deny the existence of Allah Almighty. All people on Earth who deny the existence of Allah Almighty must perish in this war. Allah preserves those who believe in His existence; but from among the Muslims all those will die who do not prostrate themselves in front of Allah. It is insufficient to be a Muslim while not keeping up the prescribed prayer; such obstinacy as refusing to do what one knows one ought to be doing will remove that Divine Protection. For non-Muslims, it will be enough to believe in the existence of Allah in order to gain that protection; for Muslims, however, at least one prostration a day is the condition. All atheists will perish. Anyone who denies the existence of God will not survive that war. Therefore, do your best to teach people that God exists and that He is the Creator and the Lord of All Creation. If someone says every day, “Oh my Lord, Lord of the Heavens and the Earth, bestow upon us Your blessings and mercy,” this will keep him from all evil. These words are acceptable to every religion. Jews can say it, or Christians; there can be nothing against it in their beliefs. Muslims, however, must pray, must prostrate themselves in front of their Lord, even if only once a day, to have hope for this protection.
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Grandshaykh furthermore said about mankind’s protection during the Greatest War: Allah Almighty commissioned the Angels to protect man. Allah kept Abraham safe in the midst of the fire which Nimrod kindled to destroy him; so, Allah is well capable of preserving His servants in the midst of atomic or biological warfare. Don’t be worried.
This lecture is very important. It shows us many truths and teaches us important points. It shows us the future of mankind and informs us about his destiny. This lesson is a warning to all people living in this time, and each one is going to meet his destiny. We pray for Divine Guidance and for the blessing of our Lord and His Mercy for all.
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THE INTRICACIES OF RULING
This is the advice of our Grandshaykh for me and for everyone; advice which, if heeded, will benefit us throughout our lives. The words of the Saints are living words — you may constantly derive spiritual power from their discourses. What I mean is that today people have lemons made of plastic; they don’t give you anything. But Allah Almighty gave to His Prophets and their inheritors the real, live, juicy lemons, and these are their living words.
Now, Grandshaykh speaks on an important point: Once there came a man from Aleppo to visit him. He was a man who was abiding very strictly by the Shariah, the Divinely Revealed Law, and gave no one permission to deviate from it in the least. He is right in this respect, but we must be very careful in this matter, for it cannot be completely carried out by everyone. Testifying to
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this point is the fact that during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, Allah revealed His laws over a span of twenty-three years. Although it was the Prophet himself who taught such eminent followers as the Sahaba, the Prophet’s companions, he found it necessary to teach them the Law step by step. Now, came this man from Aleppo, and before he could say anything, my Grandshaykh spoke, addressing me: “Oh Nazim Efendi, you must use skill in ruling; not everyone can rule. You must be lenient, cautious and always remain aware of the peculiarities of the people you are asked to rule. It is very important in ruling that you make use of subtle intimations and indirect, suggestive hints.’’
“If rulers can rule in a good manner, then people will carry them on their heads smoothly and ease, like the sea carries the ship; but sometimes the sea can be so rough that even the biggest ships become like straws. The people are the same: if there is a no- good government, strong though it may be, it will sink. Everyone has dominion only over himself, and he must be careful regarding anyone else belonging to him or in whom he interested.”
Grandshaykh asked: “What is most important in ruling? — To rule properly. Everyone who is calling people to Islam must have this good manner. Our Prophet, Peace be Upon Him, described what the characters of people living in this, our time, would be like. He said: ‘Soon there will come a time in which everyone will be very proud of his knowledge and his views.’ In fact, these days, you cannot find anyone who will agree with your opinion. Even within a family, you will seldom find concordance of opinion. Husband, wife, sons, daughters, they each hold separate, independent opinions they won’t back down from, saying, ‘I am right, not you.’ There are now at least as many opinions as there are people. It is very difficult to gather together
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even a small group of people who all subscribe to the same view. So, it is difficult to say, ‘Come to my way,’ for no one will listen to you and you are sure to get nothing but arguments — so what shall we do?”
Saints have strong, penetrating vision into the hearts of men. Grandshaykh said to me: “Tell this man that he must be soft and not hard with people, that he must not be like a big mountain which no one can climb.” One must make it as easy as possible for everyone. Wherever they go, you may follow them. Allah gave wisdom to man; all creatures know that man was given intelligence and that they can’t elude him, not in the deepest oceans nor in the loftiest skies. All creatures fear man, as he is able to ensnare even the fearsome lion and poisonous snakes. The Sons of Adam are terrible; among the attributes of men you may find the likeness of every animal on Earth. These wild attributes are lying dormant in man, and when they are awakened, men may become just like tigers, scorpions and snakes. All men have some of these attributes. In every ego you can find something harmful; if you can control your ego, you will protect people from harm. It is forbidden for a believer to give hurt or harm to anyone, even to insects and flies (excepting those injurious to health), — so how shall it be permitted to do harm to mankind?
Man may be very adept at hunting wild animals and at emulating their behaviour, but to hunt people in the way of Allah is more important. A hunter hunts one animal at a time, not several. He must chase his prey until it falls into his hand. Now, a person who is calling another to his path must agree with him, he must follow him ninety-nine steps until that person finally takes one step towards him. Say to him always, “Yes, you are right,” until he finally says once, “You are right!” How can this change be brought about? Our
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Grandshaykh says that no one can follow anyone else until he trusts him. Once a person trusts you you have won; to whatever you say, he will say, “It is correct.” Until he begins to trust you, you must follow him. You may go with him to the places of worldly amusement which he frequents (without, of course, participating in any forbidden activitie
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