Mercy Oceans, Book 10 (239 pages, 16/21)
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s that pride of the nafs.
FOLLOWING A HOLY MAN
The thing which is important for people is to follow a holy man. holy man means someone who belongs to the Divine Presence, what we call a sheikh. It must be well-known that everyone is in need to follow a holy person in order to be a holy person himself; if you do not follow a holy person, you are never going to be a holy person yourself, and if you are not a holy person, you cannot go to divine or heavenly stations. For holy ones, Heaven, and for holy ones, the Divine Presence. Therefore, we must know who is a holy one.
134 He (Allah) has let free the two seas which meet; between the two is a barrier which they do not pass." (LV:19-20)
All prophets are holy people, and the inheritors of the prophets, awliya, are also holy ones. Therefore, you must ask for a holy man, and the description of a holy man must be well-known.
Holiness does not mean to be a "religious man" or to be a learned man. No; holiness is something else. But we must follow such a holy man. You may ask from East, from West, from North, from England, from Russia, from Caucasia, from Damascus, from Baghdad, from Hijaz, from Jerusalem, from Egypt, from Marakkesh, from Africa, from Yemen, from the Philippines, from China, from America; you may ask from anywhere and there must be, must be, some holy people. Don't suppose that they live only in Mecca or in Medinah or in Jerusalem or in Baghdad or in Tibet, the Himalayan Mountains, or only in monastaries; no. They are free people.
Holy people are free people; the whole world is under their footsteps. No need for passports, no need for visas, also; they are free, moving from East to West, on the seas, on the mountains, in the skies. Nothing prevents them because they are holy people. Because they are deputies of the Lord of the universes on earth, they must have super powers, and they are in heavenly stations and in the Divine Presence.
Which thing gives them holiness? Holy peoples' holiness has been given to them because their hearts are always with their Lord. That one is a holy person whose heart is empty of everything except the love of his Lord; his heart is occupied or engaged by his Lord Almighty.
That is a holy one, like the prophets, like the awliya and angels, But a person whose heart is occupied, engaged, by this life's pleasures - he is not going to be a holy one, even though he may be the most famous scholar, even though he may be at the top rank of a religious silsilah, chain. He may be at the highest point of the hierarchy among Muslims, among Jews, among Christians; there are some titles that we give them. That is not important; you can't call that holiness. If Allah Almighty does not give a person holiness, it is not something that can be given by wearing special clothes or by crowds of people; no. But we are asking our Lord Almighty to give it to us. He gives holiness to His servants, and He is not going to give a person holiness if he does not give his heart to Him. That is important.
You must not be cheated, deceived, by the titles that we have been given in the hierarchy, that man gives; no. You must follow a person who has been given holiness. You can't buy a ruby from a grocery shop; you can buy tomatoes. A tomato is red, also, and a ruby is red but a tomato is a tomato, not a ruby. You can find tomatoes, potatoes, in a grocery shop but not rubies and emeralds. Therefore, if you are asking and you know what you are
asking for, you must look seriously into where you can find it. If you are not in need of a ruby, take a tomato and go away!
Anyone who believes in holiness and anyone who believes in eternal life, anyone who believes in the existence of the Lord of the universes, the existence of the Creator Almighty, must ask for a holy man in order to follow him. But, as we said, you must not be cheated by someone because he may be a scholar or religious man, but instead you must ask your heart. If you are satisfied with a person, don't look at whether he is a scholar or a learned person or a sheikh, a rich one, a poor one. Leave that. If your heart says to you, "That person is a holy one, " keep him and take from him. You may take your holiness through him; he is a door, opening and giving to you. But if your heart does not bear witness, if there is no tranquility, no contentment in your heart, leave him. Look for another one.
In our time, people are running after empty titles, after the titles that other people give them, not asking for the titles that their Lord gives them. "I am the first, I am more important than you!" "No, I am more important!"
Doesn't matter; you are important, also. If you were not important, you would not be in existence as a man; a human being. Man is the most important one, but heedlessness is not letting us say and accept this, and we are running after the empty titles, nonsensical titles, that we give to each other. Why?
The one who knows realities during this life is always free, and the one who does not know is a slave. Therefore, I am not running after titles. It is enough for me, enough and more than enough, one million and trillion times enough, endlessly enough for me, that Allah Almighty, my Lord, is giving me the title of being His servant. If you give me all the universes with all their treasures, I will not give up or change that title.
Therefore, people are running after being something, and I am saying to the people who come to me, "I am nothing, and you are going to be nothing, also; if you are satisfied, you may come to be nothing," but so many people are running away. I am saying, "Alhamdulillah. He will never come back because he is asking to be something, but I am nothing and making people to be nothing!"
That is what we are trying to do: to make people agree to be nothing. But they are quarreling with me, saying, "We must be something!" And every trouble comes through that point, that claiming, "I am....
ABOUT BEING WITH YOUR GUIDE
If we are separate, we are like parts of a tasbih, beads. If there is no string, they will be lost, scattered, but when they are on this string, that can never happen. And for each person, if alone, there is danger of being lost, but if coming with an imam135, on a string, he is protected.
Look, everyone! (He shows his tasbih.] Sometimes this string is strong; sometimes it is very weak and quickly breaks. Therefore, you must be careful. A silver one is stronger - you know? Then anyone who is with a sheikh, with a guide, the guide keeps him. If not with a guide, they are often going to be lost.
We must be humble, as much as we are able, to be in agreement with a sheikh, with a guide. The guide is the most important person during our lives because everyone must take a guide either on a good or on a bad way.'
Everyone takes a guide. If a person does not take a guide on a good way, another guide is waiting for him, quickly taking him to a bad way. For bad ways there are so many guides; so many devils, dressed like men and taking them. Therefore, everyone is in need of a guide, but you must be careful to take a guide during your life for goodness, not for badness.
Everyone knows that, for all people, this life is going to be either with good things or with bad things; everyone knows that. But so many times we are so weak in the hands of our egos, running after our nafs. When you run and make your ego or someone who is from devils as your guide, you quickly fall into dangerous, terrible places, hells. You must choose that way which is going to be suitable for you.
A strong guide keeps his followers; they may be in the East, they may be in the West. When Yusuf, p.b.u.h., Joseph, was in Egypt, his father Yaqub, Jacob, was in Palestine or in the area argund Damascus. When the wife of the ruler of Egypt called Yusuf to her bed136, and he was ready for that, his father showed himself and said, "O Yusuf, keep yourself."
Yaqub, p.b.u.h., could have been in the Far East; doesn't matter - could have been as far away as you can imagine. Nothing keeps back that power; distances never prevent that power from reaching.
135 Referring to the alif or long, terminal bead connecting a tasbih or string of dhikr beads
136 The story of Prophet Joseph, p.b.u.h., and the wife of 'Aziz is narrated in XII:23- 34
Awliya have miraculous powers like prophets, but prophets' miracles are more perfect. Awliya do not have such power but they have the same attributes as anbiya, prophets; then that power goes through them, also. They can do miraculous things, and a true sheikh can guard his murids, whether they are in the Far East or in the Far West; they can send their spiritual power with every murid so that they are not alone or solitary. When you remember him, that remembrance makes your sheikh's spiritual power be ready with you, be present with you. That is a miraculous power which every true sheikh has been given.
QUESTION: How can we make contact with our sheikh, not just for asking help but for being with him?
SHEIKH: If a boy falls in love with a girl or a girl falls in love with a boy, they are occupied, they are always in contact with each other. If you have such love for your sheikh, you may be in contact sometimes.
Some people are engaged by their Lord, Allah Almighty. They are the anbiya, prophets, and awliya, saints. Never does anyone get into their hearts except their Lord; they are always in contact. Some people are always engaged with the Prophet, p.b.u.h., some people with their sheikhs. Some people sometimes, maybe when they are in need, ask for their sheikhs.
According to your need, you may ask, you may be in contact.
And it is so easy. When the remembrance of him comes upon you, you are in contact; no need for protocol. Quickly, when you think about your sheikh, he is with you; when you forget, you are far away. When you remember, he is with you, quickly.
You must understand this point. Then it is going to be more easy for our brothers and sisters to be in contact with their sheikh. Any time they may be in need, if reciting a Fatehah and sending it to the Prophet and their Grandsheikh, it is all right.
QUESTION: Why don't we always remember him?
SHEIKH: Heedless, ghafil. The Companions of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., said to him, "O Rasulallah, when we are here with you, we are like on the Day of Resurrection; we are living as a person lives on that day. But when we go from here, we are not as we were when we were with you." .
And the Prophet said, "If the same condition continues with you when you are outside, the angels will come to shake hands with you. But heedlessness comes over you so that you can do something for your earthly life, also."
Only some people, only a very few people, have been chosen to be for their Lord always. Even though they may be in markets, buying, selling, going, coming, building, planting, working with their physical bodies, their hearts never leave their Lord; they are always with their Lord. That is true. But it needs practice to be always with your Lord with your heart.
TASTING THE SWEETNESS OF ISLAM
(A murid speaks about the difficulty of talking about Islam to non Muslim family members. Sheikh Nazim responds:)
Yes, because they are still slaves in their egos' hands - slaves, but they do not know that they are slaves. They imagine that they are going to be slaves when they come to Islam but it is the opposite: when they come to Islam they are going to be free. Before Islam they are slaves. But you can't give any proof to them because as yet they are not tasting. As much as you may say, "Honey, honey, honey?" people are saying, "What is honey? Let us taste."
Therefore, particularly in our time, if Allah Almighty does not give a chance to taste, no one can be in Islam. The hardest conditions for Islam are in our time. During the first period of Islam, Islam was new, like a new almond. A green one you can eat, yes137? It has a good taste. But when it is dry, you can't bite it; your teeth will be broken.
Now, this is an almond and that is also an almond. If you do not crush it and take out the inside, no one can taste it. But we are giving the "almond" in its shell and people are putting it in their mouths, trying to bite it - with no teeth, also. Up to the end of this world they will be unable to eat it; but if you crush it and give the kernel inside, they will be pleased.
We can't do this. Only Allah Almighty does that, and as much as people are engaged by their lives' pleasures here, they are not free to look for their Lord. And their Lord is keeping that honey to give to that servant but he is not interested; interested in something else. When a person is going to be interested, he or she will quickly come into Islam, quickly taste.
137 In many parts of the world, almonds, plums, etc., are often eaten green, as a fruit, before the outer shell and inner kernel harden..
Therefore we are saying now that if all the scholars from the Muslim world come to Europe and speak to just one person - not a young one; we are saying any person of intermediate age - they can't convince that person to come into Islam, and for the young generation it is even more difficult.
Therefore, in Western countries people are coming into Islam if they can taste something of the inner life's pleasures in Islam.
If they can find, if they can taste, that pleasure, they may come to Islam through that pleasure; otherwise, it is impossible. No scholars whom I now know, specifically now, can be successful in calling people to Islam by their way, but a person who has reached a station through his spiritual life and has tasted may bring others; the one who tastes may make people taste. If he himself hasn't tasted, if he doesn't have it but only says, "Honey, honey," never taking any pleasure, what is he going to make people taste? There must be something with him for people to taste. If he keeps, if he has made, honey in his heart, he may give it, may make people taste.
What is "honey"? Honey in hearts is ikhlas, sincerity. The one who has sincerity may give sincerity to people; the one who has sincerity within himself is one who enjoys it, while the one who doesn't have ikhlas never enjoys it.
The one who has sincerity does not spit the almond out of his mouth but keeps it. But not everyone keeps it, particularly new Muslims; they may try it once or twice and then say, "We do not taste anything," and throw it away. But for whoever tastes the seed, the kernel, that is all right.
When you find something, you are pleased with it and you think that everyone may be interested in it. When you eat, when you taste something, you feel that everyone may be pleased with it; and you give it to him but he says, "I don't like it." Yes, some food which you may like he never likes.
Spiritual pleasures are different among people. Some people are interested in another way.
Now, as we are believers, we are going in different ways. Moses, p.b.u.h., struck a stone and twelve springs came, and each of the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel drank from a different spring138. But it has a secret meaning, also: that everyone has a private spring for drinking, and that is best for him or for her; when you ask to change it, he or she refuses. And sometimes, when a person is ill, you may give him honey, sweet honey, but he says, "It is bitter."
138 See II:60 and VII:160
He is wrong; honey is honey but he cannot taste it. Finished; leave him. Allah says to the Prophet, p.b.u.h., "Leave them; if they do not taste, leave them. I am looking after them." There must be a divine intervention so that can change. At the time, leave it; don't discuss it. Discussion brings hatred. Therefore we have been ordered to say to such people, "Lakum dinukum wa līa dīn139"" - your way for you and ours for us; keep what you like and we will keep what we like, but don't come to discussion. Only to those people who ask yoụ, you may speak.
CONCERNING FALSE GUIDES
We have a saying that a person may be going on the wrong way and he is sees that he is losing, losing, but he says, "Perhaps I may gain"; he is losing but he hopes to gain or to obtain something. And people say, "O our brother, leave this. You are on a losing way. Turn back." And he says, "No. I must continue because now I have lost. Perhaps I can get back my lost thing." But they say, "O brother, turn back, because anywhere you may turn, that is your gain. Don't think, 'Now I have lost so much; therefore I must continue’. If you are asking for benefit, turn from the losing way. That is your gain, your profit."
Therefore, a person may follow another person and each time he sees that there is no benefit in the relationship but he says, "I followed him at the first and I must keep him." But if even after years, long years, he turns back, he has turned to the way of benefit. As much as he may have have lost, it doesn't matter; at any time he turns, that is his benefit. Therefore he must say, "Alhamdulillah".
If he were to go with him forever,, that would be losing, but when he turns back, even after ninety years, he gets benefit; if continuing on his former way, he will always be a losing person. If he turns back from here, it is good for him; if continuing and turning back even from there, it is good for him.
Any time a person turns back it is good for him; any time a person can turn from badness to goodness, it is good for him.
One point we must be most careful of, particularly new Muslims. Old Muslims also must know, everyone must know, because Islam is for everyone. Islam is such a huge "supermarket," and there is a private place,
139 To you your religion (or way) and to me mine(CIX:6)
private things, for everyone. It is important to find the one who knows where your special amanah140 is that you have been given by your Lord Almighty - where it is, to know it and to take it.
For everyone there is a portion, for everyone a share, and it is important to find the one who can guide you to it so that it is not such a huge distance away, further than from East to West. And new Muslims are more interested in their spiritual shares; when they come into Islam, they first ask for their spiritual shares because they have had so much of the physical, bodily shares. You must know how to take the treasures that you have been given.
,
You can't take another's share as you can in this life; no, you must take your own share. If not, you are not going to be given that other person's share.
Therefore, there is no jealousy among awliya, among real believers, among sincere people, among the sincere servants of our Lord - no jealousy, because everyone has been given treasures by his Lord, and one person's share is not going to be less than another's but perhaps each of them is going to shine more, charming treasures. If you see your share, you are never going to look at another's. Your treasures will occupy you enough; no need to look at this or that one. Therefore, no jealousy.
But some people have so much anger. For what reason? Some people who are slaves of their egos, when they cheat others, become angry - fake people; they are not even the doorkeeper but they are claiming to be the treasurer and are cheating people. And every new Muslim is asking for his hidden treasures. They have the right to ask, "Where are our treasures? We are coming into Islam. We have a share in Islam, we have a share in the hidden treasures that Allah Almighty gave us on the Day of Promises. Wher are they, and where is the key for them?"
When Ahmad al-Badawi, a "king-sized" wali, asked his Lord to give the key to him directly, Allah Almighty said, "My divine practise is that whoever comes by himself is not given. The one who comes to me through his guide, I give it to his guide and his guide gives it by him. That is the divine protocol: no one comes to My Divine Presence without a guide. Go; take your guide and take the keys of your treasures from him."
Now, people, particularly Muslims, are proud; they do not accept a guide. Some of our European, Western, brothers are asking for a guide, but among our native Muslim brothers, only very few people are asking for a guide. I mean to say, among scholars; common people easily take guides, but scholars look to themselves and they are proud people. They claim that they
140 A trust; something entrusted to a person for safekeeping
know everything in Islam, that they know everything in the Holy Qur'an and in Sunnah, and they say, "We do not need to take care about a guide".
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., took a guide to Allah Almighty - the Angel Gabriel,
p.b.u.h. What about scholars? And what about Ahmad al-Badawi, may Allah bless him, when Allah said to him, "You must come with your murshid, your guide; you must come with your sheikh or not come at all. I gave the keys of your treasures into his hand on the Day of Promises. That is My rule; I do not change My rule. Go and take from him."
Therefore, everyone must take the keys of his treasures from the hand of his sheikh, from the hand of his guide. If he has no guide, Satan takes him. Allah Almighty was going to give Satan a guide and He created Adam, but he refused; Satan refused to take a guide - too proud - and then he was gone.
Therefore, whoever does not agree to take a guide may fall as Satan feil.
But, in our time, so many people who are not spiritually authorized are claiming to be guides and are guiding people on the wrong way. This is an important point to be clear for us. About non-authorized people, Grandsheikh, may Allah bless him, always said to me, "O Nazim Efendi, I will give you a simile concerning authorized and unauthorized people. A simile for them is that of a person looking at a beach and seeing a sailor taking people to the other side in his boat. Another person also comes and brings a boat, saying, people, I can take you, also. Come to my boat. We can go to the other side.'
"And people get in and then little by little go out to sea, going away. But that person has never passed through that sea; he does not know how to use a compass. And the people reach the middle of the sea. Then, no more eating, no more drinking, no more knowledge about how they can go on, to which side they are going. And the people call to him, "Why are you not going?' He says, 'I can't. If you aren't going forward, go back. Take us back to our place.' And he says, 'I can't.' Neither forward nor backward; they are going to perish, to drown, to die there, finishing, destroying themselves."
Therefore, don't suppose that anyone, any non-authorized person, can be a guide. You can't become authorized by reading books. That is something else; you can't be an authorized person that way. There are so many captains in boats, in ships. How many years do they study in a college and then come on the ship? So many long years of watching the captain, learning, practising. Then they are entrusted to take control.
HOW TO RECOGNISE A TRUE SHEIKH
A person may fall into difficulties because our life is just encircled by difficulties; if we save ourselves from one, the second may catch us. Everyone has difficulties, according to his or her faith's power. But as many difficulties as we may face, we must not be hopeless of divine help. The wrong thing done by anyone who gets into difficulties is to lose hope. He must try to keep his hope with his Lord, Allah Almighty, and try to face the difficulties as well as he can.
We are weak; without divine support it is impossible. But our iife is always like this for reaching the top, for climbing. Everyone has been given something, some treasures, by his Lord Almighty, and that is at the topmost point. Therefore, everyone must face difficulties; without difficulties there is no taste for life. But it is important to make difficulties pleasure.
Glory to Allah Almighty, subhanallah! In Western countries, difficulties are mounting, mounting. When people who are not from the West look at the outside, at television, they see that the people of Western countries are all happy: they live without any difficulties, no problems for them; so much work, so much money, so much enjoyment! But it is the opposite; my head is going to be like this from hearing about the difficulties of people. They are all asking, "What is the solution? What can we do? How can we get out?" and everyone is caught in a trap. If you take off the chains from here, after a little he or she is going to be caught by another; the same conditions, so many traps. You take off one, and after a little another comes, and he or she is caught again.
The one who is hopeless of this life, every way locked on him, looks at that time towards Heaven. If there is no way out and he is surrounded from every side, at that time he looks up at whoever is reaching out his hand to take him out of there, asking for help. And when they ask for help, so many "businessmen" are coming from Eastern countries to the West to do business - worldly people, not heavenly people, and they are cheating people, making them fall down more deeply, than before.
So many different people are doing business on that point; in order to satisfy their egos, they are making a business out of spiritual or heavenly ways. But they are not holy people. Mostly they have been cheated by Shaytan, by their egos; they belong to this earth, not heavenly people. They can't do anything except to deceive people and make more troubles for them.
Therefore, you must be very careful of such people. If your heart is troubled when you meet one of them, your conscience signaling a red light, leave him and go away. If you go to a person, supposing that he is a holy man, but your heart is not in pleasure, in peace, with him, if pain comes to your heart, you must know that that is a trap, catching you. Then leave him and run!
QUESTION: Is it possible for a person to call people to God or to Islam but yet his power is from Shaytan?
SHEIKH: You must see who his God is. Some people make dunya their God. "Ara'aita man ittakhadha ilahahun hawahu141?" Allah says; not everyone makes Allah his God but some people make their desires their God. Therefore we must see, if someone is calling, to what he is calling: to our Lord or to his nafs, making himself Lord over people. To what is he calling?
So many people are saying, "We are calling to Allah." Who is your Allah? Tell me. The Lord of the universes? Are you a humble servant, an obedient servant, to Him or not? Tell me! When you go from here, from your house, up to the Central Mosque, do you look at girls, at ladies, or not? If you keep yourself, I understand who your Lord is. If you look, your Lord is your nafs, your ego. Allah knows well!
ABOUT TAKING A GUIDE AND CONSULTING WITH HIM
May Allah give us more light; we are in need of it. If we have more light, our way, everything, is going to be more clear to us. Therefore we are in need of such people whose hearts are lighted by real faith.
There was a custom in our countries. So many neighbours were Armenians, and when they had a wedding ceremony and came out of church, everyone carried candles. Then they would take fire from a sacred place and go out. If there had not been such a fire, e
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s that pride of the nafs.
FOLLOWING A HOLY MAN
The thing which is important for people is to follow a holy man. holy man means someone who belongs to the Divine Presence, what we call a sheikh. It must be well-known that everyone is in need to follow a holy person in order to be a holy person himself; if you do not follow a holy person, you are never going to be a holy person yourself, and if you are not a holy person, you cannot go to divine or heavenly stations. For holy ones, Heaven, and for holy ones, the Divine Presence. Therefore, we must know who is a holy one.
134 He (Allah) has let free the two seas which meet; between the two is a barrier which they do not pass." (LV:19-20)
All prophets are holy people, and the inheritors of the prophets, awliya, are also holy ones. Therefore, you must ask for a holy man, and the description of a holy man must be well-known.
Holiness does not mean to be a "religious man" or to be a learned man. No; holiness is something else. But we must follow such a holy man. You may ask from East, from West, from North, from England, from Russia, from Caucasia, from Damascus, from Baghdad, from Hijaz, from Jerusalem, from Egypt, from Marakkesh, from Africa, from Yemen, from the Philippines, from China, from America; you may ask from anywhere and there must be, must be, some holy people. Don't suppose that they live only in Mecca or in Medinah or in Jerusalem or in Baghdad or in Tibet, the Himalayan Mountains, or only in monastaries; no. They are free people.
Holy people are free people; the whole world is under their footsteps. No need for passports, no need for visas, also; they are free, moving from East to West, on the seas, on the mountains, in the skies. Nothing prevents them because they are holy people. Because they are deputies of the Lord of the universes on earth, they must have super powers, and they are in heavenly stations and in the Divine Presence.
Which thing gives them holiness? Holy peoples' holiness has been given to them because their hearts are always with their Lord. That one is a holy person whose heart is empty of everything except the love of his Lord; his heart is occupied or engaged by his Lord Almighty.
That is a holy one, like the prophets, like the awliya and angels, But a person whose heart is occupied, engaged, by this life's pleasures - he is not going to be a holy one, even though he may be the most famous scholar, even though he may be at the top rank of a religious silsilah, chain. He may be at the highest point of the hierarchy among Muslims, among Jews, among Christians; there are some titles that we give them. That is not important; you can't call that holiness. If Allah Almighty does not give a person holiness, it is not something that can be given by wearing special clothes or by crowds of people; no. But we are asking our Lord Almighty to give it to us. He gives holiness to His servants, and He is not going to give a person holiness if he does not give his heart to Him. That is important.
You must not be cheated, deceived, by the titles that we have been given in the hierarchy, that man gives; no. You must follow a person who has been given holiness. You can't buy a ruby from a grocery shop; you can buy tomatoes. A tomato is red, also, and a ruby is red but a tomato is a tomato, not a ruby. You can find tomatoes, potatoes, in a grocery shop but not rubies and emeralds. Therefore, if you are asking and you know what you are
asking for, you must look seriously into where you can find it. If you are not in need of a ruby, take a tomato and go away!
Anyone who believes in holiness and anyone who believes in eternal life, anyone who believes in the existence of the Lord of the universes, the existence of the Creator Almighty, must ask for a holy man in order to follow him. But, as we said, you must not be cheated by someone because he may be a scholar or religious man, but instead you must ask your heart. If you are satisfied with a person, don't look at whether he is a scholar or a learned person or a sheikh, a rich one, a poor one. Leave that. If your heart says to you, "That person is a holy one, " keep him and take from him. You may take your holiness through him; he is a door, opening and giving to you. But if your heart does not bear witness, if there is no tranquility, no contentment in your heart, leave him. Look for another one.
In our time, people are running after empty titles, after the titles that other people give them, not asking for the titles that their Lord gives them. "I am the first, I am more important than you!" "No, I am more important!"
Doesn't matter; you are important, also. If you were not important, you would not be in existence as a man; a human being. Man is the most important one, but heedlessness is not letting us say and accept this, and we are running after the empty titles, nonsensical titles, that we give to each other. Why?
The one who knows realities during this life is always free, and the one who does not know is a slave. Therefore, I am not running after titles. It is enough for me, enough and more than enough, one million and trillion times enough, endlessly enough for me, that Allah Almighty, my Lord, is giving me the title of being His servant. If you give me all the universes with all their treasures, I will not give up or change that title.
Therefore, people are running after being something, and I am saying to the people who come to me, "I am nothing, and you are going to be nothing, also; if you are satisfied, you may come to be nothing," but so many people are running away. I am saying, "Alhamdulillah. He will never come back because he is asking to be something, but I am nothing and making people to be nothing!"
That is what we are trying to do: to make people agree to be nothing. But they are quarreling with me, saying, "We must be something!" And every trouble comes through that point, that claiming, "I am....
ABOUT BEING WITH YOUR GUIDE
If we are separate, we are like parts of a tasbih, beads. If there is no string, they will be lost, scattered, but when they are on this string, that can never happen. And for each person, if alone, there is danger of being lost, but if coming with an imam135, on a string, he is protected.
Look, everyone! (He shows his tasbih.] Sometimes this string is strong; sometimes it is very weak and quickly breaks. Therefore, you must be careful. A silver one is stronger - you know? Then anyone who is with a sheikh, with a guide, the guide keeps him. If not with a guide, they are often going to be lost.
We must be humble, as much as we are able, to be in agreement with a sheikh, with a guide. The guide is the most important person during our lives because everyone must take a guide either on a good or on a bad way.'
Everyone takes a guide. If a person does not take a guide on a good way, another guide is waiting for him, quickly taking him to a bad way. For bad ways there are so many guides; so many devils, dressed like men and taking them. Therefore, everyone is in need of a guide, but you must be careful to take a guide during your life for goodness, not for badness.
Everyone knows that, for all people, this life is going to be either with good things or with bad things; everyone knows that. But so many times we are so weak in the hands of our egos, running after our nafs. When you run and make your ego or someone who is from devils as your guide, you quickly fall into dangerous, terrible places, hells. You must choose that way which is going to be suitable for you.
A strong guide keeps his followers; they may be in the East, they may be in the West. When Yusuf, p.b.u.h., Joseph, was in Egypt, his father Yaqub, Jacob, was in Palestine or in the area argund Damascus. When the wife of the ruler of Egypt called Yusuf to her bed136, and he was ready for that, his father showed himself and said, "O Yusuf, keep yourself."
Yaqub, p.b.u.h., could have been in the Far East; doesn't matter - could have been as far away as you can imagine. Nothing keeps back that power; distances never prevent that power from reaching.
135 Referring to the alif or long, terminal bead connecting a tasbih or string of dhikr beads
136 The story of Prophet Joseph, p.b.u.h., and the wife of 'Aziz is narrated in XII:23- 34
Awliya have miraculous powers like prophets, but prophets' miracles are more perfect. Awliya do not have such power but they have the same attributes as anbiya, prophets; then that power goes through them, also. They can do miraculous things, and a true sheikh can guard his murids, whether they are in the Far East or in the Far West; they can send their spiritual power with every murid so that they are not alone or solitary. When you remember him, that remembrance makes your sheikh's spiritual power be ready with you, be present with you. That is a miraculous power which every true sheikh has been given.
QUESTION: How can we make contact with our sheikh, not just for asking help but for being with him?
SHEIKH: If a boy falls in love with a girl or a girl falls in love with a boy, they are occupied, they are always in contact with each other. If you have such love for your sheikh, you may be in contact sometimes.
Some people are engaged by their Lord, Allah Almighty. They are the anbiya, prophets, and awliya, saints. Never does anyone get into their hearts except their Lord; they are always in contact. Some people are always engaged with the Prophet, p.b.u.h., some people with their sheikhs. Some people sometimes, maybe when they are in need, ask for their sheikhs.
According to your need, you may ask, you may be in contact.
And it is so easy. When the remembrance of him comes upon you, you are in contact; no need for protocol. Quickly, when you think about your sheikh, he is with you; when you forget, you are far away. When you remember, he is with you, quickly.
You must understand this point. Then it is going to be more easy for our brothers and sisters to be in contact with their sheikh. Any time they may be in need, if reciting a Fatehah and sending it to the Prophet and their Grandsheikh, it is all right.
QUESTION: Why don't we always remember him?
SHEIKH: Heedless, ghafil. The Companions of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., said to him, "O Rasulallah, when we are here with you, we are like on the Day of Resurrection; we are living as a person lives on that day. But when we go from here, we are not as we were when we were with you." .
And the Prophet said, "If the same condition continues with you when you are outside, the angels will come to shake hands with you. But heedlessness comes over you so that you can do something for your earthly life, also."
Only some people, only a very few people, have been chosen to be for their Lord always. Even though they may be in markets, buying, selling, going, coming, building, planting, working with their physical bodies, their hearts never leave their Lord; they are always with their Lord. That is true. But it needs practice to be always with your Lord with your heart.
TASTING THE SWEETNESS OF ISLAM
(A murid speaks about the difficulty of talking about Islam to non Muslim family members. Sheikh Nazim responds:)
Yes, because they are still slaves in their egos' hands - slaves, but they do not know that they are slaves. They imagine that they are going to be slaves when they come to Islam but it is the opposite: when they come to Islam they are going to be free. Before Islam they are slaves. But you can't give any proof to them because as yet they are not tasting. As much as you may say, "Honey, honey, honey?" people are saying, "What is honey? Let us taste."
Therefore, particularly in our time, if Allah Almighty does not give a chance to taste, no one can be in Islam. The hardest conditions for Islam are in our time. During the first period of Islam, Islam was new, like a new almond. A green one you can eat, yes137? It has a good taste. But when it is dry, you can't bite it; your teeth will be broken.
Now, this is an almond and that is also an almond. If you do not crush it and take out the inside, no one can taste it. But we are giving the "almond" in its shell and people are putting it in their mouths, trying to bite it - with no teeth, also. Up to the end of this world they will be unable to eat it; but if you crush it and give the kernel inside, they will be pleased.
We can't do this. Only Allah Almighty does that, and as much as people are engaged by their lives' pleasures here, they are not free to look for their Lord. And their Lord is keeping that honey to give to that servant but he is not interested; interested in something else. When a person is going to be interested, he or she will quickly come into Islam, quickly taste.
137 In many parts of the world, almonds, plums, etc., are often eaten green, as a fruit, before the outer shell and inner kernel harden..
Therefore we are saying now that if all the scholars from the Muslim world come to Europe and speak to just one person - not a young one; we are saying any person of intermediate age - they can't convince that person to come into Islam, and for the young generation it is even more difficult.
Therefore, in Western countries people are coming into Islam if they can taste something of the inner life's pleasures in Islam.
If they can find, if they can taste, that pleasure, they may come to Islam through that pleasure; otherwise, it is impossible. No scholars whom I now know, specifically now, can be successful in calling people to Islam by their way, but a person who has reached a station through his spiritual life and has tasted may bring others; the one who tastes may make people taste. If he himself hasn't tasted, if he doesn't have it but only says, "Honey, honey," never taking any pleasure, what is he going to make people taste? There must be something with him for people to taste. If he keeps, if he has made, honey in his heart, he may give it, may make people taste.
What is "honey"? Honey in hearts is ikhlas, sincerity. The one who has sincerity may give sincerity to people; the one who has sincerity within himself is one who enjoys it, while the one who doesn't have ikhlas never enjoys it.
The one who has sincerity does not spit the almond out of his mouth but keeps it. But not everyone keeps it, particularly new Muslims; they may try it once or twice and then say, "We do not taste anything," and throw it away. But for whoever tastes the seed, the kernel, that is all right.
When you find something, you are pleased with it and you think that everyone may be interested in it. When you eat, when you taste something, you feel that everyone may be pleased with it; and you give it to him but he says, "I don't like it." Yes, some food which you may like he never likes.
Spiritual pleasures are different among people. Some people are interested in another way.
Now, as we are believers, we are going in different ways. Moses, p.b.u.h., struck a stone and twelve springs came, and each of the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel drank from a different spring138. But it has a secret meaning, also: that everyone has a private spring for drinking, and that is best for him or for her; when you ask to change it, he or she refuses. And sometimes, when a person is ill, you may give him honey, sweet honey, but he says, "It is bitter."
138 See II:60 and VII:160
He is wrong; honey is honey but he cannot taste it. Finished; leave him. Allah says to the Prophet, p.b.u.h., "Leave them; if they do not taste, leave them. I am looking after them." There must be a divine intervention so that can change. At the time, leave it; don't discuss it. Discussion brings hatred. Therefore we have been ordered to say to such people, "Lakum dinukum wa līa dīn139"" - your way for you and ours for us; keep what you like and we will keep what we like, but don't come to discussion. Only to those people who ask yoụ, you may speak.
CONCERNING FALSE GUIDES
We have a saying that a person may be going on the wrong way and he is sees that he is losing, losing, but he says, "Perhaps I may gain"; he is losing but he hopes to gain or to obtain something. And people say, "O our brother, leave this. You are on a losing way. Turn back." And he says, "No. I must continue because now I have lost. Perhaps I can get back my lost thing." But they say, "O brother, turn back, because anywhere you may turn, that is your gain. Don't think, 'Now I have lost so much; therefore I must continue’. If you are asking for benefit, turn from the losing way. That is your gain, your profit."
Therefore, a person may follow another person and each time he sees that there is no benefit in the relationship but he says, "I followed him at the first and I must keep him." But if even after years, long years, he turns back, he has turned to the way of benefit. As much as he may have have lost, it doesn't matter; at any time he turns, that is his benefit. Therefore he must say, "Alhamdulillah".
If he were to go with him forever,, that would be losing, but when he turns back, even after ninety years, he gets benefit; if continuing on his former way, he will always be a losing person. If he turns back from here, it is good for him; if continuing and turning back even from there, it is good for him.
Any time a person turns back it is good for him; any time a person can turn from badness to goodness, it is good for him.
One point we must be most careful of, particularly new Muslims. Old Muslims also must know, everyone must know, because Islam is for everyone. Islam is such a huge "supermarket," and there is a private place,
139 To you your religion (or way) and to me mine(CIX:6)
private things, for everyone. It is important to find the one who knows where your special amanah140 is that you have been given by your Lord Almighty - where it is, to know it and to take it.
For everyone there is a portion, for everyone a share, and it is important to find the one who can guide you to it so that it is not such a huge distance away, further than from East to West. And new Muslims are more interested in their spiritual shares; when they come into Islam, they first ask for their spiritual shares because they have had so much of the physical, bodily shares. You must know how to take the treasures that you have been given.
,
You can't take another's share as you can in this life; no, you must take your own share. If not, you are not going to be given that other person's share.
Therefore, there is no jealousy among awliya, among real believers, among sincere people, among the sincere servants of our Lord - no jealousy, because everyone has been given treasures by his Lord, and one person's share is not going to be less than another's but perhaps each of them is going to shine more, charming treasures. If you see your share, you are never going to look at another's. Your treasures will occupy you enough; no need to look at this or that one. Therefore, no jealousy.
But some people have so much anger. For what reason? Some people who are slaves of their egos, when they cheat others, become angry - fake people; they are not even the doorkeeper but they are claiming to be the treasurer and are cheating people. And every new Muslim is asking for his hidden treasures. They have the right to ask, "Where are our treasures? We are coming into Islam. We have a share in Islam, we have a share in the hidden treasures that Allah Almighty gave us on the Day of Promises. Wher are they, and where is the key for them?"
When Ahmad al-Badawi, a "king-sized" wali, asked his Lord to give the key to him directly, Allah Almighty said, "My divine practise is that whoever comes by himself is not given. The one who comes to me through his guide, I give it to his guide and his guide gives it by him. That is the divine protocol: no one comes to My Divine Presence without a guide. Go; take your guide and take the keys of your treasures from him."
Now, people, particularly Muslims, are proud; they do not accept a guide. Some of our European, Western, brothers are asking for a guide, but among our native Muslim brothers, only very few people are asking for a guide. I mean to say, among scholars; common people easily take guides, but scholars look to themselves and they are proud people. They claim that they
140 A trust; something entrusted to a person for safekeeping
know everything in Islam, that they know everything in the Holy Qur'an and in Sunnah, and they say, "We do not need to take care about a guide".
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., took a guide to Allah Almighty - the Angel Gabriel,
p.b.u.h. What about scholars? And what about Ahmad al-Badawi, may Allah bless him, when Allah said to him, "You must come with your murshid, your guide; you must come with your sheikh or not come at all. I gave the keys of your treasures into his hand on the Day of Promises. That is My rule; I do not change My rule. Go and take from him."
Therefore, everyone must take the keys of his treasures from the hand of his sheikh, from the hand of his guide. If he has no guide, Satan takes him. Allah Almighty was going to give Satan a guide and He created Adam, but he refused; Satan refused to take a guide - too proud - and then he was gone.
Therefore, whoever does not agree to take a guide may fall as Satan feil.
But, in our time, so many people who are not spiritually authorized are claiming to be guides and are guiding people on the wrong way. This is an important point to be clear for us. About non-authorized people, Grandsheikh, may Allah bless him, always said to me, "O Nazim Efendi, I will give you a simile concerning authorized and unauthorized people. A simile for them is that of a person looking at a beach and seeing a sailor taking people to the other side in his boat. Another person also comes and brings a boat, saying, people, I can take you, also. Come to my boat. We can go to the other side.'
"And people get in and then little by little go out to sea, going away. But that person has never passed through that sea; he does not know how to use a compass. And the people reach the middle of the sea. Then, no more eating, no more drinking, no more knowledge about how they can go on, to which side they are going. And the people call to him, "Why are you not going?' He says, 'I can't. If you aren't going forward, go back. Take us back to our place.' And he says, 'I can't.' Neither forward nor backward; they are going to perish, to drown, to die there, finishing, destroying themselves."
Therefore, don't suppose that anyone, any non-authorized person, can be a guide. You can't become authorized by reading books. That is something else; you can't be an authorized person that way. There are so many captains in boats, in ships. How many years do they study in a college and then come on the ship? So many long years of watching the captain, learning, practising. Then they are entrusted to take control.
HOW TO RECOGNISE A TRUE SHEIKH
A person may fall into difficulties because our life is just encircled by difficulties; if we save ourselves from one, the second may catch us. Everyone has difficulties, according to his or her faith's power. But as many difficulties as we may face, we must not be hopeless of divine help. The wrong thing done by anyone who gets into difficulties is to lose hope. He must try to keep his hope with his Lord, Allah Almighty, and try to face the difficulties as well as he can.
We are weak; without divine support it is impossible. But our iife is always like this for reaching the top, for climbing. Everyone has been given something, some treasures, by his Lord Almighty, and that is at the topmost point. Therefore, everyone must face difficulties; without difficulties there is no taste for life. But it is important to make difficulties pleasure.
Glory to Allah Almighty, subhanallah! In Western countries, difficulties are mounting, mounting. When people who are not from the West look at the outside, at television, they see that the people of Western countries are all happy: they live without any difficulties, no problems for them; so much work, so much money, so much enjoyment! But it is the opposite; my head is going to be like this from hearing about the difficulties of people. They are all asking, "What is the solution? What can we do? How can we get out?" and everyone is caught in a trap. If you take off the chains from here, after a little he or she is going to be caught by another; the same conditions, so many traps. You take off one, and after a little another comes, and he or she is caught again.
The one who is hopeless of this life, every way locked on him, looks at that time towards Heaven. If there is no way out and he is surrounded from every side, at that time he looks up at whoever is reaching out his hand to take him out of there, asking for help. And when they ask for help, so many "businessmen" are coming from Eastern countries to the West to do business - worldly people, not heavenly people, and they are cheating people, making them fall down more deeply, than before.
So many different people are doing business on that point; in order to satisfy their egos, they are making a business out of spiritual or heavenly ways. But they are not holy people. Mostly they have been cheated by Shaytan, by their egos; they belong to this earth, not heavenly people. They can't do anything except to deceive people and make more troubles for them.
Therefore, you must be very careful of such people. If your heart is troubled when you meet one of them, your conscience signaling a red light, leave him and go away. If you go to a person, supposing that he is a holy man, but your heart is not in pleasure, in peace, with him, if pain comes to your heart, you must know that that is a trap, catching you. Then leave him and run!
QUESTION: Is it possible for a person to call people to God or to Islam but yet his power is from Shaytan?
SHEIKH: You must see who his God is. Some people make dunya their God. "Ara'aita man ittakhadha ilahahun hawahu141?" Allah says; not everyone makes Allah his God but some people make their desires their God. Therefore we must see, if someone is calling, to what he is calling: to our Lord or to his nafs, making himself Lord over people. To what is he calling?
So many people are saying, "We are calling to Allah." Who is your Allah? Tell me. The Lord of the universes? Are you a humble servant, an obedient servant, to Him or not? Tell me! When you go from here, from your house, up to the Central Mosque, do you look at girls, at ladies, or not? If you keep yourself, I understand who your Lord is. If you look, your Lord is your nafs, your ego. Allah knows well!
ABOUT TAKING A GUIDE AND CONSULTING WITH HIM
May Allah give us more light; we are in need of it. If we have more light, our way, everything, is going to be more clear to us. Therefore we are in need of such people whose hearts are lighted by real faith.
There was a custom in our countries. So many neighbours were Armenians, and when they had a wedding ceremony and came out of church, everyone carried candles. Then they would take fire from a sacred place and go out. If there had not been such a fire, e
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