Mercy Oceans, Book 10 (239 pages, 6/21)
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ES HIS LIFE AS HE LIKES
No one lives his life as he likes, but the one who lives his life as He likes is successful and happy.
We must live as He likes, not as we like; we can't do that. No one can live as he likes, even the President of the United States, even Her Majesty the Queen of England, even the King of Saudi Arabia. The King of Saudi Arabia orders everything, but even he cannot live as he likes. Everyone must live as his Lord likes and as He makes an orbit for him to go on. You can't take yourself out of that orbit; it is impossible.
BEING FLEXIBLE IN OUR HABITS
You may not always find everything that you want to eat. Therefore you must eat anything that is put in front of you; you must try to learn to eat every kind of food. Don't say, "We are not accustomed to this!" Alhamdulillah, Western people are easy; anything that you put for eating they will eat, but our people are foolish, not eating everything.
For dressing, also, and sleeping, houses, cars. Don't say, "I must get a Rolls Royce." Any kind of a car is all right; you can take a bus, also, not always a minicab or a taxi. You have to accustom yourself to every kind of condition, to hard conditions; you must try, little by little, because you can't find everything at all times, since every sort of condition may occur to man.
Sometimes rich people may become poor people, sometimes powerful people may become weak, sometimes you may be in a tight place, and so on. You must consider every possibility.
44 This is a hadith qudsi; that is, a saying of the Holy Prophet concerning the person or attributes of Allah Almighty, which was transmitted to his heart by divine inspiratia rather than - as in the transmission of the Holy Qur'an - by the Angel Gabriel
On one of my pilgrimages with our sisters from Cyprus, I went to Mecca and arrived at the mutawwaf's45 house. Then I attended one lady. "O-ooh!" she said. "I can't stay in this place." I said, "For what are you asking? A palace? No; this is the best place for us. As far as our money allows, it is all right, and it is near the Holy K'abah. If you are asking to live in a hotel, all the money that you have brought is not enough for even one night. What are you saying? You must stay here." Only one mat; yes. She was accustomed to being in her house where everything was allright.
Sometimes you must sleep on the ground. So many things are happening in the world - people fleeing, leaving everything. Therefore, now our mosque is like a palace. Perhaps next year there will be a more suitable place; we shall see.
Yes. Whoever agrees with his Lord is going to be happy; whoever goes against the plans of our Lord suffers. It is easy: the one who goes with Him is happy, the one who goes against Him gets into the wrong lane of traffic. You must keep the way. Don't be against your Lord.
But we are always against Him. Allah Almighty says, "My word must prevail." We say, "No! Our word must prevail," and it is impossible for our words to prevail. And sometimes I think about that and say, "Alhamdulillah that my word didn't prevail and that my Lord's word did. I am happy." You can understand afterwards, not at the same time; afterwards you may know that His word is the best for you, His choosing is the best for you, not your choosing. You can't choose anything for yourself. Each time you choose the worst thing; each time He chooses for you the best thing.
That is the summary of the whole Shari'ah. If we can reflect on that point, we will be happy people, never suffering. Sufferings always come when we try to be against our Lord's choice. You understand? Don't be against Him. Look
- one day you wear a red dress, one day a blue one, one day a white one, very happy with that. Yes, as He chooses for us, that is the best.
BUILDING GOODNESS
45 A guide for pilgrims during the Hajj or pilgrimage who provides them with lodging, food and other necessities. Here Sheikh Nazim is talking abait a situation which he encountered as a Hajj guide to Cypriot pilgrims.
Mankind, the Sons of Adam, act by divine wisdoms. Nothing is without wisdoms; in every action there must be so many wisdoms. You can't find anything in the universe that is created useless, even one particle.
Sometimes in the sunshine there come specks of dust. You can't say, "What are these for? If they hadn't been created, what difference would it have made?"
That is a foolish thought. In the universe there is a balance. If that dust particle were absent, that balance would change, would be upset; it must be. Even now, scientists are looking at that wisdom, and they are saying that if even any kind of insect disappears, becomes extinct, the balance will be upset. It means that the balance is going against creatures, because if those become extinct, after a time that extinction must come to every creature. In the view of scientists, it is going to take perhaps billions or trillions of years, but it indicates that if any species is going to become extinct, the turn must come to everyone.
Therefore everything, every atom, was created for a purpose, for a divine wisdom. Who is the Creator of even that speck of dust? There is a Creator; our Lord Created that speck of dust, also. Therefore it is also important. If there were no importance for that speck of dust, it would not have been created.
You must look at everything in existence as having divine wisdoms for being in existence. And Grandsheikh, may Allah bless him, was saying that every, indivisible element of an atom is madhhar ism min asma-Ullahi 'Azza wa Jall46, a manifestation of the Holy Names of our Lord Almighty.
We know that the Holy Names of Allah Almighty are 99, but there are still more. There are 3,000 Names of Allah Almighty: 1.000 for the angels to know, 1.000 for the prophets; 300 in Taurat, 300 in Injil, 300 in Zabur47, and 99 in the Holy Qur'an, altogether making 2.999. And there is one Ismu-l Lahi- 1-A'dham, the Greatest Name. And Allah Almighty made the 3.000 Names into three names and presented them to Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and his nation. That is "Bismillahi-r-Rahmāni-r-Rahim.48" If a person says "Bismillahi-
46 A manifestation of a Name from among the Names of Allah, the Most Honoured and Glorious
47 The original scriptures revealed to the prophets Moses, Jesus and David, respectively
48 This is actually "Bi-ism Allah (in or by the name of God), ar-Rahman (the Beneficent, Compassionate, Most Merciful), ar-Rahim" (the Munificent, Kind, Mercy- giving), three names in one endlessly repeated phrase. For Muslims, every action, as well as every recitation of the Qur'an, is to begin with this sacred invocation
r-Rahmani-r-Rahim," he is actually saying 3.000 Holy Names of our Lord, including the greatest one.
The keys of miracles are with "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim"; whoever keeps to "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim" has miracles. If you say, "Why don't we?" we are yet too weak people to carry miracles; we have them but it is forbidden to do that at our level because we are not powerful enough. You can't put a pistol into the hands of a little child; he can't use it. And all the prophets were given miracles by "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim" : Abraham, p.b.u.h., got out of the fire of Nimrod by "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim"; Moses, p.b.u.h., went through the Red Sea by "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r- Rahim"; Solomon, p.b.u.h., commanded all the Sons of Adam and jinn by "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim"; and Jesus Christ went to the Heavens by "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim."
Allah Almighty is eternal, His existence is endless. And His territory is also endless; endless territory, endless sovereignty. Endless existence with endless attributes, and endless Names, also, for our Lord Almighty. And everything that belongs to our Lord Almighty extends eternally, endlessly. Therefore, if you could divide all the universes into atoms and all the atoms into particles, also, of which a huge number will come up, you may say that Allah Almighty has as many Names as that number, and everything which comes into existence also manifests more Names of Allah Almighty because everything is a manifestation of the Holy Names of Allah Almighty.
Therefore we are beginning today by saying that everything is created with divine wisdoms. You can't say, "This - for what was it created? There is no need for this to be in existence." That is foolishness, that is a kind of kufr, unbelief. Everything is created for a purpose, and everything has a private, special station and a private situation in existence, so tha no one else can be in that station or in that situation under those conditons.
That is prophets' and awliyas' knowledge; they look at every creature with such a vision. But we - we do not even accept everyone who is alive among the Sons of Adam; we look at so many people as useless. "Why did You create those people," we say, " - those atoms, those other things?" We object to why there are so many millions of people, saying, "We must plan, population control." We say, "For what is this? Too many people are coming, useless people."
They are useful, and the coming people may be useless. Look how egotistical people are! They are going with Satan; Satan is teaching them to do this. Pharoah killed the Children of Israel and Nimrod also killed every child in his time. Now new Pharoahs and Nimrods are planning that; yes, the same action, because Allah Almighty looks at intentions. Why no rights for
them? Do they eat from their portions, or does Allah send provision for them? Why do they not control wastefulness, ingratitude for Allah's favours? Why do they not control peoples' throwing away so much food - why not? - instead of controlling people so that they will not have children?
Don't be a partner to your Lord! He knows well. If He creates, He also creates His creatures' portions. No one is created without a portion, but the Sons of Adam have too much concern about their portions. No other creatures worry about their portions.
Once Abu Yazid al-Bistami, may Allah bless him, a grand-wali, was traveling (awliya are always traveling, and the prophets traveled, also). He came to a city and prayed in the mosque. After praying, the imam looked at him and seeing that he was a stranger, asked from where he had come.
"I come from earth," Abū Yazid said.
"All of us are from earth," said the imam.
"Why do you ask, if you know what you are asking?" said Abu Yazid. "I come from the East, from eastern lands."
"What is your job? What do you do?" "Nothing."
"If you do nothing, how do you live? No job, no trading, no farms, nothing? How do you live?"
"And how are you an imam?" Abu Yazid asked. "I prayed behind you, thinking that you were a mumin, a believer, but you are not a believer. Let me repeat my prayer49 and then I shall give you an answer. Don't you know who gives creatures' portions? How can you be an imam?"
Yes, we are like such an imam. And Abu Yazid was angry with that imam, saying, "Why do you not ask cats how they live - any trade for you, any farms for you, any houses for you? Why do you not ask the dogs in London, also, how they live? One million dogs are also living, joyfully living; with pleasure, with respect, living. Why do you not ask?"
I am acting as "translator" for Bayazid Bistāmī, may Allah sanctify his secret. "Catch them and ask! Why do you ask me from what I am living?" Yes; now
49 Abū Yazīd felt it necessary to repeat his prayer since he had prayed it following an iman whose lack of trust in Allah's providence amounted to disbelief
dogs are living. No one is asking , "You have a pension, something from the Government? Every week, every weekend, money?" No one is asking that, but they were asking about Abu Yazid, "From what do you live?" - and all people are imagining that Allah Almighty created man without portions!
We are believers. We believe that even if the whole world is filled with the Sons of Adam, Allah Almighty can still give their portions. But we are sinners. We are wasting His favours, and then we see that the future is going to be dark and that people are suffering.
We must believe in our Lord, that He gives everything to His creatures. We are saying, "Now, for what are there so many people on earth? Must be planned!" We do not believe in God Almighty! People are going to plan everything. But Allah Almighty is leaving them to do everything; then He will bring such a plan that six out of seven will go, will die, and one will remain.
Allah Almighty is saying, "I am going to make a plan for you now, O people, so that if there are seven million, only one million will remain; if three-and-a- half million people, only half-a-million will remain, three million going. I an planning for you." Now it is coming, to make this earth empty, uncrowded; we may walk, walk, walk, and one of us will see only one other person in half-an-hour. We are not keeping adab50* with Allah Almighty. For this reason, this is the time of jababirah, tyrants, little and big ones.
Everything in the universe, everything in existence, has a private station and a private, special importance and situation for itself. No one can substitute for it; you are keeping your station only for yourself, and you and you - everyone. This is related to adab m'a Allah, good manners toward our Lord Almighty, so that we may keep respect for everyone. And then we are going to take care of everyone, to help everyone to be in his station, to support him; and we must know that if he goes, the balance is going to change. If we know that everything is by divine wisdoms and that for everything in existence there is an important situation, we will derive wisdoms from everything. "Fa fi kulli shayin lahu ayat51": in everything you can find a miracle of your Lord - in everything,
Then we come to actions. No one can act, can move, without there being a divine purpose and wisdom in it; everything, every action, must carry with it a divine purpose. And now we come to an important point, also: that among
50 Polite, respectful manners and behaviour. Our not keeping adab with our Lord lies in question ing or criticising His wisdom in creating what He creates, in imagining that He who created it will not provide for it, and in wasting and being ungrateful for His endless favours
51 for in all things there are signs of Him
people on earth, some of them are going to be muslih52, good-builders, and some others mufsid53, evil-builders. Evil-builders and good-builders; good- builders, good works. I am a builder of words; yes.
Allah Almighty likes pleasure-builders - a new word - who make people pleased and in pleasure. Those are beloved people in the Divine Presence. The other party of the Sons of Adam are evil-builders, harming people, making people cry, making people suffer, making people fall into troubles. They are like wolves; their guide, their example, is Satan. But for those who are good-builders, their examples are all the prophets.
All the prophets came to teach people how they can build goodness, how they can order their lives by being good-builders, and to warn others, "Don't be evil-builders, because you will make a cell around yourself. Evil is going to surround you. Wa la yahiqu-l-makru-s-saiyu illa bi-ahlihi'54". that sort of a meaning: "O evil-builders, you must fear evil because every time you build something evil, you are surrounding yourself with evil and you can't find any way to escape. Be careful!" That is a warning from all the prophets to people.
Once Abu Jahl 55dug a well in front of his house. He was the worst enemy of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and he used every means of evil to harm the Prophet. He knew well that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., was a person of high character, most high; when he heard that someone was ill, he would go. and ask how he was. Then Satan instructed Abu Jahl that you must disappear for a few days so that Muhammad may ask, "Where is Abu Jahl?" and you will tell your slaves to say, "Abu Jahl is ill now." When he knows that you are ill, he will come to see how you are, perhaps because he wants you to be a mumin, believer; because when a person is ill, his heart becomes soft, not hard like rock. You will make a hole, a well, and cover it. When Muhammad comes, he will go down; finished, disappeared. "I don't know," you can say. "Perhaps, like Jesus Christ, he went away." This Satan was teaching him.
For evil-builders, their teacher is Satan; don't be a student of Satan! Abu Jahl dug with two or three other people, and they covered the hole. Then Abu Jahl lay like this and looked out; he put his bed at the window and secretly looked to see if the Prophet was coming.
52 One who corrects, restores, does good and sets things right
53 A mischief-maker, evil-doer, corrupter
54 "And the plotting of evil will not harm in any except its (own) people." (.XXXV:43) 55 Abu Jahl, one of the leaders of the idol-worshipping Quraish, was bittterly hostile to the Prem phet, p.b.u.h., and to Islam
When the Prophet, p.b.u.h., heard that Abu Jahl was ill, he said, "I must go and talk to him. Perhaps now his heart is going to be soft and he will believe in his Lord Almighty."
Abu Jahl was secretly watching, looking keenly. And the Prophet, p.b.u.h., came. Just as he was about to put his foot on that covered hole, Gabriel, p.b.u.h., came down, saying, "Don't put your foot on it! Your Lord gives you greetings and orders you to turn back." And the Prophet turned back.
When he did that, Abu Jahl, quickly forgetting everything, shouted, "Why did he turn back?" and jumping from his bed, ran and... went down. We have a saying, "If you dig a well for your brother, dig to your own height so that you can climb up and get out. Don't dig too deep."
And he was in it, shouting, "O people, come! I am here!" And people, his servants, were running about, like this, like that. "Where is he? Where is his voice coming from?" A voice shouting; from where shouting? And then they saw... oh!!! He was calling, "I am here! Come here, take my hand!" He stretched out his hand to them, and the people, his servants, also gave their hands to him but without reaching.
"Bring a rope," he said. They brought a rope, sending it down to him but still not reaching. Then, "Bring another one, longer! What is this short one? A long one!"
Then they brought a long one and still it did not reach. "What has happened? Why did you dig such a well? I ordered you to dig to two heights of a person. What did you dig such a deep well for? Bring another rope!"
They brought another rope. "A long one!" . A long one. "Tie them all together!" - ropes going from here to the City. Asking for ropes from next- door neighbours; neighbours' ropes coming but still not enough, not reaching. And Abu Jahl saw that it was impossible: if all the ropes on earth were to come, they would never reach him.
Then he called his servants, saying, "Go after Muhammad. Tell him that I am going to believe in him!"
They ran after the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and said, "Abu Jahl has fallen into a well and we can't get him out. Please come and look after him."
The Prophet came running and said, "O Abu Jahl, if I take you out, are you going to believe?"
" Yes! Yes!!" he said. "Quickly take me out."
“I am going to rescue him," the Prophet said. He reached down his hand, taking him out.
"I never saw a magician like you," Abū Jahl said. But still he did not believe.
We are telling this tale to show that whoever does evil, evil surrounds him. That noble verse of the Holy Qur'an shows that the one who does evil is surrounded by evil, and then he is going to be caught in it like among silken threads. You know the silk worm? It makes that thread and its prey gets entangled inside it, finished, never escaping..
Therefore, among people, from the beginning up to the end, some are always good-builders, pleasure-builders, and the others are evil-builders. Allah Almighty orders us, "O people, use your minds and be good-builders, not evil-builders." That is the summary of prophethood, the summary of the divine message to the Sons of Adam: Be good-builders, don't be evil builders.
At every step you must know if that step is for building a goodness or for building an evil; you must think about that. Therefore the Prophet p.b.u.h., said that one moment's thought, reflection, is more valuable perhaps than sixty years of praying. Therefore, o believers, o brothers, for every action you must be present with your action. Don't be heedless! When you are heedless, you are doing badness, you are working for evil, you are working for devils, you are supporting Satan and his sovereignty. Keep this: In every breath and in every step, be good-builders.
CLEANING OUR HEARTS OF BAD INTENTIONS TOWARD OTHERS
We are valuable. The Sons of Adam, all of them, are so valuable; each one is more valuable than the whole universe, not including man. And there is something which makes us more valuable, but something else which makes us be of no value. Which thing makes us be of no value, taking away from our value?
Now I am translating from our Headquarters, from the "Main Central," the Spiritual Central of Grandsheikh. We must know this so that we may live it: Whoever harms others loses his value. If by your speaking or by your hand you harm anyone, even one person, you are going to lose your value.
Satan was a worshipper. No one worshipped like him in his time and he was the most learned one among the angels, but he harmed one individual among all the rest and he fell. He harmed Adam, p.b.u.h., not respecting
him. The whole universe gave respect to Adam; only Satan did not give his respect and harmed Adam, and therefore he fell. No value for him from that time on.
Anyone who harms a person, either by looking or by speaking or by his hand is on the same level as Satan and loses his value. This is an important point that we must know, and must practise, also. It is not enough only to know it; more important is practising. Don't give trouble to anyone, don't harm anyone.
When you are a Muslim, you are a valuable servant, you are a beloved one in the Divine Presence. And Allah Almighty is trying His servants; no one is going to remain without being tried. Everyone will be tested throughout his life; every day you may be tested by your Lord, and He is looking at your attributes with His servants. Whoever gives harm to others, Allah Almighty leaves him, and heavenly beings, angels, also leave him. And if Allah Almighty leaves a person, every suffering and trouble falls on him, rains on him; he will never be in peace or happiness in his life. And Allah Almighty, our Lord, wants us to be in a happy and peaceful life, but we are changing a peaceful life into an unpeaceful one, full of suffering and troubles; we are doing that.
If we listen to our grandfather Adam, the first man, he advised his sons and ordered them to advise their sons, all prophets repeating Adam's advice to their nations, and his advice reaches to our time as well. He advised his sons, "O my sons, look and learn from my example. Every good thing and every happiness was mine, but I lost it all because I abandoned my Lord's pleasure. I made Him angry with me, and I lost all happiness and took on all the sufferings of this life. You must take an example from me: Don't make your Lord angry with you." Therefore, all the prophets advised their nations, "Don't do any deed that makes your Lord angry with you. It costs too much, is too expensive. Allah Almighty wants a peaceful and happy life for you.
Keep it. But if you make your Lord angry with you, you will lose everything."
Now in our time we do not ask about our Lord's pleasure or anger; no. We say, "I don't care if He is pleased with me or angry," because most people do not accept that there is a God in existence, looking at them; they deny the existence of a God and Creator. That makes Allah Almighty angry with them; of all sins, that is the greatest one. That will bring a huge, very terrible, terrible punishment; it is coming on men now because they say, "No God." That carries a terrible punishment for all nations. Only those whom Allah Almighty shelters under His divine shelter may be in safety, and the others are going to be punished.
Because Allah Almighty sent His Last Prophet, p.b.u.h., to be a mercy for all nations, when they reject him, Allah Almighty causes people to be in two camps and to be in ennity among themselves so that one side will fight the other, the second will fight the first, and through one to another, through that to others, He will give His punishment.
Now the whole world is working only toward that point; people are making everything ready for that punishment. Allah Almighty will give punishment to the East by the West and to the West by the East. No one can escape; no way for people except to go under the divine shelter. But those who say "No God" will not be sheltered; their Lord is angry with them. Only those who are pleased with their Lord and their Lord with them will be sheltered.
Therefore, my Grandsheikh said, this terrible punishment soon to come on earth is approaching. Awliya are looking; as we know that rain is coming, they see that the divine punishment is soon coming, covering the whole earth. And Grandsheikh told about who would be under the divine shelter: Whoever accepts his Lord, saying that there is a Lord, the Lord of the universes, in existence, and I accept Him and am His servant - whoever says this must be sheltered; whoever says, 'O my Lord, forgive me, and I am Your servant," must be sheltered.
And secondly, the one who never has the intention of harming others, even more than actually harming them; not harming anyone and never holding in his heart any bad intention toward any person. If a person keeps a bad intention in his heart toward anyone, that bad intention will "shoot" him as a bullet would; if anyone desires evil for others, that bullet will come around and shoot him, even if he is able to take shelter under seven undergrounds. Therefore, whoever is bold for badness, intending evil for anyone, even that intention will take him out of this life; because this is going to be the greatest war and the last war on earth, taking away so many people that you can't imagine it, a result of the divine anger because so many people and nations are thinking badness and evil for each other, individually and as a nation.
Therefore, that divine punishment will take most people away. Only those will remain who never intend to harm anyone; Allah will protect them and the divine anger will be far from them.
Don't approach the area of your Lord's anger! No one will be able to protect you, no one will be able to save you. You may be the president, you may be the richest one, you may be the most learned person - no need, useless. If you do not change your heart to think good, to have good intentions, for everyone, no one can save you from punishment. Like Nimrod56; when Allah
56 This infamous tyrant-king of the Book of Genesis is mentioned in the Qur'an, although not by name, in II:258. According to Islamic tradition, Nimcod met his end,
sent against him an army from among His armies, a mosquito army, he escaped; but a cripple
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ES HIS LIFE AS HE LIKES
No one lives his life as he likes, but the one who lives his life as He likes is successful and happy.
We must live as He likes, not as we like; we can't do that. No one can live as he likes, even the President of the United States, even Her Majesty the Queen of England, even the King of Saudi Arabia. The King of Saudi Arabia orders everything, but even he cannot live as he likes. Everyone must live as his Lord likes and as He makes an orbit for him to go on. You can't take yourself out of that orbit; it is impossible.
BEING FLEXIBLE IN OUR HABITS
You may not always find everything that you want to eat. Therefore you must eat anything that is put in front of you; you must try to learn to eat every kind of food. Don't say, "We are not accustomed to this!" Alhamdulillah, Western people are easy; anything that you put for eating they will eat, but our people are foolish, not eating everything.
For dressing, also, and sleeping, houses, cars. Don't say, "I must get a Rolls Royce." Any kind of a car is all right; you can take a bus, also, not always a minicab or a taxi. You have to accustom yourself to every kind of condition, to hard conditions; you must try, little by little, because you can't find everything at all times, since every sort of condition may occur to man.
Sometimes rich people may become poor people, sometimes powerful people may become weak, sometimes you may be in a tight place, and so on. You must consider every possibility.
44 This is a hadith qudsi; that is, a saying of the Holy Prophet concerning the person or attributes of Allah Almighty, which was transmitted to his heart by divine inspiratia rather than - as in the transmission of the Holy Qur'an - by the Angel Gabriel
On one of my pilgrimages with our sisters from Cyprus, I went to Mecca and arrived at the mutawwaf's45 house. Then I attended one lady. "O-ooh!" she said. "I can't stay in this place." I said, "For what are you asking? A palace? No; this is the best place for us. As far as our money allows, it is all right, and it is near the Holy K'abah. If you are asking to live in a hotel, all the money that you have brought is not enough for even one night. What are you saying? You must stay here." Only one mat; yes. She was accustomed to being in her house where everything was allright.
Sometimes you must sleep on the ground. So many things are happening in the world - people fleeing, leaving everything. Therefore, now our mosque is like a palace. Perhaps next year there will be a more suitable place; we shall see.
Yes. Whoever agrees with his Lord is going to be happy; whoever goes against the plans of our Lord suffers. It is easy: the one who goes with Him is happy, the one who goes against Him gets into the wrong lane of traffic. You must keep the way. Don't be against your Lord.
But we are always against Him. Allah Almighty says, "My word must prevail." We say, "No! Our word must prevail," and it is impossible for our words to prevail. And sometimes I think about that and say, "Alhamdulillah that my word didn't prevail and that my Lord's word did. I am happy." You can understand afterwards, not at the same time; afterwards you may know that His word is the best for you, His choosing is the best for you, not your choosing. You can't choose anything for yourself. Each time you choose the worst thing; each time He chooses for you the best thing.
That is the summary of the whole Shari'ah. If we can reflect on that point, we will be happy people, never suffering. Sufferings always come when we try to be against our Lord's choice. You understand? Don't be against Him. Look
- one day you wear a red dress, one day a blue one, one day a white one, very happy with that. Yes, as He chooses for us, that is the best.
BUILDING GOODNESS
45 A guide for pilgrims during the Hajj or pilgrimage who provides them with lodging, food and other necessities. Here Sheikh Nazim is talking abait a situation which he encountered as a Hajj guide to Cypriot pilgrims.
Mankind, the Sons of Adam, act by divine wisdoms. Nothing is without wisdoms; in every action there must be so many wisdoms. You can't find anything in the universe that is created useless, even one particle.
Sometimes in the sunshine there come specks of dust. You can't say, "What are these for? If they hadn't been created, what difference would it have made?"
That is a foolish thought. In the universe there is a balance. If that dust particle were absent, that balance would change, would be upset; it must be. Even now, scientists are looking at that wisdom, and they are saying that if even any kind of insect disappears, becomes extinct, the balance will be upset. It means that the balance is going against creatures, because if those become extinct, after a time that extinction must come to every creature. In the view of scientists, it is going to take perhaps billions or trillions of years, but it indicates that if any species is going to become extinct, the turn must come to everyone.
Therefore everything, every atom, was created for a purpose, for a divine wisdom. Who is the Creator of even that speck of dust? There is a Creator; our Lord Created that speck of dust, also. Therefore it is also important. If there were no importance for that speck of dust, it would not have been created.
You must look at everything in existence as having divine wisdoms for being in existence. And Grandsheikh, may Allah bless him, was saying that every, indivisible element of an atom is madhhar ism min asma-Ullahi 'Azza wa Jall46, a manifestation of the Holy Names of our Lord Almighty.
We know that the Holy Names of Allah Almighty are 99, but there are still more. There are 3,000 Names of Allah Almighty: 1.000 for the angels to know, 1.000 for the prophets; 300 in Taurat, 300 in Injil, 300 in Zabur47, and 99 in the Holy Qur'an, altogether making 2.999. And there is one Ismu-l Lahi- 1-A'dham, the Greatest Name. And Allah Almighty made the 3.000 Names into three names and presented them to Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and his nation. That is "Bismillahi-r-Rahmāni-r-Rahim.48" If a person says "Bismillahi-
46 A manifestation of a Name from among the Names of Allah, the Most Honoured and Glorious
47 The original scriptures revealed to the prophets Moses, Jesus and David, respectively
48 This is actually "Bi-ism Allah (in or by the name of God), ar-Rahman (the Beneficent, Compassionate, Most Merciful), ar-Rahim" (the Munificent, Kind, Mercy- giving), three names in one endlessly repeated phrase. For Muslims, every action, as well as every recitation of the Qur'an, is to begin with this sacred invocation
r-Rahmani-r-Rahim," he is actually saying 3.000 Holy Names of our Lord, including the greatest one.
The keys of miracles are with "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim"; whoever keeps to "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim" has miracles. If you say, "Why don't we?" we are yet too weak people to carry miracles; we have them but it is forbidden to do that at our level because we are not powerful enough. You can't put a pistol into the hands of a little child; he can't use it. And all the prophets were given miracles by "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim" : Abraham, p.b.u.h., got out of the fire of Nimrod by "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim"; Moses, p.b.u.h., went through the Red Sea by "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r- Rahim"; Solomon, p.b.u.h., commanded all the Sons of Adam and jinn by "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim"; and Jesus Christ went to the Heavens by "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim."
Allah Almighty is eternal, His existence is endless. And His territory is also endless; endless territory, endless sovereignty. Endless existence with endless attributes, and endless Names, also, for our Lord Almighty. And everything that belongs to our Lord Almighty extends eternally, endlessly. Therefore, if you could divide all the universes into atoms and all the atoms into particles, also, of which a huge number will come up, you may say that Allah Almighty has as many Names as that number, and everything which comes into existence also manifests more Names of Allah Almighty because everything is a manifestation of the Holy Names of Allah Almighty.
Therefore we are beginning today by saying that everything is created with divine wisdoms. You can't say, "This - for what was it created? There is no need for this to be in existence." That is foolishness, that is a kind of kufr, unbelief. Everything is created for a purpose, and everything has a private, special station and a private situation in existence, so tha no one else can be in that station or in that situation under those conditons.
That is prophets' and awliyas' knowledge; they look at every creature with such a vision. But we - we do not even accept everyone who is alive among the Sons of Adam; we look at so many people as useless. "Why did You create those people," we say, " - those atoms, those other things?" We object to why there are so many millions of people, saying, "We must plan, population control." We say, "For what is this? Too many people are coming, useless people."
They are useful, and the coming people may be useless. Look how egotistical people are! They are going with Satan; Satan is teaching them to do this. Pharoah killed the Children of Israel and Nimrod also killed every child in his time. Now new Pharoahs and Nimrods are planning that; yes, the same action, because Allah Almighty looks at intentions. Why no rights for
them? Do they eat from their portions, or does Allah send provision for them? Why do they not control wastefulness, ingratitude for Allah's favours? Why do they not control peoples' throwing away so much food - why not? - instead of controlling people so that they will not have children?
Don't be a partner to your Lord! He knows well. If He creates, He also creates His creatures' portions. No one is created without a portion, but the Sons of Adam have too much concern about their portions. No other creatures worry about their portions.
Once Abu Yazid al-Bistami, may Allah bless him, a grand-wali, was traveling (awliya are always traveling, and the prophets traveled, also). He came to a city and prayed in the mosque. After praying, the imam looked at him and seeing that he was a stranger, asked from where he had come.
"I come from earth," Abū Yazid said.
"All of us are from earth," said the imam.
"Why do you ask, if you know what you are asking?" said Abu Yazid. "I come from the East, from eastern lands."
"What is your job? What do you do?" "Nothing."
"If you do nothing, how do you live? No job, no trading, no farms, nothing? How do you live?"
"And how are you an imam?" Abu Yazid asked. "I prayed behind you, thinking that you were a mumin, a believer, but you are not a believer. Let me repeat my prayer49 and then I shall give you an answer. Don't you know who gives creatures' portions? How can you be an imam?"
Yes, we are like such an imam. And Abu Yazid was angry with that imam, saying, "Why do you not ask cats how they live - any trade for you, any farms for you, any houses for you? Why do you not ask the dogs in London, also, how they live? One million dogs are also living, joyfully living; with pleasure, with respect, living. Why do you not ask?"
I am acting as "translator" for Bayazid Bistāmī, may Allah sanctify his secret. "Catch them and ask! Why do you ask me from what I am living?" Yes; now
49 Abū Yazīd felt it necessary to repeat his prayer since he had prayed it following an iman whose lack of trust in Allah's providence amounted to disbelief
dogs are living. No one is asking , "You have a pension, something from the Government? Every week, every weekend, money?" No one is asking that, but they were asking about Abu Yazid, "From what do you live?" - and all people are imagining that Allah Almighty created man without portions!
We are believers. We believe that even if the whole world is filled with the Sons of Adam, Allah Almighty can still give their portions. But we are sinners. We are wasting His favours, and then we see that the future is going to be dark and that people are suffering.
We must believe in our Lord, that He gives everything to His creatures. We are saying, "Now, for what are there so many people on earth? Must be planned!" We do not believe in God Almighty! People are going to plan everything. But Allah Almighty is leaving them to do everything; then He will bring such a plan that six out of seven will go, will die, and one will remain.
Allah Almighty is saying, "I am going to make a plan for you now, O people, so that if there are seven million, only one million will remain; if three-and-a- half million people, only half-a-million will remain, three million going. I an planning for you." Now it is coming, to make this earth empty, uncrowded; we may walk, walk, walk, and one of us will see only one other person in half-an-hour. We are not keeping adab50* with Allah Almighty. For this reason, this is the time of jababirah, tyrants, little and big ones.
Everything in the universe, everything in existence, has a private station and a private, special importance and situation for itself. No one can substitute for it; you are keeping your station only for yourself, and you and you - everyone. This is related to adab m'a Allah, good manners toward our Lord Almighty, so that we may keep respect for everyone. And then we are going to take care of everyone, to help everyone to be in his station, to support him; and we must know that if he goes, the balance is going to change. If we know that everything is by divine wisdoms and that for everything in existence there is an important situation, we will derive wisdoms from everything. "Fa fi kulli shayin lahu ayat51": in everything you can find a miracle of your Lord - in everything,
Then we come to actions. No one can act, can move, without there being a divine purpose and wisdom in it; everything, every action, must carry with it a divine purpose. And now we come to an important point, also: that among
50 Polite, respectful manners and behaviour. Our not keeping adab with our Lord lies in question ing or criticising His wisdom in creating what He creates, in imagining that He who created it will not provide for it, and in wasting and being ungrateful for His endless favours
51 for in all things there are signs of Him
people on earth, some of them are going to be muslih52, good-builders, and some others mufsid53, evil-builders. Evil-builders and good-builders; good- builders, good works. I am a builder of words; yes.
Allah Almighty likes pleasure-builders - a new word - who make people pleased and in pleasure. Those are beloved people in the Divine Presence. The other party of the Sons of Adam are evil-builders, harming people, making people cry, making people suffer, making people fall into troubles. They are like wolves; their guide, their example, is Satan. But for those who are good-builders, their examples are all the prophets.
All the prophets came to teach people how they can build goodness, how they can order their lives by being good-builders, and to warn others, "Don't be evil-builders, because you will make a cell around yourself. Evil is going to surround you. Wa la yahiqu-l-makru-s-saiyu illa bi-ahlihi'54". that sort of a meaning: "O evil-builders, you must fear evil because every time you build something evil, you are surrounding yourself with evil and you can't find any way to escape. Be careful!" That is a warning from all the prophets to people.
Once Abu Jahl 55dug a well in front of his house. He was the worst enemy of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and he used every means of evil to harm the Prophet. He knew well that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., was a person of high character, most high; when he heard that someone was ill, he would go. and ask how he was. Then Satan instructed Abu Jahl that you must disappear for a few days so that Muhammad may ask, "Where is Abu Jahl?" and you will tell your slaves to say, "Abu Jahl is ill now." When he knows that you are ill, he will come to see how you are, perhaps because he wants you to be a mumin, believer; because when a person is ill, his heart becomes soft, not hard like rock. You will make a hole, a well, and cover it. When Muhammad comes, he will go down; finished, disappeared. "I don't know," you can say. "Perhaps, like Jesus Christ, he went away." This Satan was teaching him.
For evil-builders, their teacher is Satan; don't be a student of Satan! Abu Jahl dug with two or three other people, and they covered the hole. Then Abu Jahl lay like this and looked out; he put his bed at the window and secretly looked to see if the Prophet was coming.
52 One who corrects, restores, does good and sets things right
53 A mischief-maker, evil-doer, corrupter
54 "And the plotting of evil will not harm in any except its (own) people." (.XXXV:43) 55 Abu Jahl, one of the leaders of the idol-worshipping Quraish, was bittterly hostile to the Prem phet, p.b.u.h., and to Islam
When the Prophet, p.b.u.h., heard that Abu Jahl was ill, he said, "I must go and talk to him. Perhaps now his heart is going to be soft and he will believe in his Lord Almighty."
Abu Jahl was secretly watching, looking keenly. And the Prophet, p.b.u.h., came. Just as he was about to put his foot on that covered hole, Gabriel, p.b.u.h., came down, saying, "Don't put your foot on it! Your Lord gives you greetings and orders you to turn back." And the Prophet turned back.
When he did that, Abu Jahl, quickly forgetting everything, shouted, "Why did he turn back?" and jumping from his bed, ran and... went down. We have a saying, "If you dig a well for your brother, dig to your own height so that you can climb up and get out. Don't dig too deep."
And he was in it, shouting, "O people, come! I am here!" And people, his servants, were running about, like this, like that. "Where is he? Where is his voice coming from?" A voice shouting; from where shouting? And then they saw... oh!!! He was calling, "I am here! Come here, take my hand!" He stretched out his hand to them, and the people, his servants, also gave their hands to him but without reaching.
"Bring a rope," he said. They brought a rope, sending it down to him but still not reaching. Then, "Bring another one, longer! What is this short one? A long one!"
Then they brought a long one and still it did not reach. "What has happened? Why did you dig such a well? I ordered you to dig to two heights of a person. What did you dig such a deep well for? Bring another rope!"
They brought another rope. "A long one!" . A long one. "Tie them all together!" - ropes going from here to the City. Asking for ropes from next- door neighbours; neighbours' ropes coming but still not enough, not reaching. And Abu Jahl saw that it was impossible: if all the ropes on earth were to come, they would never reach him.
Then he called his servants, saying, "Go after Muhammad. Tell him that I am going to believe in him!"
They ran after the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and said, "Abu Jahl has fallen into a well and we can't get him out. Please come and look after him."
The Prophet came running and said, "O Abu Jahl, if I take you out, are you going to believe?"
" Yes! Yes!!" he said. "Quickly take me out."
“I am going to rescue him," the Prophet said. He reached down his hand, taking him out.
"I never saw a magician like you," Abū Jahl said. But still he did not believe.
We are telling this tale to show that whoever does evil, evil surrounds him. That noble verse of the Holy Qur'an shows that the one who does evil is surrounded by evil, and then he is going to be caught in it like among silken threads. You know the silk worm? It makes that thread and its prey gets entangled inside it, finished, never escaping..
Therefore, among people, from the beginning up to the end, some are always good-builders, pleasure-builders, and the others are evil-builders. Allah Almighty orders us, "O people, use your minds and be good-builders, not evil-builders." That is the summary of prophethood, the summary of the divine message to the Sons of Adam: Be good-builders, don't be evil builders.
At every step you must know if that step is for building a goodness or for building an evil; you must think about that. Therefore the Prophet p.b.u.h., said that one moment's thought, reflection, is more valuable perhaps than sixty years of praying. Therefore, o believers, o brothers, for every action you must be present with your action. Don't be heedless! When you are heedless, you are doing badness, you are working for evil, you are working for devils, you are supporting Satan and his sovereignty. Keep this: In every breath and in every step, be good-builders.
CLEANING OUR HEARTS OF BAD INTENTIONS TOWARD OTHERS
We are valuable. The Sons of Adam, all of them, are so valuable; each one is more valuable than the whole universe, not including man. And there is something which makes us more valuable, but something else which makes us be of no value. Which thing makes us be of no value, taking away from our value?
Now I am translating from our Headquarters, from the "Main Central," the Spiritual Central of Grandsheikh. We must know this so that we may live it: Whoever harms others loses his value. If by your speaking or by your hand you harm anyone, even one person, you are going to lose your value.
Satan was a worshipper. No one worshipped like him in his time and he was the most learned one among the angels, but he harmed one individual among all the rest and he fell. He harmed Adam, p.b.u.h., not respecting
him. The whole universe gave respect to Adam; only Satan did not give his respect and harmed Adam, and therefore he fell. No value for him from that time on.
Anyone who harms a person, either by looking or by speaking or by his hand is on the same level as Satan and loses his value. This is an important point that we must know, and must practise, also. It is not enough only to know it; more important is practising. Don't give trouble to anyone, don't harm anyone.
When you are a Muslim, you are a valuable servant, you are a beloved one in the Divine Presence. And Allah Almighty is trying His servants; no one is going to remain without being tried. Everyone will be tested throughout his life; every day you may be tested by your Lord, and He is looking at your attributes with His servants. Whoever gives harm to others, Allah Almighty leaves him, and heavenly beings, angels, also leave him. And if Allah Almighty leaves a person, every suffering and trouble falls on him, rains on him; he will never be in peace or happiness in his life. And Allah Almighty, our Lord, wants us to be in a happy and peaceful life, but we are changing a peaceful life into an unpeaceful one, full of suffering and troubles; we are doing that.
If we listen to our grandfather Adam, the first man, he advised his sons and ordered them to advise their sons, all prophets repeating Adam's advice to their nations, and his advice reaches to our time as well. He advised his sons, "O my sons, look and learn from my example. Every good thing and every happiness was mine, but I lost it all because I abandoned my Lord's pleasure. I made Him angry with me, and I lost all happiness and took on all the sufferings of this life. You must take an example from me: Don't make your Lord angry with you." Therefore, all the prophets advised their nations, "Don't do any deed that makes your Lord angry with you. It costs too much, is too expensive. Allah Almighty wants a peaceful and happy life for you.
Keep it. But if you make your Lord angry with you, you will lose everything."
Now in our time we do not ask about our Lord's pleasure or anger; no. We say, "I don't care if He is pleased with me or angry," because most people do not accept that there is a God in existence, looking at them; they deny the existence of a God and Creator. That makes Allah Almighty angry with them; of all sins, that is the greatest one. That will bring a huge, very terrible, terrible punishment; it is coming on men now because they say, "No God." That carries a terrible punishment for all nations. Only those whom Allah Almighty shelters under His divine shelter may be in safety, and the others are going to be punished.
Because Allah Almighty sent His Last Prophet, p.b.u.h., to be a mercy for all nations, when they reject him, Allah Almighty causes people to be in two camps and to be in ennity among themselves so that one side will fight the other, the second will fight the first, and through one to another, through that to others, He will give His punishment.
Now the whole world is working only toward that point; people are making everything ready for that punishment. Allah Almighty will give punishment to the East by the West and to the West by the East. No one can escape; no way for people except to go under the divine shelter. But those who say "No God" will not be sheltered; their Lord is angry with them. Only those who are pleased with their Lord and their Lord with them will be sheltered.
Therefore, my Grandsheikh said, this terrible punishment soon to come on earth is approaching. Awliya are looking; as we know that rain is coming, they see that the divine punishment is soon coming, covering the whole earth. And Grandsheikh told about who would be under the divine shelter: Whoever accepts his Lord, saying that there is a Lord, the Lord of the universes, in existence, and I accept Him and am His servant - whoever says this must be sheltered; whoever says, 'O my Lord, forgive me, and I am Your servant," must be sheltered.
And secondly, the one who never has the intention of harming others, even more than actually harming them; not harming anyone and never holding in his heart any bad intention toward any person. If a person keeps a bad intention in his heart toward anyone, that bad intention will "shoot" him as a bullet would; if anyone desires evil for others, that bullet will come around and shoot him, even if he is able to take shelter under seven undergrounds. Therefore, whoever is bold for badness, intending evil for anyone, even that intention will take him out of this life; because this is going to be the greatest war and the last war on earth, taking away so many people that you can't imagine it, a result of the divine anger because so many people and nations are thinking badness and evil for each other, individually and as a nation.
Therefore, that divine punishment will take most people away. Only those will remain who never intend to harm anyone; Allah will protect them and the divine anger will be far from them.
Don't approach the area of your Lord's anger! No one will be able to protect you, no one will be able to save you. You may be the president, you may be the richest one, you may be the most learned person - no need, useless. If you do not change your heart to think good, to have good intentions, for everyone, no one can save you from punishment. Like Nimrod56; when Allah
56 This infamous tyrant-king of the Book of Genesis is mentioned in the Qur'an, although not by name, in II:258. According to Islamic tradition, Nimcod met his end,
sent against him an army from among His armies, a mosquito army, he escaped; but a cripple
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