Mercy Oceans, Book 11 (183 pages, 5/17)
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forgiveness for everything in which we are following our egos and leaving the holy commands of our Lord, saying, "Astaghfirullah." And we are pleased with our Lord's endless favors, and always we are saying, "Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, wa shukrulillah."
'Isha/ June 4, 1985
May Allah Almighty give us more faith and make it stronger every day and every night. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., advised his nation, his ummah. that because we are living in this world we must work for this life to acquire rizq halal39. We must work, because the most tasteful food for people is when they work and buy and eat. That is most lovely to our Lord, Allah Almighty, and it is also the reason of physical health, so that anyone who has the power to work must work. Don't say that there is no work for me. Those are not true words. As long as this world is in existence and life on it goes on, you can always find some work for yourself to do.
Nabi Sulaiman, Solomon, p.b.u.h., was at the same time a king and a prophet. He had been given all the treasures under the earth, and he commanded and ruled men and jinn; they were also under his command.
38 Denial, unbelief, ingratitude
39 Lawful provision, that which is earned in a permissible manner
Jinn are guardians of the treasures under the earth, and if he commanded, they would bring up all those treasures. He was such a magnificent king, and, o believers, he ate by the work of his hands, never taking from those things. But we - we ar waiting for the government to give us, unemployed people, every week going an taking.
You may cheat the government but you can't cheat Allah. You may take money from it, but if you can work and yet you take it, there is no barakah, blessing, in it. Illiness will come to your body, and troubles. Therefore it is healthy if you can work and can eat from the work of your hands.
Sultan 'Abdul-Hamid, one of the last caliphs of the Ottoman Empire, held the whole Empire by himself, one person. The khutbahs, sermons, were given in his name throughout the whole Muslim world, and he kept the Amanah of the Prophet, p.b.u.b40." And he also worked with his hands, yes, and sold his work and ate from its earnings. Amidst the work of a huge empire he found the time for that, and he never came to his throne for judgment until he had made the Naqshbandi dhikr41, recited from the Holy Qur'an, recited Dalā'il al Khairāt42,prayed Ishraq and Duhā43, and then he would come; such a person he was. And in his time there was barakah, more mercy. For thirty-three years he held the whole Ottoman Empire, that is, the Islamic Empire, because he was the caliph, keeping the flag of the Prophet, p.b.u.h. The whole Christian world was afraid of him and Queen Victoria was a friend to him.
What are we saying? We are saying that in this world, as long as it is in existence, you can find so much work to do. Don't be unemployed, no. Il you can take this from here to put there, you can earn money in this huge country.
Yes, you must work for your halal rizq, provision, not for saving, saving, saving in banks. That rizq is a grant from your Lord to you to give
40 The Holy Prophet's flag, sword and mantle, symbols of successorship to the Prophet as head of the Muslim ummah, which were held by the Ottoman caliphate for some 600 years. Since the abolition of the caliphate, they have been housed in Topkapı Museum in Istanbul
41 The litany said daily by followers of the Naqshbandi Tariqat
42 A book of daily devotions which is widely used by Naqshbandis and other muslims 43 Ishrāq is a nafil (optional) prayer of two rak'ats, observed shortly after sunrise, while Duha is also a nafil prayer of between two and eight rakats which is observed around mid-morning
benefit to yourself and to the servants of Allah Almighty. What is the benefit of saving in banks? The prophet, p.b.u.h., says, "You must work for your halal provision, and you mist work as if you are going to be on earth forever,” because when the hope of life is cut off from a person, he is going to die.
Hope must be with him and must continue; hope of life makes him stronger for everything, for every job or duty or responsibility.
But at the same time, you must think about your Akhirah, your Eternal Life. You must consider that perhaps tomorrow you may die, you may transfer to the Eternal Hame. And even a one-square-foot place in Paradise is of more value than the whole world and all the treasures in it. Why? Because the whole world and its treasures are going to be nothing, but ane square foot in Paradise, that is etemal. This world may be bigger than that one square foot but it is going to be finished and vanish. It is temporary, but that place in Paradise where you can put your foot, that is permanent, eternal. Therefore you must be careful also about that point, to work for your Eternal Life.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., said, "O people, you must think about how long you are going to stay during this life and work for it for as long as you are intending to stay here. And then, for the Eternal Life, you must think how long you are going to be in the Eternal Life and you must work for it, also." You must make a balance. But if you make that balance, you won't be able to find any time for this world. The whole of our time we must spend working for the Eternal life; nothing for this world, because it is so short a time. But to the contrary of this, we give all our power to this temporary life and its needs, and for the Eternal Life we say, "Never mind. It doesn't matter. The One who gives to you here in this life is going to give to you in the next Life, also."
If you cannot be here without working, how can you say that He will give you for the Eternal Life without working for it? And that is important. We must look after, we must be more careful about the Eternal Life; we must give more time. Now during Ramadan we are giving a little bit more, alhamdulillāh, but after Ramadan, also, we must make a balance - for prayers, for everything that makes our Eternal Life more enjoyable for us and more honor able, so that we may be honored in the Divine Presence.
‘Asr June 5, 1985
By the name of Allah, All-mighty, All-merciful, Most Beneficent and Most Mumificent, our Lord. Don't suppose that Sheikh Nazim is saying something
thing for a lecture; Sheikh Nazim is nothing. If my Grandsheikh does not send his heavenly spiritual support, it is impossible to say even one word And Grandsheikh is nothing if the Prophet, p.b.u.h., does not give and support him by his prophethood's spiritual, heavenly support. And he, also, Sayyidina Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is nothing if Allah Almighty does not support him by His divine powers. That is the way. And you must give value to these wa’z, to these lectures, that come in such a manner. I don't know what I am going to say to you. I am anly waiting for what They open to my heart to say to you, and through your asking I am also hearing and listening. And I am asking from my Lord, Almighty Allah, to make us among those who are listening and keeping and acting.
Now, it is a new day, a new meeting here, and we are always asking for a new thing. Every new thing is tasteful, kullu jadidun ladhidh. Our egoes are also always interested in new things; that is their hobby. And we are asking from our Lord, Almighty Allah, new and tasteful favors. Everything in the Divine Presence is new, and everything from the Prophet is new, and everything from Grandsheikh is new, also.
Now today there comes a sign for an important point, and we are looking what that is. The most important thing, or the most powerful thing for servants - what is that? Which thing is most important and most acceptable in the Divine Presence, and which thing is also most precious to the Lord of the Heavens, and even most precious among the Children of Adam? That is a too-important thing that we must know and we must try to obtain.
If you do every action that you do with love, that is acceptable in the Divine Presence. Therefore, those actions which you do with love are tasteful to that worker or worshipper, and also to his Lord. If you love your work, it is easy for you to work. If you don't like it, it is a burden on you. And Almighty Allah invites His servants to worship with love. “Otherwise," He says, "I am not in need of your worship. I am only looking, amidst your worshipping or amidst your actions, whether they are coming with love."
O believers, you must give so much attention to that point. In earlier times, in vessels using oars, there were slaves; they rowed, but not one of those people did it by love. Don't be like such a slave, no; Allah Almighty never likes that. If you do something, you must do it with love, love of God Almighty
- every action. You can pray but you must pray with love, not by forcing, beating you with a whip and then you pray. "No need," says Allah Almighty. "I don't like such worship."
Every action that you can do with love - that is more lovely to your Lord, Almighty Allah. But we have lost that now. We are trying to do everything as a habit but without asking for that love, like robots, doing everything but they are not tasting. You are Muslims, you are believers. You must believe in your Lord and you must love Him, and everything that you are presenting to His Divine Presence must be with love. That is important.
Therefore Allah Almighty offers His servants so many praises, so many worships and so many charities, to give Him the most high praise. Then, what do those actions, those worships, bring? What is their fruit? All worship. if it does not bring love for your Lord, is refused, not acceptable. If our worship makes love for God Almighty, Allah, grow in our hearts, then it is all right; keep it and follow that way. And you may follow anyone. If you can see from those meetings that some love is awakening in your heart for Allah Almighty, then you must keep with those meetings.
But the love of Allah Almighty is not so easy, because you can't imagine Him; He is out of our imagination. Therefore Allah Almighty has put His divine representation into His holy prophets, and finally He gave that divine representation to His beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h. He was beloved by his Lord, Almighty Allah: therefore the hearts of his followers, the Sahābah, were filled with Allah Almighty's love. The Prophet represented haqq, truth, he represented his Lord Almighty, so that whoever looked at him saw that he was Allah Almighty's representative. "Man raāni faqad raā al-haqq," he was saying. "Whoever looks at me sees haqq in me." And all the Sahabah's hearts were caught and were filled with that divine love.
For that reason, when the unbelievers, mushrik people, came and saw the dealings of the Sahābah with the Prophet, p.b.u.h., they would say to each other, We have seen so many kings, but not one of them is given as much love and respect by his companions as the respect, most high respect and most high love, which Muhammad is given by his Companions." They were astonished. How is it that so many majestic kings have so many companions but not one of them is given such respect and love? But yet they never understood what the secret was because their egos denied that he could be a prophet.
Therefore the Prophet, beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h., represented his Lord, Almighty Allah, and his Companions, the Sahābah, were attracted by that love and with their physical bodies they did everything with love, with an endless love, for their Prophet. And spiritually, also, they gave everything for
the sake of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., because they knew well that he was the deputy of Allah Almighty and His respresentative. Each one, when they wanted to address the Prophet, p.b.u.h., would say, "Fadaka ummi wa abi, yā Rasul Allah. May the most beloved beings to me, my mother and father, be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Messenger44, and they also sacrificed themselves for their Prophet, who represented the Lord of the Heavens.
Then, we are also in need of someone who may represent the Holy Prophet and may represent his divine love within himself so that we can find a way to be in connection with the divine love of the Lord of the Heavens. The Prophet gave a sign, an indication, of such people. It is a simple sign but it is right: "Idhā rū’u, dhukir Allah. They are those people who, when you see them, you remember the Lord, Almighty Allah." When you look at those people who have divine love in their hearts, quickly there comes to your heart the remembrance of your Lord Almighty, through the Prophet's heart falling on your heart.
Therefore, if we are asking to acquire love toward our Lord Almighty, we must look for such people. Now in our time most of them are hidden, because in our time Islam is anly a form, some actions, and most people say, "It is a gymnastic exercise" - yeos. If it is a gymnastic exercise, how can you taste love? Tasteless things! And most people are trying to make all Muslims only act like robots, doing actions, doing exercises, and no more.
For this reason in our time people are fighting against tariqats; that is the reason, because tariqats make people taste love. But scholars can't taste; they are such hard people, such difficult people. They can't give any love for Islam and for its actions to people. It is impossible; they can't do that.
And other religions, also; they are trying to give love but they can’t. For this reason, at the holy time of the Prophet, p. b.u.h., most of the Jews of Madinah were against Islam and its Prophet. Why? Islam gives love, they can’t give it. People find love and taste in Islam and run into it, but they can't give it. But even though they do not taste it, yet they are stubborn, quite stubborn people. Still they are trying, but it is impossible for Christians to give a person divine love; prohibited, finished. That door is closed. We may give, we can give; that is our authority. Scholars can't give it but we may give. These are not my words because we are speaking as the words come. And that is our meeting.
44 An expression in the Arabic idiom of such intense love that even the best beloved ones are not too dear to be sacrificed for the sake or such a person
We are asking for more love, every day to increase in the love of our Lord Almighty, through His awliya. For this reason, at every time He puts His awliya to represent His love and to transfer divine love from their hearts to your hearts. But stubborn people and envious people reject that. They do not want to come to our meetings, and we are not in need of them. We are asking for love. If anyone is asking to approach his Lord with divine love and to increase in love, it is all right.
As we have been given we are speaking. They have for me a mizan, a scale, and They are looking at your love pressure every day (not blood pressure), whether it is increasing or coming down; I hope it is increasing. We are trying to give that love to our sisters, brothers, my sons, my daughters: that is the aim. And the Prophet, p.b.u.h., said, "Man istawa yawmahū, fa-hūa maghbuon. If two days are the same, equal, for you, no improvement, it means that you are losing; no sale."
It is not the object of that hadith that you are going to increase in bodily actions; for example, if you pray forty rak'ats today, tomorrow you wil pray forty-one and after tomorrow forty-two. No, that is impossible. But every day you must put more love with your actions and send it to your Lord's Divine Presence, and He looks and sees that today My servant is sending Me more love than yesterday. That is the meaning, so that we must increase in love for our Lord every day. And therefore one of the grandsheikhs said, “Dharra mnin al-muhabbah ahabbu ilaiya min 'ibādati saba 'in sanah bila muhabbah a little bit of love is more important, more lovely to Me than praying for seventy years without muhabbah, without love." Try to acquire more love of God Almighty because love covers, love includes, everything.
O believers, Satan and his workers are putting enmity between you, and also make burudat, coldness, between yourselves and your Lord. Therefore, beware. Don't come near the works of devils because that extinguishes the love of God in your heart. And we are asking forgiveness for every action that makes that coldness between ourselves and our Lord, and saying, "Astāghfirullah." And we are thankful that Allah Almighty gave us from His divine love and makes it increase; we are thankful and saying, "Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, wa shukrulillah."
'Isha/June 5, 1985
We are in need of our Lord's mercy. Without His mercy no one can save himself. The Prophet says, "Allah Almighty is asking me to worship Him according to His glory and greatness. But I can't; it is impossible. If Allah Almighty makes an accounting of my worshipping, it is nothing beside His glory and greatness."
Where is your praising Me according to My greatness? Two rak'ats of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., if balanced against the whole worshipping of the Children of Adam and jinn, and angels, also, is more valuable than all of them in the Divine Presence. Why? Because the value of our worshipping is according to our respect for our Lord, and your respect is going to be according to your knowledge about your Lord Almighty. The more you have divine knowledge of your Lord Almighty, the more you can give high respect to Allah Almighty. And no one can reach the divine knowledge of the Prophet, beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h. When he prayed two rak'ats, he gave such respect that no one can reach that point. Therefore two rak'ats from him are more valuable than all the worshipping of mankind and of jinn and angels, even though he says, "All my worshipping is only a little drop from an endless ocean. Allah Almighty has been respected from pre-eternity to post-eternity, and my respect and worship is only a little drop from an endless ocean of respect and worship."
What about ourselves, so that we don't have any right to raise our heads and say that we are worshippers? You must look at the whole universe, how many atoms there may be. If you could count the atoms in a little drop, all the people in this huge city would not be able to count that number, counting, "One, two, three, four..." like this, in one year. Then what about the whole universe? No one can know the number of atoms in it. You may consider that there may be a like number of servants of our Lord, worshipping, and you are only one of them. Then what is your position?
What is the position of one atom in a huge number of atoms? And we are so proud of fasting, of praying, and saying, "Those people - not praying or not fasting. We are praying and fasting," and we become proud people.
Each time we must ask forgiveness for every action that we do. Rabi'at al- Adawiyah was a waliyah, a saint. She was one lady among millions of ladies, but she has been well-known in the Islamic world throughout centuries.
Everyone knows Rabi'ah Sultan, Rabi'at al-Adawiyah. What made her be so well-known? She was so simple, so sincere, so humble a person. She was only for her Lord Almighty, not for anyone else. And all scholars came to her to solve some difficult questions to which they couldn't find any answer. They
came to visit her because she was always in the Prophet's holy presence; the Holy Prophet, p.b.u.h., was never veiled from her eyes.
The Holy Prophet, p.b.u.h., is living; as Allah says, "Fikum Rasūl-Allāh45." He is with us, says Allah Almighty; he was not only for the Sahabah. Allah Almighty is addressing the whole world throughout the centuries, but if we deny it and we do not see him, what is the benefit of denying? If night denies the sun, it is nothing. If all blind people deny it, saying that there is no sun, their denials never change reality; the sun is shining. The Prophet, Sayyidina Muhammad, p.b.u.h., hayun, sami'un, basirun46. This is our belief; we believe that he is with us. If you can't breathe his holy scent, still you can't deny that it may be there.
Rabi'ah was always with her Prophet. If anyone asked a question, she would take her answer from the Prophet. And she said openly among the people - not ordinary people but scholars, awliyā, who came to visit her - "O my brothers, our istighfar, our saying 'Astaghfirullah,' needs another 'Astaghfirullah.' Because we are not sincere when we say 'Astāghfirullan; our tongues say it but our organs never listen to obey." And that is the top point of humility. If our istighfar or our saying "Astāghfirullah" needs another "Astaghfirullah," what about for other actions or other prayers? Therefore the Prophet, p.b.u.h., advises us that after praying we must say "Astāghfirullan, may Allah forgive me."
'Asr/June 6, 1985
. What is the worst thing in any religion? Kufr - that is the worst, And what is kufr? To cover, to conceal reality so that no one sees reality. In other words, the worst thing in any religion is to tell lies. And every religion declares that Allah Almighty has cursed liars: "La'nata-Llāhi 'alā -l-kādhibin47." That curse is for liars. This is from beginning up to end, and this is right.
The second wāzir, minister, of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., who was also the second caliph after him, Sayyidina 'Umar, may Allah bless him, said, "Even during the time before I became a Muslim I never told a lie; then how could I
45 Among you is the Messenger of Allah(XLIX:7)
46 Living, hearing, seeing
47 II:61, see also II:159
tell a lie after I accepted Islam? Because I would think, What is the value of a lie? Nothing; no value for a lie, and when a person tells a lies, his value, when it is known that he is lying, becomes nothing. Therefore I never told a lie before coming into Islam, and it is correct that whoever lies, his value becomes nothing."
Islam says that iman, faith, never goes together with lying; one of the two must go. If a person has faith, you can't find him lying, or, whoever lies has no more faith. Therefore lying is cursed by every religion and Allah curses liars. And I am asking divine protection from being liars in our faith and in our mu'amilat, in our actions, our deeds and our dealings, from all the troubles which appear from lying. Lying is the source of troubles among people; if everyone keeps to truth, not lying, there will be no more problems among people and among nations and among religions.
Then, on the same level, kufr means to cover to to conceal reality, to cover truth. If anyone covers truth and realities, we must say that he lies and therefore he will be cursed by Allah Almighty. Now, all religions in our time, what do they say about the Prophet of Islam? What are their ideas?
When they deny the prophethood of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., they are lying and curses are landing on them, from beginning to end. But they also say that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was a wise man. Yes, they accept that he was a wise man, and that is true. Therefore, when they say that he was not a prophet, they are lying, and when they say that he was a wise man they are truthful; they can't deny that he was a wise man because any wise person must accept that he had wisdom, that he brought wisdoms. If a person brings only one wisdom he is a wise man - and what about Sayyidina Muhammad, p.b.u.h., who brought millions of wisdoms?
They claim that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., dictated the Holy Qur'an from himself. Leave aside millions of hadiths, each hadith bringing so many wisdoms; only for the Holy Qur'an, the Glorious Qur'an, they must say that he was a wise person. If they say that he brought the Holy Qur'an from himself, even that is enough to say that he was a wise person because no one who is not wise can bring such a Book.
When a verse would come to him, he would recite it at the walls of the K'aba, the House of the Lord, the House of the Lord of Abraham. This is well-known in other religions; Jewish people know it and Christian bishops know it. Even if common people do not know it, still bishops and rabbis know that it is the House of the Lord of Abraham, although they write in their books, "The
House of the Lord of Jacob." Before Jacob, He was the Lord of Abraham, but they want to change it. If they said "the House of the Lord of Abrahamn," then it would be well-known, but they are covering it up.
That is kufr. It is not a lie but covering truth and showing it in another way. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham, peace be upon them both, and Abraham built the House of the Lord in Makkah. To that House the descendants of Abraham from Ishmael came. All the people living in Makkah were de scendants of Abraham, and they were poets, well-known poets.
They would hang up the most famous poems by the most famous poets. For so many years one of their poems hung on the K'aba; no one could bring anything like that poem. But when the Holy Qur'ān began to come and the Prophet recited the first verse when it came, then they took down that poem, saying, "This new one is like the 'sun' of writing and this is like a candle.
Beside Allah Almighty's words, it was not more than a candle by the side of an endless, shining sun. Therefore they quickly took it down.
The Holy Qur'an is such a glorious Book that no one can produce even one verse, one sentence, like it. And it says, addressing all people all the Children of Adam, "I am the words of your Lord. You must believe in me because no one can produce anything like me. If you are unable to do that, you must believe that I have been sent by your Lord, from your Lord's Divine Presence." Therefore every wise person must believe that it has been sent by the Lord of the Heavens because men can't produce even one verse of it, and it is filled with wisdoms.
Now in Europe, in museums, so many precious books are kept. Here also, in the British Museum and other famous European museums, they have manuscripts of the Holy Quran and writings about the Holy Qur'an's meanings. See what was the situation before the coming of the Qur'an and what happened after it came, so that no one can deny that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was a wise man. If they accept that he was a wise person, it is part of wisdom not to be a liar because wisdom keeps a person from lying.
This
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forgiveness for everything in which we are following our egos and leaving the holy commands of our Lord, saying, "Astaghfirullah." And we are pleased with our Lord's endless favors, and always we are saying, "Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, wa shukrulillah."
'Isha/ June 4, 1985
May Allah Almighty give us more faith and make it stronger every day and every night. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., advised his nation, his ummah. that because we are living in this world we must work for this life to acquire rizq halal39. We must work, because the most tasteful food for people is when they work and buy and eat. That is most lovely to our Lord, Allah Almighty, and it is also the reason of physical health, so that anyone who has the power to work must work. Don't say that there is no work for me. Those are not true words. As long as this world is in existence and life on it goes on, you can always find some work for yourself to do.
Nabi Sulaiman, Solomon, p.b.u.h., was at the same time a king and a prophet. He had been given all the treasures under the earth, and he commanded and ruled men and jinn; they were also under his command.
38 Denial, unbelief, ingratitude
39 Lawful provision, that which is earned in a permissible manner
Jinn are guardians of the treasures under the earth, and if he commanded, they would bring up all those treasures. He was such a magnificent king, and, o believers, he ate by the work of his hands, never taking from those things. But we - we ar waiting for the government to give us, unemployed people, every week going an taking.
You may cheat the government but you can't cheat Allah. You may take money from it, but if you can work and yet you take it, there is no barakah, blessing, in it. Illiness will come to your body, and troubles. Therefore it is healthy if you can work and can eat from the work of your hands.
Sultan 'Abdul-Hamid, one of the last caliphs of the Ottoman Empire, held the whole Empire by himself, one person. The khutbahs, sermons, were given in his name throughout the whole Muslim world, and he kept the Amanah of the Prophet, p.b.u.b40." And he also worked with his hands, yes, and sold his work and ate from its earnings. Amidst the work of a huge empire he found the time for that, and he never came to his throne for judgment until he had made the Naqshbandi dhikr41, recited from the Holy Qur'an, recited Dalā'il al Khairāt42,prayed Ishraq and Duhā43, and then he would come; such a person he was. And in his time there was barakah, more mercy. For thirty-three years he held the whole Ottoman Empire, that is, the Islamic Empire, because he was the caliph, keeping the flag of the Prophet, p.b.u.h. The whole Christian world was afraid of him and Queen Victoria was a friend to him.
What are we saying? We are saying that in this world, as long as it is in existence, you can find so much work to do. Don't be unemployed, no. Il you can take this from here to put there, you can earn money in this huge country.
Yes, you must work for your halal rizq, provision, not for saving, saving, saving in banks. That rizq is a grant from your Lord to you to give
40 The Holy Prophet's flag, sword and mantle, symbols of successorship to the Prophet as head of the Muslim ummah, which were held by the Ottoman caliphate for some 600 years. Since the abolition of the caliphate, they have been housed in Topkapı Museum in Istanbul
41 The litany said daily by followers of the Naqshbandi Tariqat
42 A book of daily devotions which is widely used by Naqshbandis and other muslims 43 Ishrāq is a nafil (optional) prayer of two rak'ats, observed shortly after sunrise, while Duha is also a nafil prayer of between two and eight rakats which is observed around mid-morning
benefit to yourself and to the servants of Allah Almighty. What is the benefit of saving in banks? The prophet, p.b.u.h., says, "You must work for your halal provision, and you mist work as if you are going to be on earth forever,” because when the hope of life is cut off from a person, he is going to die.
Hope must be with him and must continue; hope of life makes him stronger for everything, for every job or duty or responsibility.
But at the same time, you must think about your Akhirah, your Eternal Life. You must consider that perhaps tomorrow you may die, you may transfer to the Eternal Hame. And even a one-square-foot place in Paradise is of more value than the whole world and all the treasures in it. Why? Because the whole world and its treasures are going to be nothing, but ane square foot in Paradise, that is etemal. This world may be bigger than that one square foot but it is going to be finished and vanish. It is temporary, but that place in Paradise where you can put your foot, that is permanent, eternal. Therefore you must be careful also about that point, to work for your Eternal Life.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., said, "O people, you must think about how long you are going to stay during this life and work for it for as long as you are intending to stay here. And then, for the Eternal Life, you must think how long you are going to be in the Eternal Life and you must work for it, also." You must make a balance. But if you make that balance, you won't be able to find any time for this world. The whole of our time we must spend working for the Eternal life; nothing for this world, because it is so short a time. But to the contrary of this, we give all our power to this temporary life and its needs, and for the Eternal Life we say, "Never mind. It doesn't matter. The One who gives to you here in this life is going to give to you in the next Life, also."
If you cannot be here without working, how can you say that He will give you for the Eternal Life without working for it? And that is important. We must look after, we must be more careful about the Eternal Life; we must give more time. Now during Ramadan we are giving a little bit more, alhamdulillāh, but after Ramadan, also, we must make a balance - for prayers, for everything that makes our Eternal Life more enjoyable for us and more honor able, so that we may be honored in the Divine Presence.
‘Asr June 5, 1985
By the name of Allah, All-mighty, All-merciful, Most Beneficent and Most Mumificent, our Lord. Don't suppose that Sheikh Nazim is saying something
thing for a lecture; Sheikh Nazim is nothing. If my Grandsheikh does not send his heavenly spiritual support, it is impossible to say even one word And Grandsheikh is nothing if the Prophet, p.b.u.h., does not give and support him by his prophethood's spiritual, heavenly support. And he, also, Sayyidina Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is nothing if Allah Almighty does not support him by His divine powers. That is the way. And you must give value to these wa’z, to these lectures, that come in such a manner. I don't know what I am going to say to you. I am anly waiting for what They open to my heart to say to you, and through your asking I am also hearing and listening. And I am asking from my Lord, Almighty Allah, to make us among those who are listening and keeping and acting.
Now, it is a new day, a new meeting here, and we are always asking for a new thing. Every new thing is tasteful, kullu jadidun ladhidh. Our egoes are also always interested in new things; that is their hobby. And we are asking from our Lord, Almighty Allah, new and tasteful favors. Everything in the Divine Presence is new, and everything from the Prophet is new, and everything from Grandsheikh is new, also.
Now today there comes a sign for an important point, and we are looking what that is. The most important thing, or the most powerful thing for servants - what is that? Which thing is most important and most acceptable in the Divine Presence, and which thing is also most precious to the Lord of the Heavens, and even most precious among the Children of Adam? That is a too-important thing that we must know and we must try to obtain.
If you do every action that you do with love, that is acceptable in the Divine Presence. Therefore, those actions which you do with love are tasteful to that worker or worshipper, and also to his Lord. If you love your work, it is easy for you to work. If you don't like it, it is a burden on you. And Almighty Allah invites His servants to worship with love. “Otherwise," He says, "I am not in need of your worship. I am only looking, amidst your worshipping or amidst your actions, whether they are coming with love."
O believers, you must give so much attention to that point. In earlier times, in vessels using oars, there were slaves; they rowed, but not one of those people did it by love. Don't be like such a slave, no; Allah Almighty never likes that. If you do something, you must do it with love, love of God Almighty
- every action. You can pray but you must pray with love, not by forcing, beating you with a whip and then you pray. "No need," says Allah Almighty. "I don't like such worship."
Every action that you can do with love - that is more lovely to your Lord, Almighty Allah. But we have lost that now. We are trying to do everything as a habit but without asking for that love, like robots, doing everything but they are not tasting. You are Muslims, you are believers. You must believe in your Lord and you must love Him, and everything that you are presenting to His Divine Presence must be with love. That is important.
Therefore Allah Almighty offers His servants so many praises, so many worships and so many charities, to give Him the most high praise. Then, what do those actions, those worships, bring? What is their fruit? All worship. if it does not bring love for your Lord, is refused, not acceptable. If our worship makes love for God Almighty, Allah, grow in our hearts, then it is all right; keep it and follow that way. And you may follow anyone. If you can see from those meetings that some love is awakening in your heart for Allah Almighty, then you must keep with those meetings.
But the love of Allah Almighty is not so easy, because you can't imagine Him; He is out of our imagination. Therefore Allah Almighty has put His divine representation into His holy prophets, and finally He gave that divine representation to His beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h. He was beloved by his Lord, Almighty Allah: therefore the hearts of his followers, the Sahābah, were filled with Allah Almighty's love. The Prophet represented haqq, truth, he represented his Lord Almighty, so that whoever looked at him saw that he was Allah Almighty's representative. "Man raāni faqad raā al-haqq," he was saying. "Whoever looks at me sees haqq in me." And all the Sahabah's hearts were caught and were filled with that divine love.
For that reason, when the unbelievers, mushrik people, came and saw the dealings of the Sahābah with the Prophet, p.b.u.h., they would say to each other, We have seen so many kings, but not one of them is given as much love and respect by his companions as the respect, most high respect and most high love, which Muhammad is given by his Companions." They were astonished. How is it that so many majestic kings have so many companions but not one of them is given such respect and love? But yet they never understood what the secret was because their egos denied that he could be a prophet.
Therefore the Prophet, beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h., represented his Lord, Almighty Allah, and his Companions, the Sahābah, were attracted by that love and with their physical bodies they did everything with love, with an endless love, for their Prophet. And spiritually, also, they gave everything for
the sake of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., because they knew well that he was the deputy of Allah Almighty and His respresentative. Each one, when they wanted to address the Prophet, p.b.u.h., would say, "Fadaka ummi wa abi, yā Rasul Allah. May the most beloved beings to me, my mother and father, be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Messenger44, and they also sacrificed themselves for their Prophet, who represented the Lord of the Heavens.
Then, we are also in need of someone who may represent the Holy Prophet and may represent his divine love within himself so that we can find a way to be in connection with the divine love of the Lord of the Heavens. The Prophet gave a sign, an indication, of such people. It is a simple sign but it is right: "Idhā rū’u, dhukir Allah. They are those people who, when you see them, you remember the Lord, Almighty Allah." When you look at those people who have divine love in their hearts, quickly there comes to your heart the remembrance of your Lord Almighty, through the Prophet's heart falling on your heart.
Therefore, if we are asking to acquire love toward our Lord Almighty, we must look for such people. Now in our time most of them are hidden, because in our time Islam is anly a form, some actions, and most people say, "It is a gymnastic exercise" - yeos. If it is a gymnastic exercise, how can you taste love? Tasteless things! And most people are trying to make all Muslims only act like robots, doing actions, doing exercises, and no more.
For this reason in our time people are fighting against tariqats; that is the reason, because tariqats make people taste love. But scholars can't taste; they are such hard people, such difficult people. They can't give any love for Islam and for its actions to people. It is impossible; they can't do that.
And other religions, also; they are trying to give love but they can’t. For this reason, at the holy time of the Prophet, p. b.u.h., most of the Jews of Madinah were against Islam and its Prophet. Why? Islam gives love, they can’t give it. People find love and taste in Islam and run into it, but they can't give it. But even though they do not taste it, yet they are stubborn, quite stubborn people. Still they are trying, but it is impossible for Christians to give a person divine love; prohibited, finished. That door is closed. We may give, we can give; that is our authority. Scholars can't give it but we may give. These are not my words because we are speaking as the words come. And that is our meeting.
44 An expression in the Arabic idiom of such intense love that even the best beloved ones are not too dear to be sacrificed for the sake or such a person
We are asking for more love, every day to increase in the love of our Lord Almighty, through His awliya. For this reason, at every time He puts His awliya to represent His love and to transfer divine love from their hearts to your hearts. But stubborn people and envious people reject that. They do not want to come to our meetings, and we are not in need of them. We are asking for love. If anyone is asking to approach his Lord with divine love and to increase in love, it is all right.
As we have been given we are speaking. They have for me a mizan, a scale, and They are looking at your love pressure every day (not blood pressure), whether it is increasing or coming down; I hope it is increasing. We are trying to give that love to our sisters, brothers, my sons, my daughters: that is the aim. And the Prophet, p.b.u.h., said, "Man istawa yawmahū, fa-hūa maghbuon. If two days are the same, equal, for you, no improvement, it means that you are losing; no sale."
It is not the object of that hadith that you are going to increase in bodily actions; for example, if you pray forty rak'ats today, tomorrow you wil pray forty-one and after tomorrow forty-two. No, that is impossible. But every day you must put more love with your actions and send it to your Lord's Divine Presence, and He looks and sees that today My servant is sending Me more love than yesterday. That is the meaning, so that we must increase in love for our Lord every day. And therefore one of the grandsheikhs said, “Dharra mnin al-muhabbah ahabbu ilaiya min 'ibādati saba 'in sanah bila muhabbah a little bit of love is more important, more lovely to Me than praying for seventy years without muhabbah, without love." Try to acquire more love of God Almighty because love covers, love includes, everything.
O believers, Satan and his workers are putting enmity between you, and also make burudat, coldness, between yourselves and your Lord. Therefore, beware. Don't come near the works of devils because that extinguishes the love of God in your heart. And we are asking forgiveness for every action that makes that coldness between ourselves and our Lord, and saying, "Astāghfirullah." And we are thankful that Allah Almighty gave us from His divine love and makes it increase; we are thankful and saying, "Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, wa shukrulillah."
'Isha/June 5, 1985
We are in need of our Lord's mercy. Without His mercy no one can save himself. The Prophet says, "Allah Almighty is asking me to worship Him according to His glory and greatness. But I can't; it is impossible. If Allah Almighty makes an accounting of my worshipping, it is nothing beside His glory and greatness."
Where is your praising Me according to My greatness? Two rak'ats of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., if balanced against the whole worshipping of the Children of Adam and jinn, and angels, also, is more valuable than all of them in the Divine Presence. Why? Because the value of our worshipping is according to our respect for our Lord, and your respect is going to be according to your knowledge about your Lord Almighty. The more you have divine knowledge of your Lord Almighty, the more you can give high respect to Allah Almighty. And no one can reach the divine knowledge of the Prophet, beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h. When he prayed two rak'ats, he gave such respect that no one can reach that point. Therefore two rak'ats from him are more valuable than all the worshipping of mankind and of jinn and angels, even though he says, "All my worshipping is only a little drop from an endless ocean. Allah Almighty has been respected from pre-eternity to post-eternity, and my respect and worship is only a little drop from an endless ocean of respect and worship."
What about ourselves, so that we don't have any right to raise our heads and say that we are worshippers? You must look at the whole universe, how many atoms there may be. If you could count the atoms in a little drop, all the people in this huge city would not be able to count that number, counting, "One, two, three, four..." like this, in one year. Then what about the whole universe? No one can know the number of atoms in it. You may consider that there may be a like number of servants of our Lord, worshipping, and you are only one of them. Then what is your position?
What is the position of one atom in a huge number of atoms? And we are so proud of fasting, of praying, and saying, "Those people - not praying or not fasting. We are praying and fasting," and we become proud people.
Each time we must ask forgiveness for every action that we do. Rabi'at al- Adawiyah was a waliyah, a saint. She was one lady among millions of ladies, but she has been well-known in the Islamic world throughout centuries.
Everyone knows Rabi'ah Sultan, Rabi'at al-Adawiyah. What made her be so well-known? She was so simple, so sincere, so humble a person. She was only for her Lord Almighty, not for anyone else. And all scholars came to her to solve some difficult questions to which they couldn't find any answer. They
came to visit her because she was always in the Prophet's holy presence; the Holy Prophet, p.b.u.h., was never veiled from her eyes.
The Holy Prophet, p.b.u.h., is living; as Allah says, "Fikum Rasūl-Allāh45." He is with us, says Allah Almighty; he was not only for the Sahabah. Allah Almighty is addressing the whole world throughout the centuries, but if we deny it and we do not see him, what is the benefit of denying? If night denies the sun, it is nothing. If all blind people deny it, saying that there is no sun, their denials never change reality; the sun is shining. The Prophet, Sayyidina Muhammad, p.b.u.h., hayun, sami'un, basirun46. This is our belief; we believe that he is with us. If you can't breathe his holy scent, still you can't deny that it may be there.
Rabi'ah was always with her Prophet. If anyone asked a question, she would take her answer from the Prophet. And she said openly among the people - not ordinary people but scholars, awliyā, who came to visit her - "O my brothers, our istighfar, our saying 'Astaghfirullah,' needs another 'Astaghfirullah.' Because we are not sincere when we say 'Astāghfirullan; our tongues say it but our organs never listen to obey." And that is the top point of humility. If our istighfar or our saying "Astāghfirullah" needs another "Astaghfirullah," what about for other actions or other prayers? Therefore the Prophet, p.b.u.h., advises us that after praying we must say "Astāghfirullan, may Allah forgive me."
'Asr/June 6, 1985
. What is the worst thing in any religion? Kufr - that is the worst, And what is kufr? To cover, to conceal reality so that no one sees reality. In other words, the worst thing in any religion is to tell lies. And every religion declares that Allah Almighty has cursed liars: "La'nata-Llāhi 'alā -l-kādhibin47." That curse is for liars. This is from beginning up to end, and this is right.
The second wāzir, minister, of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., who was also the second caliph after him, Sayyidina 'Umar, may Allah bless him, said, "Even during the time before I became a Muslim I never told a lie; then how could I
45 Among you is the Messenger of Allah(XLIX:7)
46 Living, hearing, seeing
47 II:61, see also II:159
tell a lie after I accepted Islam? Because I would think, What is the value of a lie? Nothing; no value for a lie, and when a person tells a lies, his value, when it is known that he is lying, becomes nothing. Therefore I never told a lie before coming into Islam, and it is correct that whoever lies, his value becomes nothing."
Islam says that iman, faith, never goes together with lying; one of the two must go. If a person has faith, you can't find him lying, or, whoever lies has no more faith. Therefore lying is cursed by every religion and Allah curses liars. And I am asking divine protection from being liars in our faith and in our mu'amilat, in our actions, our deeds and our dealings, from all the troubles which appear from lying. Lying is the source of troubles among people; if everyone keeps to truth, not lying, there will be no more problems among people and among nations and among religions.
Then, on the same level, kufr means to cover to to conceal reality, to cover truth. If anyone covers truth and realities, we must say that he lies and therefore he will be cursed by Allah Almighty. Now, all religions in our time, what do they say about the Prophet of Islam? What are their ideas?
When they deny the prophethood of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., they are lying and curses are landing on them, from beginning to end. But they also say that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was a wise man. Yes, they accept that he was a wise man, and that is true. Therefore, when they say that he was not a prophet, they are lying, and when they say that he was a wise man they are truthful; they can't deny that he was a wise man because any wise person must accept that he had wisdom, that he brought wisdoms. If a person brings only one wisdom he is a wise man - and what about Sayyidina Muhammad, p.b.u.h., who brought millions of wisdoms?
They claim that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., dictated the Holy Qur'an from himself. Leave aside millions of hadiths, each hadith bringing so many wisdoms; only for the Holy Qur'an, the Glorious Qur'an, they must say that he was a wise person. If they say that he brought the Holy Qur'an from himself, even that is enough to say that he was a wise person because no one who is not wise can bring such a Book.
When a verse would come to him, he would recite it at the walls of the K'aba, the House of the Lord, the House of the Lord of Abraham. This is well-known in other religions; Jewish people know it and Christian bishops know it. Even if common people do not know it, still bishops and rabbis know that it is the House of the Lord of Abraham, although they write in their books, "The
House of the Lord of Jacob." Before Jacob, He was the Lord of Abraham, but they want to change it. If they said "the House of the Lord of Abrahamn," then it would be well-known, but they are covering it up.
That is kufr. It is not a lie but covering truth and showing it in another way. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham, peace be upon them both, and Abraham built the House of the Lord in Makkah. To that House the descendants of Abraham from Ishmael came. All the people living in Makkah were de scendants of Abraham, and they were poets, well-known poets.
They would hang up the most famous poems by the most famous poets. For so many years one of their poems hung on the K'aba; no one could bring anything like that poem. But when the Holy Qur'ān began to come and the Prophet recited the first verse when it came, then they took down that poem, saying, "This new one is like the 'sun' of writing and this is like a candle.
Beside Allah Almighty's words, it was not more than a candle by the side of an endless, shining sun. Therefore they quickly took it down.
The Holy Qur'an is such a glorious Book that no one can produce even one verse, one sentence, like it. And it says, addressing all people all the Children of Adam, "I am the words of your Lord. You must believe in me because no one can produce anything like me. If you are unable to do that, you must believe that I have been sent by your Lord, from your Lord's Divine Presence." Therefore every wise person must believe that it has been sent by the Lord of the Heavens because men can't produce even one verse of it, and it is filled with wisdoms.
Now in Europe, in museums, so many precious books are kept. Here also, in the British Museum and other famous European museums, they have manuscripts of the Holy Quran and writings about the Holy Qur'an's meanings. See what was the situation before the coming of the Qur'an and what happened after it came, so that no one can deny that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was a wise man. If they accept that he was a wise person, it is part of wisdom not to be a liar because wisdom keeps a person from lying.
This
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