LIBERATING THE SOUL, Book 5 (Shaykh Nazim, 199 pages, 2/13)
https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6088
ighty, and we have been or- dered to do everything for the pleasure of Allah.
It is impossible to do something for the pleasure of Allah Almighty if you are not sincere, the Seal of the Prophets informed his nation fifteen centuries ago. Because who is a prophet? The one who informs about coming days and events, he is a prophet; if not knowing about coming days, he is an ordinary man. And saints must step in the footsteps of the Prophet
saw or they can’t be saints. Prophets also can’t be prophets if they can’t fol- low in the steps which Almighty Allah appoints for them to step in.
All the sahabah, the Companions of Sayyidina Muhammad saw, were fol- lowing in the footsteps of the Prophet ; if not following, they could not be sahabah. The places where he put his feet must be well-known by awliya. Those places are lighted; everywhere in Hijaz where he put his blessed feet is lighted.
Once the son of Sayyidina ‘Umar was journeying on the road to Mecca for pilgrimage. He arrived at a crossroad and left it, and went by the next one, turning. His friends said, “Oh! What is the reason?”
He said, “I saw our beloved Prophet —he reached this point and turned. Therefore I like to follow his path.”
He saw those lights and followed them; the one to whom Allah gives His lights, he may see and follow. But He never gives without sincerity. The Prophet had qadam as-sidq, the steps of truthfulness. You can’t step
towards your Lord Almighty Allah’s presence if you don’t have steps of truthfulness. If you have that, you may reach.
Now, I was expecting for two days [to make] an Association, and I do not know except what They are making me to speak. I am asking my Lord’s divine favors for everyone attending our Association. I don’t like official things because if officiality comes, sincerity goes.
The Prophet saw came on earth from the Divine Presence. Jesus Christ
¡ went from the earth to the Heavens, but Muhammad—he was there and he was ordered to come to be with the people of the Lord.20 He was the most sincere person, and he sat with slaves, women, children, with every- one, and quickly went to their level. He was the most humble of creatures, and he said, “I sit as slaves sit and I eat as slaves eat.”
That is the top point of humbleness. He was not an official one. But he said, “When the Last Days approach, sincerity will be taken up and peo- ple will be official ones.”
Among believers, sincerity is wanted more than anything else. But now ‘religious’ people are also official nothing remaining of religion except its name, and you can’t find anything except official forms. Even Muslims are trying to make some associations with membership. But if officiality comes, sincerity goes.
When the Prophet saw gave information about the truth, he said that what the People of the Book are doing, my nation is going to follow step by step. There should come a time for my nation when you will not find Islam except as a name, people practicing it officially.
There is an expression among Turkish Muslims; they say “man of re- ligion” for an imam or a muezzin.21 I am saying that they are putting every-
20Referring to the Holy Prophet’s Me’raj or Night Journey to the Heavens , during which he was admitted to the utmost point of nearness to God Almighty among all created beings.
21In Turkey and many other Muslim countries, both the imam who leads the prayer and the
muezzin who makes the call to prayer are government employees or officials.
thing onto them, paying them and resting; the others are free.22 It is a bad expression; all believers are “men of religion.” Why are you not going to be a servant of Allah? What rank is more honorable than being the servant of Allah?
Endless honors may be for certain people. Allah Almighty honored the Prophet saw by giving him the biggest miracle, the Night Journey. When he returned in the morning time, he informed the people of Mecca about that journey-by-night and the unbelievers were astonished. Even the saha- bah were too astonished. From Mecca to Jerusalem was forty days’ journey by camel, but he claimed that during one night he had gone and come to Jerusalem, and after that to the Heavens and beyond the Heavens!
Believers must use their hearts for believing, not their minds. The famous caliph of the Muslims, one of the grand-wazirs of the Prophet during his life- time, Sayyidina ‘Umar , when heard this news [of the Prophet’s Me’raj] from someone, he did not go to the Prophet but he went to Sayyidina Abu Bakr , asking, “O Abu Bakr, did you hear about the miraculous news? What do you think?”
Abu Bakr said, “O ‘Umar, who is telling that news?” “The Prophet of Allah.”
He said, “Enough, O ‘Umar! Even more than that I would believe.” And he [Abu Bakr] is the father of the Naqshbandis.23
These words may be too big for scholars. They are thinking that their knowledge is the limit of knowledge and there is no more. And they are correct up to their limit, but after their limit, they must leave it to someone else. If Allah’s lights enter into a heart, that heart gets wider and wider and wider.
22That is, under such a system, total responsibility for people’s religion is placed on paid religious officials, while others see themselves as not having any responsibility.
23The chain (silsilah) of awliya and grandshaykhs of the Naqshbandi Tariqah originates with Sayyidina Abu Bakr , while all other tariqahs go back to Sayyidina ‘Ali .
The Prophet saw has 313 or more beautiful names and he has been honored. He has been honored unlimitedly because he was the representa- tive of Allah Almighty, and, as we are saying, every Holy Name of Allah appears or manifests in the Prophet and gives honor to him. And among all those names, he was very pleased when Allah described him in the Holy Qur’an as being His servant.24
He was so happy to be servant to such a Lord. And that is an honor for everyone. You must try! That is following the steps of Muhammad
saw—to be servants, sincere, humble servants. Think what an honor you have been given. Don’t be ‘official,’ don’t be a ‘member’. Try to be a sin- cere servant to Almighty Allah.
This is our ‘feast’ today. It is enough to listen to these words from a humble one. May Allah accept you! ▲
242:23, 8:41, 17:1, 25:1, 53:10, 57:9, 72:19.
5: CONCERNING THE HOLY PROPHET’S KNOWLEDGE OF THE FUTURE
AND SAYYIDINA MAHDI
May Allah grant us inspirations through His beloved Sayyidina Mu- hammad saw and through His beloved awliya, saints.
The Prophet saw told everything about the future; he never left out any- thing. For twenty-three years he taught people the Qur’an and its mean- ings, and he made everything clear up to the Day of Resurrection, for this life and hereafter, for Paradise and Hells; everything he made clear. But now among scholars, there are some so-doubtful people, doubting everything, and they are trying to put the whole of the Prophet’s sayings into forty hadiths.
There must be millions of hadiths over twenty-three years. He made clear the Holy Qur’an for all nations, up to the end; it was his duty to make clear this holy Book. How can you say there are only forty hadith and not accept others? They and Satan are equal. They are saying, “We only need the Qur’an, no need for anything else.”
Allah says in the Holy Qur’an, “Accept everything that My Prophet says,”25 but pride is preventing them. Sayyidina Muhammad is the most
25See 8:20, 24:62, 33:36 and many other verses of similar meaning. This is alluded to in the following ahadith:
I have indeed been given the Qur’an and something similar to it together with it, yet the time is near when a man reclining on his couch will say, “Just follow this Qur’an; what you find permissible in it, consider it permissible, and what you find prohibited in it, treat it as prohib- ited.” But what Allah’s Messenger has prohibited is like what Allah [Himself] has prohibited. (Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah)
true one; among mankind, no one can be more true than him. And he said, about our time, that all mankind are too proud (They are preventing me from speaking something wrong; my heart is in Their hands).
After the Prophet was the period of caliphs. He said that the first period of his nation would be a period of caliphs, then the period of ‘umara, rulers, ‘umara al-muminin.26 But there must be one ‘amir27 for Muslims; ıf they do not make an ‘amir over themselves, to obey him, they are all sinners. There must be an ‘amir to implement the Shari’ah. But now everyone thinks he should be the ‘amir.
From the West wing, the power of Islam came up to France, near Paris. Then their period was finished and muluk, kings, came—the Otto- man sultans, and from the mother’s side they reached back to the Prophet
; the first sultan’s wife was a sayyid.28 And then kings came, up to Sultan ‘Abdul-Hamid.29
In his time, there came a revolution which took him down from his throne. Then the fourth period came, the time of jababirah, tyrants. In every country, even when non-Muslim kings went, tyrants came, the king coming down and a Red one, a bad one, coming to destroy everything—so proud, throwing the Holy Qur’an from their hands. “Command is coming from my lips for life and death”; so many thousands of people killed in Turkey after the Revolution, and everywhere else!
There was Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, Hajjaj adh-Dhalim,30 the well-known op- pressor in Islam. Someone said, “O Hajjaj, you go back to the time of ‘Umar and you have seen his justice. Why are you like this?”
Let me not find one of you reclining on his couch when he hears something that I have commanded or forbidden, saying, “I do not know. We followed [only] what we found in the Book of Allah.” (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)
26Head of the believers, i.e., Muslims.
27Leader or head; the caliph was known as ‘amir al-muminin, the commander of the believers.
28A descendant of the Prophet saw.
29The last of the Ottoman rulers, deposed in 1908.
30Hajjaj the Tyrant.
He said, “Bring me the people of ‘Umar and I may rule like him!”
Now it is the time of tyrants and dictators. Some characteristics of those dictators must be with ourselves, because they are taking their powers from the people. They are only like taps. If honey comes through pipes, honey comes; if vinegar comes, the taps give vinegar.
Everyone is proud now, no humble people; exceptions never change rules. And since “naba’” in Arabic means “news,” every news that the Qur’an informed about must have an appointed time to appear.
The appointed time of dictators arrived from 1908; up to today it is seventy-nine years. I hope for it to be finished with eighty; I hope that a great revolution will come. The great French Revolution, which was also an opening for tyrants, putting the heads under the feet and the feet in the place of heads, was in 1789. After two years it will be two hundred years.
For every piece of news, there is an appointed time. Allah is the most practical One. Every news that is appointed just comes on time, not early, not delayed; it must appear at its appointed time. And He appointed a time for Sayyidina Mahdi saw.31
The Prophet saw informed all nations that after the four periods, after those tyrants, there should come a just one, supported by divine powers, to clean the whole earth from all tyrants. Only he can do this; for his honor there will come a shari’ah, for no one else. And he will not bring the Shari’ah that we are using now, he will bring a virgin shari’ah.
The Holy Qur’an is virgin; how could he reach that secret? But during the Night Journey, Allah gave it to Muhammad saw in the Divine Presence.
Muhammad saw is the greatest prophet, greater than anyone among heavenly beings, mankind and jinn. It is impossible for anyone to know the greatness of our Prophet except his Lord. Gabriel is the Prophet’s ser-
31The divinely-appointed leader whose coming during the End-Time of this world is foretold in many hadiths.
vant, not his teacher; his teacher is Allah. Only he reached to the Divine Presence, no other prophet.
When he went up, he saw Gabriel, lying like a carpet in his station out of divine haybah, awe of Allah’s greatness and majesty. And Allah Almighty gave Muhammad saw a trust in a safe; no one can imagine the glory of that trust. And He said to His Prophet , “Keep this till your fortieth grand- son, Mahdi, comes. When he comes, you will open it for him.” My Grand- shaykh told me about that. Now, also, he is speaking.
When Mahdi comes. . . Now he is ready and Allah Almighty is keeping him in a safe place between Yemen and Hijaz. No one can approach; there is quicksand. His headquarters is protected. And now the Prophet will give that trust to him.
When he comes and says “Allahu akbar!” that power of the secret of the Holy Qur’an will come like lightning all around the world and destroy all technology. When he gives takbir,32 all that news must come to pass. Tuba, happiness and pleasure, for those people who will reach to those days! All proud ones will be taken away. Ask to be humble servants to that be- loved one.
Only Grandshaykh has permission to speak about such things. No one else in the East and West may speak. ▲
32Saying “Allahu Akbar, God is the Most Great.”
6: FOLLOWING THE WAYS OF HOLY MEN
May Allah Almighty bless you during this holy month; you are coming here and listening. I am seeing that our assembly is not an ordinary assem- bly or association. This is not an official meeting and we are not official people and attenders. We are carrying responsibility only towards Allah Almighty.33
If a person carries responsibility towards his Lord, he tries to do his best. And we are trying to do our best for each one of mankind living on earth. We are asking happiness and pleasure and peace for everyone, here and Hereafter; we are trying to give as much benefit as possible to every- one. That is the main aim of the holy people who lived before and who are living now and who will live after our time.
This life began with a holy one, Sayyidina Adam, and since his time there have been, at every time, holy ones, never absent. They are only liv- ing for others, not for themselves. They are sacrificing themselves for mankind, and therefore Allah Almighty rewards them in Paradise like no one else.
We are trying to follow the ways of holy men. We must try to be holy ones because they are real believers; they really believe in Allah Almighty and the Day of Resurrection, really believe in Paradise and Hells. We must fol- low their ways and try to reach high standards of belief—not only by talk- ing, but we must show our belief through our bodies’ activities and actions because believers show that they believe through their actions. Actions are evidences of holy people, and we are trying to reach their standard, the highest station of mankind.
33That is, not to any government, institution or organization.
Some people in our times are carrying the title of “holiness” but they are empty ones. We must try to be real holy ones so that it should be said for us in the Divine Presence, “Your Holiness.” Prophets and their real successors, awliya, are holy ones, and you can’t be holy without reaching one of those holy ones. You must try to find one.
They are not found easily. Like diamonds and precious stones, they are difficult to find. Among people, holy ones will be up to the end of this world, but don’t be cheated by empty titles, official titles. Try to find real ones, whose names are written on heavenly stations. If anyone reaches such people, those holy ones also cover those who reach them.
But they do not come easily into your hands. They make so many ex- aminations for that person, so many times trying him. And sometimes they are showing some perfection34 and people are running after them.
Abu Yazid Bistami was always traveling to get in touch with people as much as possible; They always want to transfer their spiritual lights to oth- ers. Firstly, all prophets were travelers, to get in touch with more people. Whether accepting them or not doesn’t matter; they have some powers, passing from their hearts to people. Impossible for a person to meet a prophet without being affected. As radiation comes on animals or plants or people but does not quickly appear, their hearts are most important for giv- ing their lights to people. Even at the last, those people should be affected.
Awliya, saints, are also following the same ways and they also travel. In Abu Yazid’s time there were no passports, no customs, no borders; from East to West one could go. He was coming and showing his miraculous powers, and people, like bees coming on honey, were gathering around him.
He gave something to them and some of them were going with him (all of them were attracted but only some of them were suitable to be with him). As we know, Allah Almighty has made for everyone a private posi- tion, to be there;35 if everyone left his job and came [to be with a wali], no
34Karamat, the miracles of awliya.
35That is, each individual’s particularl life situation and conditions.
more would life continue as Allah wants it to continue. Everyone must keep his position and [at the same time] must keep his spiritual relationship with that holy one, and he can reach billions. That one’s spiritual powers may cover the whole universe, because the whole universe without that holy one is cheap but with that one it is precious.
As we have been invited to visit the Ka‘bah, we are in need to find a holy servant of the Lord. The Ka‘bah must be visited once in a lifetime at least, and also that holy one who represents the Prophet must be known and visited, even once in a lifetime, because the Holy Ka‘bah stands by that one.
That is Sultan al-Awliya.36 He is that one who gives holiness to the ser- vants of the Lord, Almighty Allah. He may be represented among 124,000 holy ones at any time.37 They represent that holy one who represents the Seal of the Prophets , by whom the Holy Ka‘bah stands.
I am asking pilgrims, “What did you see at the Holy Ka‘bah? Did you meet any holy one?” But no one is asking to meet anyone. For what are you going—only to see that building? You must look for that one who repre- sents the Holy Prophet . But now believers are official ones, all of them. If real ones, at the first step they may ask permission to enter from the boundaries of those holy places, and whoever enters with full adab38 meets the guardians of those places, holy guardians.
Full adab to the holy places is to come and say, “I have left everything that my heart is occupied with of this life.” If They [the holy guardians] see that your heart is for your Lord only, They may welcome you, but if you have come to acquire the title of “Hajji,”39 they may say, “Go away!” If you came for the sake of your Lord, They see your heart and They welcome you from the beginning. Even the Holy Ka‘bah may come to welcome you, as
36The highest ranking saint among awliya, the greatest grandshaykh.
37As there have been 124,000 prophets since the time of Adam saw, there are at all times 124,000 awliya on earth.
38Correct manners.
39One who has performed the pilgrimage (Hajj).
it came to Rabi’at al-Adawiyah.40 She was a descendant of the Prophet, Sayyidina Muhammad , a lady, but she reached a level that only few men have reached.
If ladies are asking for physical equality, there is never going to be [physical] equality. If equal, there must be all men or all women. Men and women are never going to be equal; there must be something wrong if they are asking to be the other sex. And they are asking but they are wrong.
Spiritually there is equality. Women have more ability to reach the Di- vine Presence, and also, among spiritual beings, women have been given something else through their spiritual life’s high standards. Men are also equal, but their spiritual appearance, manifestation, is of another kind. Both of them have been honored by Allah Almighty; no one knows the limits of that honor. That discussion is nonsense, the lowest rubbish. If you [women] are feeling oppressed, don’t go and work! Leave them [men] to do it; you sit in your houses!
I just took this from Rabi’at al-Adawiyah; she will be happy if we ac- cept it. She went to pilgrimage at the time of Hasan al-Basri. He arrived at the Holy Ka‘bah and saw the Ka‘bah only as a shape, standing, leaving only a shadow, but the Ka‘abah itself was not there. He asked, “O my Lord, where is Your Holy House?”
The answer came by ‘Telephone’’:41 “Rabi’ah is coming and the Ka‘abah has gone to welcome her.”
She was at ‘Arafat, the holy mountain.42 That day she was useless for praying43 and she was crying (women think that something is wrong for them not to pray at that time, but it is a grant from Allah to them, carrying
40Rabi’a Basri.
41Hatif ar-Rabbani, the divine Voice, by which some of Allah’s chosen servants are sometimes addressed.
42The mountain in whose vicinity pilgrims assemble during the Hajj to supplicate and ask for Allah’s forgiveness.
43That is, due to menstruation, she was unable to observe salat, prayers.
some burden). She cried, and Allah, by hatif ar-rabbani, said to all the pil- grims, “This year your pilgrimage was not acceptable, but, because of her crying, all of you are accepted!”
We must look after ourselves. When Abu Yazid showed some perfec- tion, people ran after him. Sometimes he tried some of them by showing something that no one would accept. Then they left him and went away, and he left, also.
They [awliya] may try you by several ways. If you do not change [due to their tests], they may accept you, because it is not easy to follow. There- fore they are choosing the one who should be with them always. Even once a year, you need to see them, giving you new power and taking away burdens. ▲
7: THE GREATNESS OF DIVINE MERCY IN THE FACE OF OUR SINS
We, all of us, belong to mankind, and each one is like a leaf on a big tree, the tree of mankind.
It is mentioned in traditions that there is a big tree in the Heavens. On that tree there are leaves, of the number of mankind from the beginning up to the end, so many leaves, and on each one is written the name of one of mankind.
Forty days before a person dies, his leaf dies, and on the day of his death it falls down in front of ‘Azra’il saw, the Angel of Death, and he sees who that person is and takes his soul. Sometimes our ears may ring. There is a tradition that when someone’s leaf comes down, it may touch some others. If touching your leaf, your ear rings, and you say, “Inna lil-Lahi wa inna ilayhi raj’iun.”44
Each person is an individual, never going to be like another one. You can’t be the same as another one; each one must be distinctive, must be unique, in his personality. Even twins must be different, also. They may be so similar in their forms but it is impossible to be similar in their character- istics.
That shows the Lord’s endless Will Oceans and endless Power and Wisdom and Knowledge and Artistry Oceans. We may find among man- kind some similar characteristics; there may be some people on the same
44“Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed we shall return to Him.” (2:156)
lines, but everyone, in his characteristics, manifests a special personality among people in the Divine Presence. And Allah Almighty, the Lord of mankind, knows with absolute knowledge about everyone’s characteristics and everyone’s attributes. He is the only One who is able to gather all of them, in spite of their differences, to make them to meet on the same point, and He is able to send His Message so that it should be interesting to eve- ryone from some direction.
Therefore, we have the Holy Qur’an, a one-volume book of about six hundred pages, 6,666 verses and 114 surahs.45 In that limited size, the Lord, Almighty Allah, is giving to everyone, according to their attributes, suitable examples or guidance or anything that they may need. In the Holy Qur’an, you may freely reach your private destination; without getting into a con- fined space, you may find your way through the Holy Qur’an to your desti- nation.
Its size is so small but it contains, for all mankind, their private desti- nations. It is a grant from Allah Almighty to His servants, to make them reach their destinations and endless honors in the Divine Presence. And everyone’s destination ends in the Divine Presence; no one’s destination is not in the Divine Presence.
There is the holy hadith,46 “Sabaqat rahmati ‘ala ghadabi, My mercy outdoes My anger.” That is a very, very, very great good tidings for rebel- lious ones: the Lord Almighty may be angry with His disobedient people, but even though He is able to punish them, finally His mercy comes and saves them. That is one of the greatest good tidin
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6088
ighty, and we have been or- dered to do everything for the pleasure of Allah.
It is impossible to do something for the pleasure of Allah Almighty if you are not sincere, the Seal of the Prophets informed his nation fifteen centuries ago. Because who is a prophet? The one who informs about coming days and events, he is a prophet; if not knowing about coming days, he is an ordinary man. And saints must step in the footsteps of the Prophet
saw or they can’t be saints. Prophets also can’t be prophets if they can’t fol- low in the steps which Almighty Allah appoints for them to step in.
All the sahabah, the Companions of Sayyidina Muhammad saw, were fol- lowing in the footsteps of the Prophet ; if not following, they could not be sahabah. The places where he put his feet must be well-known by awliya. Those places are lighted; everywhere in Hijaz where he put his blessed feet is lighted.
Once the son of Sayyidina ‘Umar was journeying on the road to Mecca for pilgrimage. He arrived at a crossroad and left it, and went by the next one, turning. His friends said, “Oh! What is the reason?”
He said, “I saw our beloved Prophet —he reached this point and turned. Therefore I like to follow his path.”
He saw those lights and followed them; the one to whom Allah gives His lights, he may see and follow. But He never gives without sincerity. The Prophet had qadam as-sidq, the steps of truthfulness. You can’t step
towards your Lord Almighty Allah’s presence if you don’t have steps of truthfulness. If you have that, you may reach.
Now, I was expecting for two days [to make] an Association, and I do not know except what They are making me to speak. I am asking my Lord’s divine favors for everyone attending our Association. I don’t like official things because if officiality comes, sincerity goes.
The Prophet saw came on earth from the Divine Presence. Jesus Christ
¡ went from the earth to the Heavens, but Muhammad—he was there and he was ordered to come to be with the people of the Lord.20 He was the most sincere person, and he sat with slaves, women, children, with every- one, and quickly went to their level. He was the most humble of creatures, and he said, “I sit as slaves sit and I eat as slaves eat.”
That is the top point of humbleness. He was not an official one. But he said, “When the Last Days approach, sincerity will be taken up and peo- ple will be official ones.”
Among believers, sincerity is wanted more than anything else. But now ‘religious’ people are also official nothing remaining of religion except its name, and you can’t find anything except official forms. Even Muslims are trying to make some associations with membership. But if officiality comes, sincerity goes.
When the Prophet saw gave information about the truth, he said that what the People of the Book are doing, my nation is going to follow step by step. There should come a time for my nation when you will not find Islam except as a name, people practicing it officially.
There is an expression among Turkish Muslims; they say “man of re- ligion” for an imam or a muezzin.21 I am saying that they are putting every-
20Referring to the Holy Prophet’s Me’raj or Night Journey to the Heavens , during which he was admitted to the utmost point of nearness to God Almighty among all created beings.
21In Turkey and many other Muslim countries, both the imam who leads the prayer and the
muezzin who makes the call to prayer are government employees or officials.
thing onto them, paying them and resting; the others are free.22 It is a bad expression; all believers are “men of religion.” Why are you not going to be a servant of Allah? What rank is more honorable than being the servant of Allah?
Endless honors may be for certain people. Allah Almighty honored the Prophet saw by giving him the biggest miracle, the Night Journey. When he returned in the morning time, he informed the people of Mecca about that journey-by-night and the unbelievers were astonished. Even the saha- bah were too astonished. From Mecca to Jerusalem was forty days’ journey by camel, but he claimed that during one night he had gone and come to Jerusalem, and after that to the Heavens and beyond the Heavens!
Believers must use their hearts for believing, not their minds. The famous caliph of the Muslims, one of the grand-wazirs of the Prophet during his life- time, Sayyidina ‘Umar , when heard this news [of the Prophet’s Me’raj] from someone, he did not go to the Prophet but he went to Sayyidina Abu Bakr , asking, “O Abu Bakr, did you hear about the miraculous news? What do you think?”
Abu Bakr said, “O ‘Umar, who is telling that news?” “The Prophet of Allah.”
He said, “Enough, O ‘Umar! Even more than that I would believe.” And he [Abu Bakr] is the father of the Naqshbandis.23
These words may be too big for scholars. They are thinking that their knowledge is the limit of knowledge and there is no more. And they are correct up to their limit, but after their limit, they must leave it to someone else. If Allah’s lights enter into a heart, that heart gets wider and wider and wider.
22That is, under such a system, total responsibility for people’s religion is placed on paid religious officials, while others see themselves as not having any responsibility.
23The chain (silsilah) of awliya and grandshaykhs of the Naqshbandi Tariqah originates with Sayyidina Abu Bakr , while all other tariqahs go back to Sayyidina ‘Ali .
The Prophet saw has 313 or more beautiful names and he has been honored. He has been honored unlimitedly because he was the representa- tive of Allah Almighty, and, as we are saying, every Holy Name of Allah appears or manifests in the Prophet and gives honor to him. And among all those names, he was very pleased when Allah described him in the Holy Qur’an as being His servant.24
He was so happy to be servant to such a Lord. And that is an honor for everyone. You must try! That is following the steps of Muhammad
saw—to be servants, sincere, humble servants. Think what an honor you have been given. Don’t be ‘official,’ don’t be a ‘member’. Try to be a sin- cere servant to Almighty Allah.
This is our ‘feast’ today. It is enough to listen to these words from a humble one. May Allah accept you! ▲
242:23, 8:41, 17:1, 25:1, 53:10, 57:9, 72:19.
5: CONCERNING THE HOLY PROPHET’S KNOWLEDGE OF THE FUTURE
AND SAYYIDINA MAHDI
May Allah grant us inspirations through His beloved Sayyidina Mu- hammad saw and through His beloved awliya, saints.
The Prophet saw told everything about the future; he never left out any- thing. For twenty-three years he taught people the Qur’an and its mean- ings, and he made everything clear up to the Day of Resurrection, for this life and hereafter, for Paradise and Hells; everything he made clear. But now among scholars, there are some so-doubtful people, doubting everything, and they are trying to put the whole of the Prophet’s sayings into forty hadiths.
There must be millions of hadiths over twenty-three years. He made clear the Holy Qur’an for all nations, up to the end; it was his duty to make clear this holy Book. How can you say there are only forty hadith and not accept others? They and Satan are equal. They are saying, “We only need the Qur’an, no need for anything else.”
Allah says in the Holy Qur’an, “Accept everything that My Prophet says,”25 but pride is preventing them. Sayyidina Muhammad is the most
25See 8:20, 24:62, 33:36 and many other verses of similar meaning. This is alluded to in the following ahadith:
I have indeed been given the Qur’an and something similar to it together with it, yet the time is near when a man reclining on his couch will say, “Just follow this Qur’an; what you find permissible in it, consider it permissible, and what you find prohibited in it, treat it as prohib- ited.” But what Allah’s Messenger has prohibited is like what Allah [Himself] has prohibited. (Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah)
true one; among mankind, no one can be more true than him. And he said, about our time, that all mankind are too proud (They are preventing me from speaking something wrong; my heart is in Their hands).
After the Prophet was the period of caliphs. He said that the first period of his nation would be a period of caliphs, then the period of ‘umara, rulers, ‘umara al-muminin.26 But there must be one ‘amir27 for Muslims; ıf they do not make an ‘amir over themselves, to obey him, they are all sinners. There must be an ‘amir to implement the Shari’ah. But now everyone thinks he should be the ‘amir.
From the West wing, the power of Islam came up to France, near Paris. Then their period was finished and muluk, kings, came—the Otto- man sultans, and from the mother’s side they reached back to the Prophet
; the first sultan’s wife was a sayyid.28 And then kings came, up to Sultan ‘Abdul-Hamid.29
In his time, there came a revolution which took him down from his throne. Then the fourth period came, the time of jababirah, tyrants. In every country, even when non-Muslim kings went, tyrants came, the king coming down and a Red one, a bad one, coming to destroy everything—so proud, throwing the Holy Qur’an from their hands. “Command is coming from my lips for life and death”; so many thousands of people killed in Turkey after the Revolution, and everywhere else!
There was Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, Hajjaj adh-Dhalim,30 the well-known op- pressor in Islam. Someone said, “O Hajjaj, you go back to the time of ‘Umar and you have seen his justice. Why are you like this?”
Let me not find one of you reclining on his couch when he hears something that I have commanded or forbidden, saying, “I do not know. We followed [only] what we found in the Book of Allah.” (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)
26Head of the believers, i.e., Muslims.
27Leader or head; the caliph was known as ‘amir al-muminin, the commander of the believers.
28A descendant of the Prophet saw.
29The last of the Ottoman rulers, deposed in 1908.
30Hajjaj the Tyrant.
He said, “Bring me the people of ‘Umar and I may rule like him!”
Now it is the time of tyrants and dictators. Some characteristics of those dictators must be with ourselves, because they are taking their powers from the people. They are only like taps. If honey comes through pipes, honey comes; if vinegar comes, the taps give vinegar.
Everyone is proud now, no humble people; exceptions never change rules. And since “naba’” in Arabic means “news,” every news that the Qur’an informed about must have an appointed time to appear.
The appointed time of dictators arrived from 1908; up to today it is seventy-nine years. I hope for it to be finished with eighty; I hope that a great revolution will come. The great French Revolution, which was also an opening for tyrants, putting the heads under the feet and the feet in the place of heads, was in 1789. After two years it will be two hundred years.
For every piece of news, there is an appointed time. Allah is the most practical One. Every news that is appointed just comes on time, not early, not delayed; it must appear at its appointed time. And He appointed a time for Sayyidina Mahdi saw.31
The Prophet saw informed all nations that after the four periods, after those tyrants, there should come a just one, supported by divine powers, to clean the whole earth from all tyrants. Only he can do this; for his honor there will come a shari’ah, for no one else. And he will not bring the Shari’ah that we are using now, he will bring a virgin shari’ah.
The Holy Qur’an is virgin; how could he reach that secret? But during the Night Journey, Allah gave it to Muhammad saw in the Divine Presence.
Muhammad saw is the greatest prophet, greater than anyone among heavenly beings, mankind and jinn. It is impossible for anyone to know the greatness of our Prophet except his Lord. Gabriel is the Prophet’s ser-
31The divinely-appointed leader whose coming during the End-Time of this world is foretold in many hadiths.
vant, not his teacher; his teacher is Allah. Only he reached to the Divine Presence, no other prophet.
When he went up, he saw Gabriel, lying like a carpet in his station out of divine haybah, awe of Allah’s greatness and majesty. And Allah Almighty gave Muhammad saw a trust in a safe; no one can imagine the glory of that trust. And He said to His Prophet , “Keep this till your fortieth grand- son, Mahdi, comes. When he comes, you will open it for him.” My Grand- shaykh told me about that. Now, also, he is speaking.
When Mahdi comes. . . Now he is ready and Allah Almighty is keeping him in a safe place between Yemen and Hijaz. No one can approach; there is quicksand. His headquarters is protected. And now the Prophet will give that trust to him.
When he comes and says “Allahu akbar!” that power of the secret of the Holy Qur’an will come like lightning all around the world and destroy all technology. When he gives takbir,32 all that news must come to pass. Tuba, happiness and pleasure, for those people who will reach to those days! All proud ones will be taken away. Ask to be humble servants to that be- loved one.
Only Grandshaykh has permission to speak about such things. No one else in the East and West may speak. ▲
32Saying “Allahu Akbar, God is the Most Great.”
6: FOLLOWING THE WAYS OF HOLY MEN
May Allah Almighty bless you during this holy month; you are coming here and listening. I am seeing that our assembly is not an ordinary assem- bly or association. This is not an official meeting and we are not official people and attenders. We are carrying responsibility only towards Allah Almighty.33
If a person carries responsibility towards his Lord, he tries to do his best. And we are trying to do our best for each one of mankind living on earth. We are asking happiness and pleasure and peace for everyone, here and Hereafter; we are trying to give as much benefit as possible to every- one. That is the main aim of the holy people who lived before and who are living now and who will live after our time.
This life began with a holy one, Sayyidina Adam, and since his time there have been, at every time, holy ones, never absent. They are only liv- ing for others, not for themselves. They are sacrificing themselves for mankind, and therefore Allah Almighty rewards them in Paradise like no one else.
We are trying to follow the ways of holy men. We must try to be holy ones because they are real believers; they really believe in Allah Almighty and the Day of Resurrection, really believe in Paradise and Hells. We must fol- low their ways and try to reach high standards of belief—not only by talk- ing, but we must show our belief through our bodies’ activities and actions because believers show that they believe through their actions. Actions are evidences of holy people, and we are trying to reach their standard, the highest station of mankind.
33That is, not to any government, institution or organization.
Some people in our times are carrying the title of “holiness” but they are empty ones. We must try to be real holy ones so that it should be said for us in the Divine Presence, “Your Holiness.” Prophets and their real successors, awliya, are holy ones, and you can’t be holy without reaching one of those holy ones. You must try to find one.
They are not found easily. Like diamonds and precious stones, they are difficult to find. Among people, holy ones will be up to the end of this world, but don’t be cheated by empty titles, official titles. Try to find real ones, whose names are written on heavenly stations. If anyone reaches such people, those holy ones also cover those who reach them.
But they do not come easily into your hands. They make so many ex- aminations for that person, so many times trying him. And sometimes they are showing some perfection34 and people are running after them.
Abu Yazid Bistami was always traveling to get in touch with people as much as possible; They always want to transfer their spiritual lights to oth- ers. Firstly, all prophets were travelers, to get in touch with more people. Whether accepting them or not doesn’t matter; they have some powers, passing from their hearts to people. Impossible for a person to meet a prophet without being affected. As radiation comes on animals or plants or people but does not quickly appear, their hearts are most important for giv- ing their lights to people. Even at the last, those people should be affected.
Awliya, saints, are also following the same ways and they also travel. In Abu Yazid’s time there were no passports, no customs, no borders; from East to West one could go. He was coming and showing his miraculous powers, and people, like bees coming on honey, were gathering around him.
He gave something to them and some of them were going with him (all of them were attracted but only some of them were suitable to be with him). As we know, Allah Almighty has made for everyone a private posi- tion, to be there;35 if everyone left his job and came [to be with a wali], no
34Karamat, the miracles of awliya.
35That is, each individual’s particularl life situation and conditions.
more would life continue as Allah wants it to continue. Everyone must keep his position and [at the same time] must keep his spiritual relationship with that holy one, and he can reach billions. That one’s spiritual powers may cover the whole universe, because the whole universe without that holy one is cheap but with that one it is precious.
As we have been invited to visit the Ka‘bah, we are in need to find a holy servant of the Lord. The Ka‘bah must be visited once in a lifetime at least, and also that holy one who represents the Prophet must be known and visited, even once in a lifetime, because the Holy Ka‘bah stands by that one.
That is Sultan al-Awliya.36 He is that one who gives holiness to the ser- vants of the Lord, Almighty Allah. He may be represented among 124,000 holy ones at any time.37 They represent that holy one who represents the Seal of the Prophets , by whom the Holy Ka‘bah stands.
I am asking pilgrims, “What did you see at the Holy Ka‘bah? Did you meet any holy one?” But no one is asking to meet anyone. For what are you going—only to see that building? You must look for that one who repre- sents the Holy Prophet . But now believers are official ones, all of them. If real ones, at the first step they may ask permission to enter from the boundaries of those holy places, and whoever enters with full adab38 meets the guardians of those places, holy guardians.
Full adab to the holy places is to come and say, “I have left everything that my heart is occupied with of this life.” If They [the holy guardians] see that your heart is for your Lord only, They may welcome you, but if you have come to acquire the title of “Hajji,”39 they may say, “Go away!” If you came for the sake of your Lord, They see your heart and They welcome you from the beginning. Even the Holy Ka‘bah may come to welcome you, as
36The highest ranking saint among awliya, the greatest grandshaykh.
37As there have been 124,000 prophets since the time of Adam saw, there are at all times 124,000 awliya on earth.
38Correct manners.
39One who has performed the pilgrimage (Hajj).
it came to Rabi’at al-Adawiyah.40 She was a descendant of the Prophet, Sayyidina Muhammad , a lady, but she reached a level that only few men have reached.
If ladies are asking for physical equality, there is never going to be [physical] equality. If equal, there must be all men or all women. Men and women are never going to be equal; there must be something wrong if they are asking to be the other sex. And they are asking but they are wrong.
Spiritually there is equality. Women have more ability to reach the Di- vine Presence, and also, among spiritual beings, women have been given something else through their spiritual life’s high standards. Men are also equal, but their spiritual appearance, manifestation, is of another kind. Both of them have been honored by Allah Almighty; no one knows the limits of that honor. That discussion is nonsense, the lowest rubbish. If you [women] are feeling oppressed, don’t go and work! Leave them [men] to do it; you sit in your houses!
I just took this from Rabi’at al-Adawiyah; she will be happy if we ac- cept it. She went to pilgrimage at the time of Hasan al-Basri. He arrived at the Holy Ka‘bah and saw the Ka‘bah only as a shape, standing, leaving only a shadow, but the Ka‘abah itself was not there. He asked, “O my Lord, where is Your Holy House?”
The answer came by ‘Telephone’’:41 “Rabi’ah is coming and the Ka‘abah has gone to welcome her.”
She was at ‘Arafat, the holy mountain.42 That day she was useless for praying43 and she was crying (women think that something is wrong for them not to pray at that time, but it is a grant from Allah to them, carrying
40Rabi’a Basri.
41Hatif ar-Rabbani, the divine Voice, by which some of Allah’s chosen servants are sometimes addressed.
42The mountain in whose vicinity pilgrims assemble during the Hajj to supplicate and ask for Allah’s forgiveness.
43That is, due to menstruation, she was unable to observe salat, prayers.
some burden). She cried, and Allah, by hatif ar-rabbani, said to all the pil- grims, “This year your pilgrimage was not acceptable, but, because of her crying, all of you are accepted!”
We must look after ourselves. When Abu Yazid showed some perfec- tion, people ran after him. Sometimes he tried some of them by showing something that no one would accept. Then they left him and went away, and he left, also.
They [awliya] may try you by several ways. If you do not change [due to their tests], they may accept you, because it is not easy to follow. There- fore they are choosing the one who should be with them always. Even once a year, you need to see them, giving you new power and taking away burdens. ▲
7: THE GREATNESS OF DIVINE MERCY IN THE FACE OF OUR SINS
We, all of us, belong to mankind, and each one is like a leaf on a big tree, the tree of mankind.
It is mentioned in traditions that there is a big tree in the Heavens. On that tree there are leaves, of the number of mankind from the beginning up to the end, so many leaves, and on each one is written the name of one of mankind.
Forty days before a person dies, his leaf dies, and on the day of his death it falls down in front of ‘Azra’il saw, the Angel of Death, and he sees who that person is and takes his soul. Sometimes our ears may ring. There is a tradition that when someone’s leaf comes down, it may touch some others. If touching your leaf, your ear rings, and you say, “Inna lil-Lahi wa inna ilayhi raj’iun.”44
Each person is an individual, never going to be like another one. You can’t be the same as another one; each one must be distinctive, must be unique, in his personality. Even twins must be different, also. They may be so similar in their forms but it is impossible to be similar in their character- istics.
That shows the Lord’s endless Will Oceans and endless Power and Wisdom and Knowledge and Artistry Oceans. We may find among man- kind some similar characteristics; there may be some people on the same
44“Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed we shall return to Him.” (2:156)
lines, but everyone, in his characteristics, manifests a special personality among people in the Divine Presence. And Allah Almighty, the Lord of mankind, knows with absolute knowledge about everyone’s characteristics and everyone’s attributes. He is the only One who is able to gather all of them, in spite of their differences, to make them to meet on the same point, and He is able to send His Message so that it should be interesting to eve- ryone from some direction.
Therefore, we have the Holy Qur’an, a one-volume book of about six hundred pages, 6,666 verses and 114 surahs.45 In that limited size, the Lord, Almighty Allah, is giving to everyone, according to their attributes, suitable examples or guidance or anything that they may need. In the Holy Qur’an, you may freely reach your private destination; without getting into a con- fined space, you may find your way through the Holy Qur’an to your desti- nation.
Its size is so small but it contains, for all mankind, their private desti- nations. It is a grant from Allah Almighty to His servants, to make them reach their destinations and endless honors in the Divine Presence. And everyone’s destination ends in the Divine Presence; no one’s destination is not in the Divine Presence.
There is the holy hadith,46 “Sabaqat rahmati ‘ala ghadabi, My mercy outdoes My anger.” That is a very, very, very great good tidings for rebel- lious ones: the Lord Almighty may be angry with His disobedient people, but even though He is able to punish them, finally His mercy comes and saves them. That is one of the greatest good tidin
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