LIBERATING THE SOUL, Book 5 (Shaykh Nazim, 199 pages, 3/13)
https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6089
gs among the traditions which the Seal of the Prophets saw has brought us.
Once a person came to the Prophet saw. (I heard this from my Grand- shaykh, to make more clear to you the wideness of divine Mercy Oceans. No matter how disobedient we may be, following our egos and Satan, Al-
45Chapters.
46That is, a hadith qudsi, in which Allah Most High speaks about Himself through the Prophet’s tongue.
lah’s Mercy Oceans are wider.) He came to the Prophet and asked, “O Muhammad, do you think that Allah may forgive me?”
The Prophet saw said, “What do you think about your sins?”
He said, “I am a very great sinner because I was an ignorant one, and I am asking now if it is possible to be granted forgiveness.”
The Prophet asked, “Your sins are more than mountains?” “Yes.”
“Bigger than all the oceans?” “I think so.”
“Are they bigger than the seven earths and seven heavens?” “I think so. Bigger!”
“Are they bigger than the Divine Throne?” “I think so.”
Then the Prophet stopped; up to that limit he could use his author- ity for intercession. And at that time Allah sent His archangel Gabriel, saying to tell what he had done. “He must tell his sins to you, and We have forgiveness for everyone. No matter how big his sins may be, they are never going to be bigger than Mercy Oceans. Let him tell those sins!”
He said, “O Muhammad, I was a king in my territory before Islam came, in the Time of Ignorance, and I was so proud. I had forty daughters and I never accepted to marry any of my daughters to anyone. Therefore, I myself married all of them. Then, when each one gave birth to a child, each one I killed and threw away.”
The Prophet stopped. And Allah Almighty said, “Even though he did that, he is repenting and unhappy, and his sins are burning him now. Even though he did that, I forgive him. He may continue towards his des- tination to reach to My Divine Presence. No one must cut off his hope of My Mercy Oceans!”
Allah does such things! Everyone has an ego, and ego always orders bad things; the worst things it always orders, and if it finds an opportunity, it may do that. During the Night Journey, Allah said, “O Muhammad, if I gave such a chance to My servants as I gave to Pharoah, all of them would be such a person!”
We must ask forgiveness. In our Naqshbandi Order we have a prac- tice: asking forgiveness between one hundred to five hundred times for every sin we have done up to this day; and one hundred to five hundred times “Astaghfirullah,”47 asking for protection from being left in the hands of our ego: “O my Lord, don’t give any chance to my ego to do a sin.” We are in need of that. Very important!
Some awliya were saying, “I am not afraid for past sins but I am afraid for the rest of my life, how it is going to be passed.” Like this, like that, we have reached up to today and we can say “Astaghfirullah.” But maybe after this time, up to the end, there may come a change in our life, to forget to make sajdah48 or to forget to say “Astaghfirullah.” No one can give you in- surance against such a life.
This way gives an insurance: to ask, “O my Lord, don’t give me a chance to be disobedient; don’t leave me in the hands of my ego for even one moment.” The Prophet saw was praying, “O my Lord, don’t leave me and my nation, my ummah, in the hands of our egos.” One hundred to five hundred for past days, and up to five hundred for divine ‘insurance,’ and we hope that Allah never leaves us in the hands of our egos or of satans. ▲
47“I ask Allah’s forgiveness.”
48Prostration.
8: THE MEANING OF TARIQAH: PATIENCE
We are in need of more uns, familiarity. It is important, and familiarity grows with people when their iman, faith, gets stronger.
Faith needs something to make it stronger, needs feeding. If you don’t feed your faith, how is it going to be stronger? How—by eating more? We are eating too much but it is not getting to be stronger, getting fat physically but coming down spiritually. Therefore we must know what can feed our faith.
Eating and drinking are useless, perhaps making it weaker. Fasting makes it stronger. But we are looking for another thing that the Prophet saw informed us about, and he informed us about everything that we need.
Once he was asked, “What is faith?” He answered, “As-sabr, patience.”
Iman means patience; they are equal. In one with whom there may be patience, iman may be with him. According to his patience, his iman grows and gets stronger.
The most important thing we need in this life is patience. Patience supports us physically and spiritually. Abu Yazid Bistami, qaddas Allahu sirruhu,49 was asked, “What is the meaning of a person’s being in tariqah? What is tariqah asking from us?”
He said, “To be patient with difficulties, with unliked actions or things.”
49“May Allah sanctify his secret,” the traditional invocation for awliya.
Everything may be unliked, distasteful, and we may find those kinds of distasteful things among people. Particularly in our time, there should be found too many distasteful actions among people.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, people were mostly keeping their old manners. Religious manners they were keeping, good manners among families, neighbors, among children; they were under the control of their religious rules. But day by day people’s relationship to their good manners is getting weaker and weaker, and now it is just finishing. The rea- son is unlimited freedom, coming at the beginning of this century, and good manners are going away from families and people.
Freedom is making people, everyone, to do as they like, and so many disliked actions are appearing, now full-up. But we, as believers, have been asked to carry people; even with their bad manners, we have been asked to carry them. That means to be patient with people, and it gives strength to our faith.
The highest attribute for a person is to try to reach the attribute of Almighty Allah, patience. I heard from my Grandshaykh that every period of mankind is divided into ninety-nine divine appearances, manifestations. From the beginning of Sayyidina Adam up to today, there are manifesta- tions of His ninety-nine Holy Names, and today His manifestation is as- Sabur, the Patient.50
Allah sees everything that His servants are doing, and He made the last Holy Name to be as-Sabur, the Most Patient One with His servants, never quickly angry. He is patient, and He made that Holy Name for governing the divine manifestation of patience for our time. If not, He would have quickly destroyed all the world now.
In past times, only a few people among most of our peoples were wrong ones, and there were whole nations which were destroyed and van- ished because of a few of them. Now there are billions, and Allah is still carrying His servants. He is looking at what we are doing to Him and to
50As-Sabur is the ninety-ninth of the ninety-nine Holy Names of Allah.
each other, and as He is patient, most patient, endlessly patient, we, as His servants, must try to reach that attribute of Allah A1mighty. ▲
9: DOING EVERYTHING FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH ALMIGHTY
Grandshaykh Shah Naqshiband was, and is, the main pillar of the Naqshbandi Order. If he were not in our chain, this tariqah would not have come into existence.
We are claiming to be in Their tariqah. His khalifah, deputy, Shaykh ‘Alauddin al-Bukhari, was asking, “O my master, how can we know if a per- son belongs to the Most Distinguished Naqshbandi Order?”
He answered, “If a person is among a group of people with a Naqshbandi shaykh and he feels happy and pleased, that is enough sign that he belongs to this Order.” It is a good sign for anyone who comes to our Association and feels peace and pleasure.
Important is to believe. Through your beliefs you may improve in heavenly ranks and stations. Unbelievers are preventing themselves from reaching heavenly stations by unbelief, but believers may reach station after station through believing.
We have, among traditions, descriptions of believers. There are some special prayers or fastings or readings of dhikr and so many actions which have reached us. They are precious and acceptable in the Divine Presence, and Allah is recording.
But in our times, believers are becoming sick, their beliefs becoming weak. Sickness is coming through our egos.
Our egos represent absolute laziness. You can’t find any creature more lazy than our ego. If a person believes in some good actions, our egos are rejecting it and saying, “For what is that?” For a scholar, also, say-
ing, “From where do you get this—from the Holy Qur’an or hadith?” If it is from hadith, trying to escape. If you ask an ostrich if it is a bird, it says, “I am a camel”; if you want to load it, it says, “No, I am a bird”; if you say, “Fly,” it says, “No, I am a camel!”
Our egos, also—if you want them to do something, they always want to escape because they represent laziness. And we are just created to be the servants to our Lord, Almighty Allah, and a real servant asks to do, at every opportunity, more praying, fasting, reciting, making dhikr, salawat51; he is happy to do more and more. But in our time, people are under their egos’ commands and they are asking, “From where are you taking those dhikrs and prayers?” And people are also jealous and want to prevent others from doing those precious worshippings.
Allah wants reasons for giving from His favors. Everyone who works for Allah, to make Him pleased, should be rewarded on the Day of Resur- rection. And if a person hears about some good worship and does it, even if it is not mentioned in hadith, Allah should reward that person on Judg- ment Day as if he had acted according to hadith.
Allah Almighty is asking from His servants to occupy themselves more and more with His worship. Any action that is done for Allah’s pleasure is wor- ship. And we are asked to give more time for the sake of Allah.
Daily, for eight hours, you may be for your Lord, and you may do more than this, also. But Grandshaykh says those eight hours are not only for praying.
This meeting is for Allah Almighty. Our egos are not happy to be here, asking to go around London. And you are coming from Germany, from America, from Italy and Spain, from East and West; you are intending to come during Ramadan for the pleasure of Allah. From the time of your leaving home, all twenty-four hours, every day, are written for you as acting for Allah Almighty. Londoners, also; you are at work but your hearts are related or connected; all day you are thinking of being with the shaykh, with
51Invocation of blessings on the Holy Prophet saw.
his Association. You are asking to be with this fortunate group of people, and for you, also, your names are written for the whole of Ramadan at your Lord’s service.
With our intention, we may make our whole life for Allah. To live for Allah and to die for Allah—that is real servanthood. You are eating, drink- ing, sleeping, but it is for the sake of Allah, to make your Lord happy, not for your ego. And when He is pleased with you, He will make you pleased with Him. That is the highest happiness for a servant.
Your ego is asking to be even more free from every responsibility, but you are forcing it to be a sincere servant. Allah rewards that; our time’s, our day’s ‘payment’ for believers is excellent! For keeping a sunnah, He gives the reward of one hundred martyrs, and for obligatory worships and actions, the Prophet kept back from saying that payment, Allah just hiding it. You should be very happy when you are given your rewards on the Day of Resurrection!
And also we are reaching that through praying and worshipping in our hearts, and this holy month is a very good opportunity for putting our hearts in the Divine Presence. We must always put our heart in His Divine Presence, a big opportunity for practicing so that we may put our face to- wards qiblah and our real face towards Allah, our physical face towards Ka‘bah and real face towards Allah Almighty.
It is easy during Holy Ramadan. During nighttimes, after midnight, you may be with your Lord. Even for five minutes, try to be with Him. It should continue also after Ramadan; He is asking you to be with Him. He is with us, but we are not feeling or not trying to feel that He is in us. He is with ourselves, outside and inside. Even for some minutes, try to remember that.
He must be with you. If He takes away His power, you are going to be nothing. And that divine sirr, secret, is with awliya, also. They may be with you, also, inside and outside; remember that they may be with you. Grand- shaykh must be with you, outwardly and inwardly; otherwise, you can’t es- tablish your station without them. During this holy month, it is easy when you are with your grandshaykh.
Be careful on that point: try to occupy yourself more all the time with Allah and His service; try to do everything for the sake of Allah and His Sayyidina Muhammad saw—for His honor. If you do something for your family, make them happy for the sake of Allah. And wives may make their husbands happy for the sake of Allah, and it should be easy, not cutting their relationship. In everything, you may do your best for everyone, to make everyone happy for the sake of Allah, and they should be happy—and you, also. ▲
1O: STRIVING FOR PERFECTION
May Allah Almighty grant all of us good understanding. Important is not to speak, but important is to listen and to understand correctly, not wrongly.
If a person listens with his heart, he may understand, but if he occu- pies his heart with something else, it is difficult to understand; he may mis- understand. It is not easy if a person misunderstands; he may do everything upside-down, feet in the place of head, abnormal. Therefore, give your at- tention. As you give, you are taking.
Allah Almighty is the Creator. And now in our time, there are two views, two ways of looking at the universe and its existence, two doctrines concerning this universe and everything in it. One group believes, and the other group thinks, “It is a reality that there is a universe in existence. But how did this universe come into existence—by itself or by Someone Else?”
Believers believe that this universe and everything existing has been brought into existence by Someone Else, and atheists say that it exists by itself. There is no other view. But if you look at both sides, anyone who has anything of knowledge or intelligence or wisdoms never says that this universe has been formed by itself. It is only the imagination of some peo- ple that it has been formed by itself. Wisdom and science and intellect deny that view, because every creature is in need of a creator.
If we look at the universe, we are so many creatures. Who can say that I am my own creator or that I can create? There are gigantic stars but yet they are fire. But fire destroys, burns, making everything vanish, and you can’t imagine that fire brings anything into existence.
Physically we are not worth mentioning in the universe; an electron microscope in this universe can’t even see you. You can see atoms? No! We, also, in this universe, have such a small position. But we are mighty creatures in the universe. In the universe, which one is perfect? You, man- kind, the perfect one!
You may look with your eyes deeply into space. How is it possible? To the extent that we are mighty, Someone gives that hiba, gift, to us. So many kinds of animals are living, but who put that crown on you to be the king on earth, so that everything is under your command?
How are you denying it and saying that the universe can be by itself? Atheist people, either they are drunk or they are no-mind people. But it is such a dirty illness! Like rabies, that wrong view has quickly come, from one scholar to another. What is wrong with saying that an endlessly Power- ful, endlessly Knowing One, endlessly Wise One, endlessly Willing One, endlessly Beautiful One, endlessly Powerful One created this universe, in- stead of saying that it is created by itself?
They are laughing at believing ones, saying, “There is no Creator.” But mostly people are losing their intellect, so drunk. What is wrong with accepting a Most Merciful Lord for the entire universe? But they are devils, they are the servants of devils, asking to fight against good things!
And the Creator, “Allah” is His Name, His most important and great- est Name. His specific and proper Name is “Allah.” “God” is not His name; “God” is only “ilah,” deity. You are saying “Theos” or “Dieu” or “Deo,” but they are not His proper name; even if you write it with a capital letter, it doesn’t mean proper. In holy books, He is mentioned as “Allah.”
He Almighty sent His prophets to mankind, from the first one up to the last. The divine attribute of the Lord Almighty is that He loves good ones and hates bad ones, and all the prophets who were sent to mankind, their attributes were also the same. All the prophets represent good ones, and everyone following them is a good one. Whoever goes against them, they are bad ones.
The last, the Seal of the Prophets saw, his attribute, also, was that he ad- vised people to be good ones and to love good ones. His nation’s attribute is to love good ones and to be good ones, and to be against evil and devils52 because they are enemies of mankind, of creatures, of prophets, of Allah Almighty. And we need to be trained in that attribute.
But you must have tolerance. Now it is impossible, except for proph- ets, to be one hundred per cent good ones—impossible, but fifty per cent, forty per cent, thirty per cent, sixty per cent you may approach. But you can’t be absolute; even one per cent, if you can find it. And if you have more than one per cent, you must be tolerant of those people who have less than you. If you can find even one per cent, hold on to that one; he may improve, may be two or three per cent.
We are asking for perfection; we are not asking for animal life, with eating and drinking and sex only. You are created for perfection. Every- thing in this world was created for one purpose: for your perfection; every- thing is helping you to perfection. Therefore, we must try to improve. Don’t stand still! Try to climb up the perfection-ladder, try to approach. Everything will help you.
If you do not reach one hundred per cent, you will be dealt with in the last moment of your life. If still not reaching, the grave will grind you and make you dust, to bring out a new form for you with perfection. If not enough, on the Day of Resurrection you should be dealt with by another dealing. If still not enough, after Resurrection you should be dealt with in Hells for perfection. ▲
52Meaning evil ones from among humankind and jinn.
11: TAKING AWAY THE VEILS FROM OUR HEARTS
May Allah grant us, through the Seal of the Prophets saw, good under- standing of the Holy Qur’an and holy hadith and the holy words of awliya.
Man is created and honored to be Allah’s deputy in the universe, and Allah is addressing him. It is endless honor for mankind, that Allah, the Lord of the universes, is addressing them. The Greatest; He was the Great- est and He is and will be from pre-eternity to eternity.
We are nothing. Physically we are such small ones. But Allah made us something, addressing us, “O mankind, O My servants.”
No one can imagine the honor of being addressed by the Lord of the universes. Don’t think that you are His servants only during this short life. Were you nothing before this life?
There is a beginning for mankind, and their beginning only their Crea- tor knows. All mankind were in the Divine Presence before coming to this temporary life. Have you thought, when we were in the Divine Presence, what our position was? Nothing? To be servant to the Lord!
We were and we are eternal servants. From pre-eternity up to eternity, we are His servants, only our servanthood in the Divine Presence was sin- cere and perfect. But Allah, in His wisdoms, wanted to give His servants more honor. He gave us nur, lights, and then He wanted us to have nurun ‘ala nur,53 to give us more light.
53“Light upon light.” (24:35)
Allah dresses our souls in a physical body, giving us an ego that repre- sents our physical body. And during our short life, Allah grants us also an- other light, from pre-eternity up to coming into this life—the light of His Holy Name, ar-Rahman.54 That belongs to Mercy Oceans, that belongs to pre-eternity, reaching another Mercy Ocean from ar-Rahim,55 belonging to Mercy Oceans, facing eternity.
We have been created between huge Mercy Oceans, and both of them have been granted to mankind. Therefore, Allah wants us to ask for more and more from those Mercy Oceans of ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim.56 Do you think that His Mercy Oceans are within limits? Don’t think so! Unlimited greatness and glory to our Lord, Allah Almighty!
Mankind on this planet, theyey are not only this limited number of human beings. When the Prophet saw was on his Night Journey with Gabriel in the Seven Heavens, the Prophet was standing, and beside him the archangel Gabriel was standing. And there was a parade, Sayyidina Mu- hammad looking, of some of Allah Almighty’s armies. Like lines, straight lines, they rode on horses, quickly passing and saluting the Prophet
.
He looked but he did not find an end or a beginning for them. He asked about those armies and Gabriel said, “O beloved one of our Lord, I was created and was looking at their formations, and I never saw an end or a beginning.”
Then the divine addressing came, saying, “No one can know the num- ber of your Lord Almighty’s armies.” No limits for His armies or servants from among angels or among mankind!
Who was the first Adam and who will be the last one? Don’t ask; your Lord knows! You are fortunate that you have been created among the chil-
54The Beneficent, Compassionate.
55The Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.
56Together, these two attributes of Allah Almighty denote infinite compassion, beneficence and mercy.
dren of Adams. Our Adam represents 124,000 Adams among the endless territories of our Lord, Almighty Allah.
Everything that belongs to our Lord, Almighty Allah, must be endless. He is the Creator and creation has been going on from pre-eternity up to eternity. If it were going to finish, Allah would finish. Hasha—never! He is the Lord of Creation, He may create in a second’s time.
Scientists now are speaking about a ‘big bang.’ They are saying that in part of the trillionth part of a second, the universe appeared. That is their imagination. In less and even less than that part, Allah is creating. Now, also, huge universes are created, like this one, as they are imagining, in the trillionth part of a second.
He does not create empty universes but ones full of servants. It is im- possible to imagine His greatness; He has endless greatness and endless Power Oceans! You can’t find a unit of time without creation. You are only one of that huge creation’s caravans, a very small one on a very small planet. But Allah honored you and gave you to understand big things so that we may understand something about His greatness.
We are candidates to know more and to reach divine Knowledge and Wisdom Oceans. Prepare yourself for that Divine Presence! That is the main goal of prophets with messages: to prepare people for the Divine Presence.
Our real beings have never moved from that Divine Presence. To where should they want to move, how would they move from the Divine Presence? Our real beings are in the Divine Presence, in endless, divine Light Oceans, and they are happy. From that real existence, only one ray comes into our physical bodies, and it is important for mankind to be here to carry that burden.
This physical body is a heavy burden on our real beings. But divine wisdoms give us more lights and we may take perfection during this short life, and that gives us more honor in the Divine Presence.
You can’t judge concerning your being, here or there. Everyone is ap- pointed to an important position during this life; everyone is put into an orbit towards his destination, and everyone’s destination should end in the
Divine Presence. And Allah’s addressing is for all mankind; Allah’s abso- lute addressing is without difference between believers and unbelievers. He honored us before our coming here.
He is asking from His servants, in this life, to know and to open the veils from mankind, to look into pre-eternity at their real beings. Therefore, He sent prophets, to take the veils from their hearts. If you can follow their ways, those veils will be taken from you.
The day that those veils are taken away, there should appear to you some worlds and views and universes that never appeared before. If not, it is going to open to you when you leave this life for the eternal life. Man- k
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6089
gs among the traditions which the Seal of the Prophets saw has brought us.
Once a person came to the Prophet saw. (I heard this from my Grand- shaykh, to make more clear to you the wideness of divine Mercy Oceans. No matter how disobedient we may be, following our egos and Satan, Al-
45Chapters.
46That is, a hadith qudsi, in which Allah Most High speaks about Himself through the Prophet’s tongue.
lah’s Mercy Oceans are wider.) He came to the Prophet and asked, “O Muhammad, do you think that Allah may forgive me?”
The Prophet saw said, “What do you think about your sins?”
He said, “I am a very great sinner because I was an ignorant one, and I am asking now if it is possible to be granted forgiveness.”
The Prophet asked, “Your sins are more than mountains?” “Yes.”
“Bigger than all the oceans?” “I think so.”
“Are they bigger than the seven earths and seven heavens?” “I think so. Bigger!”
“Are they bigger than the Divine Throne?” “I think so.”
Then the Prophet stopped; up to that limit he could use his author- ity for intercession. And at that time Allah sent His archangel Gabriel, saying to tell what he had done. “He must tell his sins to you, and We have forgiveness for everyone. No matter how big his sins may be, they are never going to be bigger than Mercy Oceans. Let him tell those sins!”
He said, “O Muhammad, I was a king in my territory before Islam came, in the Time of Ignorance, and I was so proud. I had forty daughters and I never accepted to marry any of my daughters to anyone. Therefore, I myself married all of them. Then, when each one gave birth to a child, each one I killed and threw away.”
The Prophet stopped. And Allah Almighty said, “Even though he did that, he is repenting and unhappy, and his sins are burning him now. Even though he did that, I forgive him. He may continue towards his des- tination to reach to My Divine Presence. No one must cut off his hope of My Mercy Oceans!”
Allah does such things! Everyone has an ego, and ego always orders bad things; the worst things it always orders, and if it finds an opportunity, it may do that. During the Night Journey, Allah said, “O Muhammad, if I gave such a chance to My servants as I gave to Pharoah, all of them would be such a person!”
We must ask forgiveness. In our Naqshbandi Order we have a prac- tice: asking forgiveness between one hundred to five hundred times for every sin we have done up to this day; and one hundred to five hundred times “Astaghfirullah,”47 asking for protection from being left in the hands of our ego: “O my Lord, don’t give any chance to my ego to do a sin.” We are in need of that. Very important!
Some awliya were saying, “I am not afraid for past sins but I am afraid for the rest of my life, how it is going to be passed.” Like this, like that, we have reached up to today and we can say “Astaghfirullah.” But maybe after this time, up to the end, there may come a change in our life, to forget to make sajdah48 or to forget to say “Astaghfirullah.” No one can give you in- surance against such a life.
This way gives an insurance: to ask, “O my Lord, don’t give me a chance to be disobedient; don’t leave me in the hands of my ego for even one moment.” The Prophet saw was praying, “O my Lord, don’t leave me and my nation, my ummah, in the hands of our egos.” One hundred to five hundred for past days, and up to five hundred for divine ‘insurance,’ and we hope that Allah never leaves us in the hands of our egos or of satans. ▲
47“I ask Allah’s forgiveness.”
48Prostration.
8: THE MEANING OF TARIQAH: PATIENCE
We are in need of more uns, familiarity. It is important, and familiarity grows with people when their iman, faith, gets stronger.
Faith needs something to make it stronger, needs feeding. If you don’t feed your faith, how is it going to be stronger? How—by eating more? We are eating too much but it is not getting to be stronger, getting fat physically but coming down spiritually. Therefore we must know what can feed our faith.
Eating and drinking are useless, perhaps making it weaker. Fasting makes it stronger. But we are looking for another thing that the Prophet saw informed us about, and he informed us about everything that we need.
Once he was asked, “What is faith?” He answered, “As-sabr, patience.”
Iman means patience; they are equal. In one with whom there may be patience, iman may be with him. According to his patience, his iman grows and gets stronger.
The most important thing we need in this life is patience. Patience supports us physically and spiritually. Abu Yazid Bistami, qaddas Allahu sirruhu,49 was asked, “What is the meaning of a person’s being in tariqah? What is tariqah asking from us?”
He said, “To be patient with difficulties, with unliked actions or things.”
49“May Allah sanctify his secret,” the traditional invocation for awliya.
Everything may be unliked, distasteful, and we may find those kinds of distasteful things among people. Particularly in our time, there should be found too many distasteful actions among people.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, people were mostly keeping their old manners. Religious manners they were keeping, good manners among families, neighbors, among children; they were under the control of their religious rules. But day by day people’s relationship to their good manners is getting weaker and weaker, and now it is just finishing. The rea- son is unlimited freedom, coming at the beginning of this century, and good manners are going away from families and people.
Freedom is making people, everyone, to do as they like, and so many disliked actions are appearing, now full-up. But we, as believers, have been asked to carry people; even with their bad manners, we have been asked to carry them. That means to be patient with people, and it gives strength to our faith.
The highest attribute for a person is to try to reach the attribute of Almighty Allah, patience. I heard from my Grandshaykh that every period of mankind is divided into ninety-nine divine appearances, manifestations. From the beginning of Sayyidina Adam up to today, there are manifesta- tions of His ninety-nine Holy Names, and today His manifestation is as- Sabur, the Patient.50
Allah sees everything that His servants are doing, and He made the last Holy Name to be as-Sabur, the Most Patient One with His servants, never quickly angry. He is patient, and He made that Holy Name for governing the divine manifestation of patience for our time. If not, He would have quickly destroyed all the world now.
In past times, only a few people among most of our peoples were wrong ones, and there were whole nations which were destroyed and van- ished because of a few of them. Now there are billions, and Allah is still carrying His servants. He is looking at what we are doing to Him and to
50As-Sabur is the ninety-ninth of the ninety-nine Holy Names of Allah.
each other, and as He is patient, most patient, endlessly patient, we, as His servants, must try to reach that attribute of Allah A1mighty. ▲
9: DOING EVERYTHING FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH ALMIGHTY
Grandshaykh Shah Naqshiband was, and is, the main pillar of the Naqshbandi Order. If he were not in our chain, this tariqah would not have come into existence.
We are claiming to be in Their tariqah. His khalifah, deputy, Shaykh ‘Alauddin al-Bukhari, was asking, “O my master, how can we know if a per- son belongs to the Most Distinguished Naqshbandi Order?”
He answered, “If a person is among a group of people with a Naqshbandi shaykh and he feels happy and pleased, that is enough sign that he belongs to this Order.” It is a good sign for anyone who comes to our Association and feels peace and pleasure.
Important is to believe. Through your beliefs you may improve in heavenly ranks and stations. Unbelievers are preventing themselves from reaching heavenly stations by unbelief, but believers may reach station after station through believing.
We have, among traditions, descriptions of believers. There are some special prayers or fastings or readings of dhikr and so many actions which have reached us. They are precious and acceptable in the Divine Presence, and Allah is recording.
But in our times, believers are becoming sick, their beliefs becoming weak. Sickness is coming through our egos.
Our egos represent absolute laziness. You can’t find any creature more lazy than our ego. If a person believes in some good actions, our egos are rejecting it and saying, “For what is that?” For a scholar, also, say-
ing, “From where do you get this—from the Holy Qur’an or hadith?” If it is from hadith, trying to escape. If you ask an ostrich if it is a bird, it says, “I am a camel”; if you want to load it, it says, “No, I am a bird”; if you say, “Fly,” it says, “No, I am a camel!”
Our egos, also—if you want them to do something, they always want to escape because they represent laziness. And we are just created to be the servants to our Lord, Almighty Allah, and a real servant asks to do, at every opportunity, more praying, fasting, reciting, making dhikr, salawat51; he is happy to do more and more. But in our time, people are under their egos’ commands and they are asking, “From where are you taking those dhikrs and prayers?” And people are also jealous and want to prevent others from doing those precious worshippings.
Allah wants reasons for giving from His favors. Everyone who works for Allah, to make Him pleased, should be rewarded on the Day of Resur- rection. And if a person hears about some good worship and does it, even if it is not mentioned in hadith, Allah should reward that person on Judg- ment Day as if he had acted according to hadith.
Allah Almighty is asking from His servants to occupy themselves more and more with His worship. Any action that is done for Allah’s pleasure is wor- ship. And we are asked to give more time for the sake of Allah.
Daily, for eight hours, you may be for your Lord, and you may do more than this, also. But Grandshaykh says those eight hours are not only for praying.
This meeting is for Allah Almighty. Our egos are not happy to be here, asking to go around London. And you are coming from Germany, from America, from Italy and Spain, from East and West; you are intending to come during Ramadan for the pleasure of Allah. From the time of your leaving home, all twenty-four hours, every day, are written for you as acting for Allah Almighty. Londoners, also; you are at work but your hearts are related or connected; all day you are thinking of being with the shaykh, with
51Invocation of blessings on the Holy Prophet saw.
his Association. You are asking to be with this fortunate group of people, and for you, also, your names are written for the whole of Ramadan at your Lord’s service.
With our intention, we may make our whole life for Allah. To live for Allah and to die for Allah—that is real servanthood. You are eating, drink- ing, sleeping, but it is for the sake of Allah, to make your Lord happy, not for your ego. And when He is pleased with you, He will make you pleased with Him. That is the highest happiness for a servant.
Your ego is asking to be even more free from every responsibility, but you are forcing it to be a sincere servant. Allah rewards that; our time’s, our day’s ‘payment’ for believers is excellent! For keeping a sunnah, He gives the reward of one hundred martyrs, and for obligatory worships and actions, the Prophet kept back from saying that payment, Allah just hiding it. You should be very happy when you are given your rewards on the Day of Resurrection!
And also we are reaching that through praying and worshipping in our hearts, and this holy month is a very good opportunity for putting our hearts in the Divine Presence. We must always put our heart in His Divine Presence, a big opportunity for practicing so that we may put our face to- wards qiblah and our real face towards Allah, our physical face towards Ka‘bah and real face towards Allah Almighty.
It is easy during Holy Ramadan. During nighttimes, after midnight, you may be with your Lord. Even for five minutes, try to be with Him. It should continue also after Ramadan; He is asking you to be with Him. He is with us, but we are not feeling or not trying to feel that He is in us. He is with ourselves, outside and inside. Even for some minutes, try to remember that.
He must be with you. If He takes away His power, you are going to be nothing. And that divine sirr, secret, is with awliya, also. They may be with you, also, inside and outside; remember that they may be with you. Grand- shaykh must be with you, outwardly and inwardly; otherwise, you can’t es- tablish your station without them. During this holy month, it is easy when you are with your grandshaykh.
Be careful on that point: try to occupy yourself more all the time with Allah and His service; try to do everything for the sake of Allah and His Sayyidina Muhammad saw—for His honor. If you do something for your family, make them happy for the sake of Allah. And wives may make their husbands happy for the sake of Allah, and it should be easy, not cutting their relationship. In everything, you may do your best for everyone, to make everyone happy for the sake of Allah, and they should be happy—and you, also. ▲
1O: STRIVING FOR PERFECTION
May Allah Almighty grant all of us good understanding. Important is not to speak, but important is to listen and to understand correctly, not wrongly.
If a person listens with his heart, he may understand, but if he occu- pies his heart with something else, it is difficult to understand; he may mis- understand. It is not easy if a person misunderstands; he may do everything upside-down, feet in the place of head, abnormal. Therefore, give your at- tention. As you give, you are taking.
Allah Almighty is the Creator. And now in our time, there are two views, two ways of looking at the universe and its existence, two doctrines concerning this universe and everything in it. One group believes, and the other group thinks, “It is a reality that there is a universe in existence. But how did this universe come into existence—by itself or by Someone Else?”
Believers believe that this universe and everything existing has been brought into existence by Someone Else, and atheists say that it exists by itself. There is no other view. But if you look at both sides, anyone who has anything of knowledge or intelligence or wisdoms never says that this universe has been formed by itself. It is only the imagination of some peo- ple that it has been formed by itself. Wisdom and science and intellect deny that view, because every creature is in need of a creator.
If we look at the universe, we are so many creatures. Who can say that I am my own creator or that I can create? There are gigantic stars but yet they are fire. But fire destroys, burns, making everything vanish, and you can’t imagine that fire brings anything into existence.
Physically we are not worth mentioning in the universe; an electron microscope in this universe can’t even see you. You can see atoms? No! We, also, in this universe, have such a small position. But we are mighty creatures in the universe. In the universe, which one is perfect? You, man- kind, the perfect one!
You may look with your eyes deeply into space. How is it possible? To the extent that we are mighty, Someone gives that hiba, gift, to us. So many kinds of animals are living, but who put that crown on you to be the king on earth, so that everything is under your command?
How are you denying it and saying that the universe can be by itself? Atheist people, either they are drunk or they are no-mind people. But it is such a dirty illness! Like rabies, that wrong view has quickly come, from one scholar to another. What is wrong with saying that an endlessly Power- ful, endlessly Knowing One, endlessly Wise One, endlessly Willing One, endlessly Beautiful One, endlessly Powerful One created this universe, in- stead of saying that it is created by itself?
They are laughing at believing ones, saying, “There is no Creator.” But mostly people are losing their intellect, so drunk. What is wrong with accepting a Most Merciful Lord for the entire universe? But they are devils, they are the servants of devils, asking to fight against good things!
And the Creator, “Allah” is His Name, His most important and great- est Name. His specific and proper Name is “Allah.” “God” is not His name; “God” is only “ilah,” deity. You are saying “Theos” or “Dieu” or “Deo,” but they are not His proper name; even if you write it with a capital letter, it doesn’t mean proper. In holy books, He is mentioned as “Allah.”
He Almighty sent His prophets to mankind, from the first one up to the last. The divine attribute of the Lord Almighty is that He loves good ones and hates bad ones, and all the prophets who were sent to mankind, their attributes were also the same. All the prophets represent good ones, and everyone following them is a good one. Whoever goes against them, they are bad ones.
The last, the Seal of the Prophets saw, his attribute, also, was that he ad- vised people to be good ones and to love good ones. His nation’s attribute is to love good ones and to be good ones, and to be against evil and devils52 because they are enemies of mankind, of creatures, of prophets, of Allah Almighty. And we need to be trained in that attribute.
But you must have tolerance. Now it is impossible, except for proph- ets, to be one hundred per cent good ones—impossible, but fifty per cent, forty per cent, thirty per cent, sixty per cent you may approach. But you can’t be absolute; even one per cent, if you can find it. And if you have more than one per cent, you must be tolerant of those people who have less than you. If you can find even one per cent, hold on to that one; he may improve, may be two or three per cent.
We are asking for perfection; we are not asking for animal life, with eating and drinking and sex only. You are created for perfection. Every- thing in this world was created for one purpose: for your perfection; every- thing is helping you to perfection. Therefore, we must try to improve. Don’t stand still! Try to climb up the perfection-ladder, try to approach. Everything will help you.
If you do not reach one hundred per cent, you will be dealt with in the last moment of your life. If still not reaching, the grave will grind you and make you dust, to bring out a new form for you with perfection. If not enough, on the Day of Resurrection you should be dealt with by another dealing. If still not enough, after Resurrection you should be dealt with in Hells for perfection. ▲
52Meaning evil ones from among humankind and jinn.
11: TAKING AWAY THE VEILS FROM OUR HEARTS
May Allah grant us, through the Seal of the Prophets saw, good under- standing of the Holy Qur’an and holy hadith and the holy words of awliya.
Man is created and honored to be Allah’s deputy in the universe, and Allah is addressing him. It is endless honor for mankind, that Allah, the Lord of the universes, is addressing them. The Greatest; He was the Great- est and He is and will be from pre-eternity to eternity.
We are nothing. Physically we are such small ones. But Allah made us something, addressing us, “O mankind, O My servants.”
No one can imagine the honor of being addressed by the Lord of the universes. Don’t think that you are His servants only during this short life. Were you nothing before this life?
There is a beginning for mankind, and their beginning only their Crea- tor knows. All mankind were in the Divine Presence before coming to this temporary life. Have you thought, when we were in the Divine Presence, what our position was? Nothing? To be servant to the Lord!
We were and we are eternal servants. From pre-eternity up to eternity, we are His servants, only our servanthood in the Divine Presence was sin- cere and perfect. But Allah, in His wisdoms, wanted to give His servants more honor. He gave us nur, lights, and then He wanted us to have nurun ‘ala nur,53 to give us more light.
53“Light upon light.” (24:35)
Allah dresses our souls in a physical body, giving us an ego that repre- sents our physical body. And during our short life, Allah grants us also an- other light, from pre-eternity up to coming into this life—the light of His Holy Name, ar-Rahman.54 That belongs to Mercy Oceans, that belongs to pre-eternity, reaching another Mercy Ocean from ar-Rahim,55 belonging to Mercy Oceans, facing eternity.
We have been created between huge Mercy Oceans, and both of them have been granted to mankind. Therefore, Allah wants us to ask for more and more from those Mercy Oceans of ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim.56 Do you think that His Mercy Oceans are within limits? Don’t think so! Unlimited greatness and glory to our Lord, Allah Almighty!
Mankind on this planet, theyey are not only this limited number of human beings. When the Prophet saw was on his Night Journey with Gabriel in the Seven Heavens, the Prophet was standing, and beside him the archangel Gabriel was standing. And there was a parade, Sayyidina Mu- hammad looking, of some of Allah Almighty’s armies. Like lines, straight lines, they rode on horses, quickly passing and saluting the Prophet
.
He looked but he did not find an end or a beginning for them. He asked about those armies and Gabriel said, “O beloved one of our Lord, I was created and was looking at their formations, and I never saw an end or a beginning.”
Then the divine addressing came, saying, “No one can know the num- ber of your Lord Almighty’s armies.” No limits for His armies or servants from among angels or among mankind!
Who was the first Adam and who will be the last one? Don’t ask; your Lord knows! You are fortunate that you have been created among the chil-
54The Beneficent, Compassionate.
55The Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.
56Together, these two attributes of Allah Almighty denote infinite compassion, beneficence and mercy.
dren of Adams. Our Adam represents 124,000 Adams among the endless territories of our Lord, Almighty Allah.
Everything that belongs to our Lord, Almighty Allah, must be endless. He is the Creator and creation has been going on from pre-eternity up to eternity. If it were going to finish, Allah would finish. Hasha—never! He is the Lord of Creation, He may create in a second’s time.
Scientists now are speaking about a ‘big bang.’ They are saying that in part of the trillionth part of a second, the universe appeared. That is their imagination. In less and even less than that part, Allah is creating. Now, also, huge universes are created, like this one, as they are imagining, in the trillionth part of a second.
He does not create empty universes but ones full of servants. It is im- possible to imagine His greatness; He has endless greatness and endless Power Oceans! You can’t find a unit of time without creation. You are only one of that huge creation’s caravans, a very small one on a very small planet. But Allah honored you and gave you to understand big things so that we may understand something about His greatness.
We are candidates to know more and to reach divine Knowledge and Wisdom Oceans. Prepare yourself for that Divine Presence! That is the main goal of prophets with messages: to prepare people for the Divine Presence.
Our real beings have never moved from that Divine Presence. To where should they want to move, how would they move from the Divine Presence? Our real beings are in the Divine Presence, in endless, divine Light Oceans, and they are happy. From that real existence, only one ray comes into our physical bodies, and it is important for mankind to be here to carry that burden.
This physical body is a heavy burden on our real beings. But divine wisdoms give us more lights and we may take perfection during this short life, and that gives us more honor in the Divine Presence.
You can’t judge concerning your being, here or there. Everyone is ap- pointed to an important position during this life; everyone is put into an orbit towards his destination, and everyone’s destination should end in the
Divine Presence. And Allah’s addressing is for all mankind; Allah’s abso- lute addressing is without difference between believers and unbelievers. He honored us before our coming here.
He is asking from His servants, in this life, to know and to open the veils from mankind, to look into pre-eternity at their real beings. Therefore, He sent prophets, to take the veils from their hearts. If you can follow their ways, those veils will be taken from you.
The day that those veils are taken away, there should appear to you some worlds and views and universes that never appeared before. If not, it is going to open to you when you leave this life for the eternal life. Man- k
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