Mercy Oceans, Book 11 (183 pages, 6/17)
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must be well-known. If you are a wise person you can't tell a lie. Then what about that person, Muhammad, p.b.u.h.? He brought millions of hadiths, his sayings, all of them containing perfect wisdoms, and he brought a Holy Book filled with wisdoms and endless knowledges. And as a sign of the endless wisdoms and knowledges in the Holy Qur'an, in libraries in the Islamic world, you can now find millions of books (and millions more were also destroyed for various reasons) whose base is the Qur'an. We have now
millions of precious books, precious wisdoms and knowledges, and the main source is Umm al-Kitab, the Mother of Books, which means the Mother of All Knowledge, the Mother of Wisdoms, as a source. That is the Holy Qur'an.
Then how can you say about that person who brought it from his Lord that he may be a liar?
But they are saying it. Muhammad, p.b.u.h., said, "I am the prophet of your Lord." How can you say about him, "You are a liar," when that person has spoken millions of pieces of wisdom? If a person brings only one piece of wisdom you can't say that he is a liar.
Then what about those people, Christians and Jews, who deny his prophethood? They must be wrong-minded people or they must be envious people, as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. Yes, they are envious people.
Therefore a curse has come upon them, and the result of that curse is that the Devil's kingdom has been established on earth because they are supporting devils by saying about Muhammad, p.b.u.h., that he is not a prophet. If they say that he is a prophet, they must follow him.
Therefore all the troubles that have appeared on earth and are continuing will go on to now became a fire festival, a fire celebration, over the whole world. As Nero burned Rome to enjoy himself, now all the devils who have established their kingdom throughout East and West will burn the whole world with a fire that can't be extinguished by water or by anything else. For this reason, a grandsheikh, who is well-known in Western countries, Muhiyuddin ibn al-'Arābi, may Allah bless him, a giant sized wali, saint, a world-wide personality, was saying in his books, books which are full of wisdoms (I am taking from his Oceans; from Muhammad's Oceans, p.b.u.h., I am taking those wisdoms that still Western scholars. can't understand, never finding a solution for those wisdoms ) - he was
saying that at the end of this world, when the Last Days are approaching, there will be a fire, a fire burning an earth. If all the oceans could fall upon that fire, it would be impossible to extinguish it. Only the sword of a divinely- appointed sultān, ruler, can extinguish that fire.
The holy books also mention that sultan; every holy book before the Holy Qur'an also mentions him. People may be liars but even they can't change realities in holy books; to hide realities in holy books is impossible. There is a saying in our language that if there is a spear in a sack, you can't keep it there; it must cut its way out. Therefore, they may want to hide it, but it is well-known that a sultan will come at that time to extinguish that fire from
earth because it is going to burn our planet. And that is the reason why they are lying about Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and that is the punishment for them - fire.
Therefore Allah Almighty fights against liars. All the prophets fought against liars, all believers have fought against liars, and a curse falls upon liars. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., said, "Man rashana, fa laisa minna. The one who deceives or cheats us is not from our nation." And if the Prophet says that he is not from his nation, he is also not going to be from the nation of any other prophet, and thus he is going to be from the nation of devils.
Therefore the biggest sin an earth in the Divine Presence is to lie, to conceal realities, to cover truth, and to change the direction of people. The K’aba is on this side but you show it to be on the opposite side. People are asking to reach their Lord's Divine Presence but you say, “This is not the right way but that is," Such people are not from the nation of any prophet but they are from the nation of devils and that is all.
Particularly now in our time, Western people must look once again at the personality of beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and they must think about it. At every time they want a new way of thinking, looking for so many ways to take the whole of mankind out of its miseries, but each time they are unsuccessful, just as Allah Almighty mentioned in His Holy Book, the Glorious Qur'an, that when the Children of Israel were rebellious to their Lord, their Lord imprisoned them in the Desert of Sinai. And they said, What kind or a prison is this. There are no walls surrounding us, no guards (like in Berlin, watching people, nor barbed wires). We are free; we can go anywhere, we can escape. Who says we are in prison? Let us move from this place and get out." Then, they walked from morning up to nighttime, walking, walking, walking. In the evening they came tired, sweating. Then the sun set and they saw that they were sitting at the same place from which they had started.
What has happened? The whole day we have been walking, walking, to escape, and now we have come back to the same place where we started. Tomorrow we must change our direction. Today we started from this side; tomorrow morning we must go from that gide, we must escape. Then going, going - walking hard up to sunset. And at sunset they sat down, waiting, so tired, at the same station where they started. What is this - going, turning, coming back to the first station? For forty years they were imprisoned, every
day starting but never getting out and always coming back to the first station48.
People now claim that they are wise, but they are not such wise people because every time they move they do not search for the true path, to go on it. They try every way, try every idea, except that which Muhammad, p.b.u.h., brought; that they do not try. Yes, try, up to the end of this world. To where will you come? You will come back to the same troubles, falling into the same pit, falling into the same hell, always falling; yes, trying to climb out and then falling down. As the Prophet said, p.b.u.h., as long as nations go against my way, there will be only dhillat and maskanat, degradation and dispiritedness, for them. Sadaqah Rasul Allah; he is true in his every word, every saying. And that is all. I am asking forgiveness for me, for you, for them, and saying, "Astāghfirullan." And we are giving our endless praises, most high praises, to our Lord Almighty and saying, "Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, wa shukrulillah."
'Asr/June 7, 1985
By the name of Allah, All-mighty, All-merciful, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent, the Lord of the Heavens, the Creator of all existence. Everything in existence He created; any time He wants to take it all away, He can.
Therefore He is al-'Aziz, the Mighty, the Glorious. No one can stand in front of Him, no one can be victorious against Him. Yes? No power can stop Him; all powers are for Him. And something that He gave to you, don't suppose that it works for you. No. All works for Him. He is absolutely victorious.
When is religion alive? This must be an important point for every one to know. We are living in a time of different ways of thinking; so many different ideas and schools of thought, because our egoes make themselves out to be a prophet or to be a most important person, or to be the first of those who may be pointed out by people, "This is that man."
This is a great, heavy thing that is put upon a person. It is sufficient as a test or an examination from Allah Almighty for a person to be pointed out by people that that is such and such a person. But our naf's wants to be pointed to by hands, by fingers, that that is that person; this is the hobby of our egos.
48 See II:10-61. 63-74, and many other verses for the account of the suffering of the Children of Israel under Moses on account of their disobedience and transgressions
But our nafs is still sleeping. If it can find a chance, it wants to be the first. Truly, each nafs is waiting to find a chance to be a Pharoah or a Nimrod or a Nero or any tyrant from among tyrants. Don't imagine that our naf's are now very quiet, sitting. No! They may deceive you; that is the characteristic, the well-known characteristic, of egoes. Allah Almighty says, "Inna-n-nafsa la- āmmaratun bis-sou49. When He says "anmaratun," it is mubalaghah, exaggeration - so much! You can never imagine what your nafs may command, may order you - such bad, such bad, such bad things! Everyone's ego!
That is how, from the time of Sayyidinā Yusuf, Prophet Joseph, p.b.u.h., from his mouth, through his sayings, Allah Almighty speaks and teaches. Allah Almighty, in His divine way, is still teaching people, speaking of the past and instructing future people, listening people. He was a prophet, Sayyidina Yusuf, and he had a nafs. All prophets have a nafs, have an ego, but they can command it; they are the kings of their egoes and their egoes are slaves to them. That is the difference between ourselves and prophets and saints. We are slaves to our egoes. The King's Throne, our hearts, we leave to our ego, to our nafs, saying to it, "You should be here. You can command us, and we say to it, "I am your slave." And Allah Almighty is warning people, because if you put your nafs on the throne of your territory, your body, no doubt its orders will be the worst. What is it going to say to you? If it can find a chance to sit on the throne of Pharoan, then it is going to order you the worst things, saying, "O people, you are my slaves, you are My servants, and I am your Lord!" Yes? Anything incorrect in this? It is correct; Allah Almighty says that our egos order us to do the worst things.
Therefore, in our time, in this twentieth century whose end we are reaching (the last quarter is passing away and we are going through to the twenty-first century), now people have found such freedom that before no one could dream of such a thing, of such freedom. If your ancestors, O Londoners, were to awaken, coming from cemeteries, they would first cut off your heads.
49 Truly the nafs impells toward evil" (XII:53). These words are spoken, by Prophet Joseph, p.b.u.h., when he is brought before the pharoah to explain -and to exonerate himsel from the blame of what took place between the wife of his master and himself. He is saying here that, although he is a prophet, a man of extraordinary purity, he does not totally absolve himself or all blame in the matter since the nafs always incites toward evil
They would say, "What is this? People with no shame, living in this country? Who are those people? From where have they come?" Yes - they would fight the people living in our time, in London, and also everywhere else, not only in London. Because we are in London now we are saying this, but even in Turkey, if the Ottomans came, they would fight the people living in Turkey now; in Saudia Arabia they would fight them, also. In every kind of a country, from East to West, if the previous inhabitants of those territories came, they would fight the people who are now living on earth because they would say, "What is this? What is this ignorance among people, what is this immodesty?"
We are so proud that civilization has reached the top point of freedom. And still people are asking for more freedom. What is that freedom? To make a throne for everyone and to put him on it, making him sit and say, "I am your Lord. Come to Me," everyone declaring that he is the Lord of this world and of the worlds. That is what people now want of freedom, so that no one can command them - the Lord of the Heavens cannot command them. They can order anything, they can do anything.
Yet if I say that now everyone claims to be like a prophet, it is still a lower position. But our egoes never want to be lower; they want to be higher.
Someone told me a story which shows our time's characteristics, how our egoes go on. A person went to look around a mental hospital. One patient said, "I am a prophet. I am unknown but still I am a prophet." Then, when he began shouting so much, there was another one sitting in a high place, with a long beard, calling, "What's the matter? What are you quarreling about?" The person who was visiting said, "This one claims that he is a prophet." "One minute" - a big book in front of him; turning pages. turning, and then he said, "He is a liar because I never sent such a prophet."
That is the characteristic of our egos. Don't imagine that now they are calm. When they find the chance, they are going to do everything. Therefore throughout his life the Prophet, p.b.u.h., proclaimed or warned by saying, "O my Lord, don't leave me in the hands of my ego." And all the Sahabah, all the awliyā, were afraid of their egos, of their nafs. The Prophet had divine protection; his nafs was never commander over him, never, but he was teaching us. "O people, you must be very careful. I am warning you about your egos. Too dangerous, too powerful wrestlers, yes? You don't know at what time they may throw you down. You must be very careful, He was asking, "O my Lord, don't leave me in the hands of my ego, in the hands of
my nafs," but we put it on the throne of our territories, of our bodies, and say, "Enjoy yourself. As you like. This is London.".
This is a faith, this is a religion; it is not a game. We must be serious about our faith and our religion. Now we will say something important on that point. In our time, there are so many thoughts because everyone claims to be something. No one agrees to be nothing, and the highest honor in the Divine Presence is to declare that I am nothing, o my Lord. But our nafs is never going to agree to be nothing; no. How can it be? I had printed, also, a card, writing an it that I am such and such a person, with such letters after my name50. Yes, I am registering my per sonality. And then you are telling me to be nothing!!!
That is important, because when Allah Almighty created nafs, He ordered it, "Come forward," but it went back. Ordering, "Go back," and it came forward, doing the opposite. And He asked it, "Who am I and who are you?" It claimed to be something, saying, "I am myself and you are You. You are You and I am myself in front of you, I am something." It means to say, astaghfirullan, that if you are something, then I am something, also. If you are in existence, I am in existence, also; I am something. I must prove my existence, it claimed. Never saying that you created me; You are everything, I am nothing - not saying that.
That is a battle, going on from the beginning up to the end. Therefore, how is your ego, your nafs, going to agree with you without making a visiting card? You have one, also. Everyone must make a visiting card, writing on it, "I am something !" But ego never wants to be something, never agrees to be some thing; rather, if it can find a chance, it says, "I am everything!"
"Beware!" is written in certain places - "Beware of the dog." It is written within ourselves, also. What kind? Not a dog. A mad dog may bite you, but this is a dragon - a dragon with 70,000 heads, poisoned heads. If the real form of their egos were to appear to people, everyone would fall down and die.
Therefore we must be very careful of our ego, of our nafs. And how can we be careful, how can we be able to protect ourselves, if we have such a terrible companion? It is the companion, the partner, with us, with our personality. Then how may we be able to be victorious over our nafs?
Yes, we are living in a time in which that useless but harmful freedom gives more power, more authority, to our egos, and everyone says that I am a
50 A visiting card
prophet, or I could be a prophet, or I can speak as a prophet speaks or I can think as they thought, and wants people to follow his way, each one more than the other, also. For this reason, religions are now only something looked at from outside. People look at that church, that synagogue, that mosque, and pass through it to the pub. Yes! No need for us; what was this church, what is that mosque, what is that synagogue? We must go to bars, to pubs.
Who is commanding those people? What thing commands them except their egos? Their nafs are saying this because nafs never finds enjoyment in a mosque or in a synagogue or in a church. For this reason, now in our time religions are simply forms, even though Allah Almighty never leaves His servants without a shelter against their nafs, against devils; there must always be a shelter for those who are asking a protection from devils, in every time. That is divine justice. Divine justice makes that shelter for everyone, so that if anyone is running away from devils, he may be under protection.
Now, we may say that there are three heavenly religions an earth, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Then, whoever feels a fear of devils may run into one of these three shelters. Yes, I may say to people who are asking for a shelter that they can run into any one of these three shelters; it one of them keeps them or protects them, that is all right. If anyone finds a shelter in Christianity, asking for a shelter and finding a shelter from the hands of devils and from the hands of his ego, that is all right: no discussion, no argument with him. I am saying, Keep yourself in that shelter. But - you must be very careful. If you can find a strong entrance, you may go in and you may lock it; but be careful about the back. In the background may be some holes; devils may enter. - You must look all around to see if it is all right.
Don't be like a heedless person, escaping from the enemy and entering a fortress; it has only a strong door but the background is all destroyed. Yes, because we look and we see that every religion except Islam is like a show; from an outward view it is all right, as people claim in their writings, but at the back, so many holes, so many destroyed walls, so that a thief may easily enter it. Therefore we are advising any person who is asking for a shelter from devils to take care, inspecting everywhere.
If it is all right, then he can stay. Otherwise he must look for a strong and safe shelter.
Then, we should speak about Islam and about the two others, both of them claiming to be partners in being shelters for people in our time. If you can find two things in any religion, it is all right. It means that it has a living power, that it is alive and can protect you. One thing is that if a religion gives you fear of God, it is young, it is powerful. And if it can give you love of God, then that is also a sign that it is all right.
If you can find both of them anywhere except in Islam., continue Go; no need for a new shelter. But you must not lie about it, because liars are accursed. If that power was with that shelter, Allah Almighty would never have sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah, after Moses, and if that shelter, also, was sufficient and strong, He would not have sent the Seal of the Prophets six centuries after Jesus Christ. You must think about it.
Now you can find only in Islam the fear of God Almighty an the love of God Almighty. I met a famous scholar who lived in Western countries, in England. He was saying, "I visited the tomb of a wali in Damascus, and when I first came in front of him I was trembling and I couldn't stop my trembling51. That was Muhiyuddin, Muhiyuddin ibn al-'Arabi's tomb "A fear came on me and I was trembling. I couldn't stop. Then after that, a deep love fell on my heart," he was saying.
A wali represents the life of a religion. No one can now take me to a Christian saint's tomb, although they have so many saints, and make me feel fear or feel hope or make me feel love. But I can bring anyone to such a place, making him tremble and feel fear, and at the same time love, deep love, for his Lord Almighty.
Thus, we have people, people alive now, who in no other religion except Islam represent such divine attributes, making people fear, making people love, through himself; this is specific to the living religion of Islam. You may find in the presence of such a wali fear, and at the same time love, for your Lord Almighty. These are important signs that we are speaking of.
Alhamdulillah, we are in a strong shelter.
Jum’lah khutbah/June 7, 1985
51 This refers to the well-known writer J. G. Bennett. For his own report on the above incident and his meeting with Grandsheikh Maulānā 'Abdullah ad Daghistanı, see his book Subud and his recently-published Autobiography
O believers, don't believe your nafs, your ego, which may say in your ear that this life is for you, this dunya, this world, is for you; enjoy yourself as much as you can. Satan always comes and says this into our ears, and our ego, our naf's, always goes along with him, saying that he is right, never coming along with our soul. Nafs always goes with Satan, never accepting the advice of the Lord, Almighty Allah, but saying, "Look, we have come to this life, so we must enjoy ourselves.'
Now everyone is here at this Friday prayer, so many people who have reached seventy or sixty or fifty or forty, and so many young people, also. What do you have in your hands now of your past life? It is like a dream; finished. Now you are here, and this meeting is also going to be finished after half-an hour, and one day you will find yourself at the end of your way. It will look to you as though you have passed over a long distance but now you have just arrived at its end.
There is a good tale which I am going to tell briefly. Caliph Harun al-Rashid was hunting in the desert. He had gone far from his companions and was so thirsty, wanting water to drink, and he ran here and there, searching. Then he looked and far away he saw a tent, "Must be someone there," he thought. "I can get some water to drink."
He arrived at the tent. "Who is there?" he asked. An old lady came out, with covered hair. Just quickly bring me a cup of water," Harun ordered.
"If you pay me the price of that cup, I shall give it to you."
And he said, "I am the caliph of Baghdad, I am the king. Bring it to me!"
"No. You may be king in Baghdad. I am king in this tent. You can't even enter it without my permission: Allah has prohibited it52. If I say, 'Irji'u, turn back, you must turn back; Allah Almighty orders that. Even if you are caliph you can't enter. You must thank me and pay for this water. Then it will be all right."
He was thinking that she would ask for so much money, so many gold coins, and he waited for her to say what she wanted. Then she said to him, "O Caliph, it is not what is going through your heart." Awliya are the "spies of qulüb, of hearts, knowing what is passing through them. She was not an ordinary old woman but she had a secret between herself and her Lord
52 A reference to XXIV:27-28
Almighty. "O Harun, it is not that thing that is passing through your heart. That is nothing, because the whole world and its treasures are not even as valuable as one single wing of a mosquito in the Divine Presence53.
You know this? "Lau kānat ad-dunya tazin "ind-Allah ka-janaha ba'uda, mā saqā minhā kafirun shurbata ma'. If all this world and its treasures had as much value in the Divine Presence as one wing of a mosquito, Allah Almighty would never give unbelievers even ane drop of water to drink." But it is so worthless; therefore He gives even those who disbelieve in Him everything they have. And we look at them and say, "Oh. those people have so much of dunya," and we run to be like them.
Why? We are believers, believing in a permanent, eternal Life. We believe in the prophets. And the Prophet, p.b.u.h., says, "One square foot in Paradise is more valuable than the whole world and its treasures”. and you are a candidate to enter that Paradise. Why are you running, why are you asking for dunya more than for Akhirah?
Everyone of us runs after dunya more than after Akhirah - every one. Yes, sometimes we must be ashamed of ourselves in the Divine Presence. O my Lord, Ya Rabbi, You must forgive me. Because you have said, 'Wal-Lahu khairum wa abqā54, and yet we are running after something even when we pray. You must look at the place of sajdah, prostration, when you pray, and when you move your eyes from that point, Allah Almighty says, no My servant, I am more valuable than what your eyes are going toward. What is there?" He means to say, "Everything you are looking at, you are interested in, you are running after to reach, to gather, to carry all of it - I am more valuable than all the things that you are running after for this life." Is it so?
Yes, that is right.
Then that old lady said, "O Harun, it is not something like what is passing through your heart - your gold, your jewels, no."
"Quickly tell me what you want because I am going to die of thirst."
And she brought and put water, like this. "O Harūn, how long have you been king?"
53 A reference to the hadith cited in the next paragraph
54 And God is best and endures forever(XX:73)
"For twenty-five years."
"That kingdom you have had up to today - give me all of it and I shall give you this cup of water."
He repeated it, saying, "Are you asking for the kingdom that has passed away or for the kingdom which will come?"
And she said, "No. I am not interested in the kingdom which will come to you after this day but in those days which have passed away of your kingdom.
How many years?" "Twenty-five years."
"Give them to me, and then this water is for you."
And he looked. Harin al-Rashid looked and found nothing of such long years of his kingdom, nothing at all with him. Then he understood that that lady was asking for nothing but was simply making him wake up.
Yes, it is an important lesson for everyone, and it is suitable for you, because you are not in an Eastern country. You are living in a city, a gigantic city, the headquarters of devils and enjoyments; it is full-up. Here is dunya, and your ego, your nafs, is running after it to reach every enjoyment in this gigantic city, and devils are always speaking in your ear and putting something in fron
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must be well-known. If you are a wise person you can't tell a lie. Then what about that person, Muhammad, p.b.u.h.? He brought millions of hadiths, his sayings, all of them containing perfect wisdoms, and he brought a Holy Book filled with wisdoms and endless knowledges. And as a sign of the endless wisdoms and knowledges in the Holy Qur'an, in libraries in the Islamic world, you can now find millions of books (and millions more were also destroyed for various reasons) whose base is the Qur'an. We have now
millions of precious books, precious wisdoms and knowledges, and the main source is Umm al-Kitab, the Mother of Books, which means the Mother of All Knowledge, the Mother of Wisdoms, as a source. That is the Holy Qur'an.
Then how can you say about that person who brought it from his Lord that he may be a liar?
But they are saying it. Muhammad, p.b.u.h., said, "I am the prophet of your Lord." How can you say about him, "You are a liar," when that person has spoken millions of pieces of wisdom? If a person brings only one piece of wisdom you can't say that he is a liar.
Then what about those people, Christians and Jews, who deny his prophethood? They must be wrong-minded people or they must be envious people, as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. Yes, they are envious people.
Therefore a curse has come upon them, and the result of that curse is that the Devil's kingdom has been established on earth because they are supporting devils by saying about Muhammad, p.b.u.h., that he is not a prophet. If they say that he is a prophet, they must follow him.
Therefore all the troubles that have appeared on earth and are continuing will go on to now became a fire festival, a fire celebration, over the whole world. As Nero burned Rome to enjoy himself, now all the devils who have established their kingdom throughout East and West will burn the whole world with a fire that can't be extinguished by water or by anything else. For this reason, a grandsheikh, who is well-known in Western countries, Muhiyuddin ibn al-'Arābi, may Allah bless him, a giant sized wali, saint, a world-wide personality, was saying in his books, books which are full of wisdoms (I am taking from his Oceans; from Muhammad's Oceans, p.b.u.h., I am taking those wisdoms that still Western scholars. can't understand, never finding a solution for those wisdoms ) - he was
saying that at the end of this world, when the Last Days are approaching, there will be a fire, a fire burning an earth. If all the oceans could fall upon that fire, it would be impossible to extinguish it. Only the sword of a divinely- appointed sultān, ruler, can extinguish that fire.
The holy books also mention that sultan; every holy book before the Holy Qur'an also mentions him. People may be liars but even they can't change realities in holy books; to hide realities in holy books is impossible. There is a saying in our language that if there is a spear in a sack, you can't keep it there; it must cut its way out. Therefore, they may want to hide it, but it is well-known that a sultan will come at that time to extinguish that fire from
earth because it is going to burn our planet. And that is the reason why they are lying about Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and that is the punishment for them - fire.
Therefore Allah Almighty fights against liars. All the prophets fought against liars, all believers have fought against liars, and a curse falls upon liars. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., said, "Man rashana, fa laisa minna. The one who deceives or cheats us is not from our nation." And if the Prophet says that he is not from his nation, he is also not going to be from the nation of any other prophet, and thus he is going to be from the nation of devils.
Therefore the biggest sin an earth in the Divine Presence is to lie, to conceal realities, to cover truth, and to change the direction of people. The K’aba is on this side but you show it to be on the opposite side. People are asking to reach their Lord's Divine Presence but you say, “This is not the right way but that is," Such people are not from the nation of any prophet but they are from the nation of devils and that is all.
Particularly now in our time, Western people must look once again at the personality of beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and they must think about it. At every time they want a new way of thinking, looking for so many ways to take the whole of mankind out of its miseries, but each time they are unsuccessful, just as Allah Almighty mentioned in His Holy Book, the Glorious Qur'an, that when the Children of Israel were rebellious to their Lord, their Lord imprisoned them in the Desert of Sinai. And they said, What kind or a prison is this. There are no walls surrounding us, no guards (like in Berlin, watching people, nor barbed wires). We are free; we can go anywhere, we can escape. Who says we are in prison? Let us move from this place and get out." Then, they walked from morning up to nighttime, walking, walking, walking. In the evening they came tired, sweating. Then the sun set and they saw that they were sitting at the same place from which they had started.
What has happened? The whole day we have been walking, walking, to escape, and now we have come back to the same place where we started. Tomorrow we must change our direction. Today we started from this side; tomorrow morning we must go from that gide, we must escape. Then going, going - walking hard up to sunset. And at sunset they sat down, waiting, so tired, at the same station where they started. What is this - going, turning, coming back to the first station? For forty years they were imprisoned, every
day starting but never getting out and always coming back to the first station48.
People now claim that they are wise, but they are not such wise people because every time they move they do not search for the true path, to go on it. They try every way, try every idea, except that which Muhammad, p.b.u.h., brought; that they do not try. Yes, try, up to the end of this world. To where will you come? You will come back to the same troubles, falling into the same pit, falling into the same hell, always falling; yes, trying to climb out and then falling down. As the Prophet said, p.b.u.h., as long as nations go against my way, there will be only dhillat and maskanat, degradation and dispiritedness, for them. Sadaqah Rasul Allah; he is true in his every word, every saying. And that is all. I am asking forgiveness for me, for you, for them, and saying, "Astāghfirullan." And we are giving our endless praises, most high praises, to our Lord Almighty and saying, "Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, wa shukrulillah."
'Asr/June 7, 1985
By the name of Allah, All-mighty, All-merciful, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent, the Lord of the Heavens, the Creator of all existence. Everything in existence He created; any time He wants to take it all away, He can.
Therefore He is al-'Aziz, the Mighty, the Glorious. No one can stand in front of Him, no one can be victorious against Him. Yes? No power can stop Him; all powers are for Him. And something that He gave to you, don't suppose that it works for you. No. All works for Him. He is absolutely victorious.
When is religion alive? This must be an important point for every one to know. We are living in a time of different ways of thinking; so many different ideas and schools of thought, because our egoes make themselves out to be a prophet or to be a most important person, or to be the first of those who may be pointed out by people, "This is that man."
This is a great, heavy thing that is put upon a person. It is sufficient as a test or an examination from Allah Almighty for a person to be pointed out by people that that is such and such a person. But our naf's wants to be pointed to by hands, by fingers, that that is that person; this is the hobby of our egos.
48 See II:10-61. 63-74, and many other verses for the account of the suffering of the Children of Israel under Moses on account of their disobedience and transgressions
But our nafs is still sleeping. If it can find a chance, it wants to be the first. Truly, each nafs is waiting to find a chance to be a Pharoah or a Nimrod or a Nero or any tyrant from among tyrants. Don't imagine that our naf's are now very quiet, sitting. No! They may deceive you; that is the characteristic, the well-known characteristic, of egoes. Allah Almighty says, "Inna-n-nafsa la- āmmaratun bis-sou49. When He says "anmaratun," it is mubalaghah, exaggeration - so much! You can never imagine what your nafs may command, may order you - such bad, such bad, such bad things! Everyone's ego!
That is how, from the time of Sayyidinā Yusuf, Prophet Joseph, p.b.u.h., from his mouth, through his sayings, Allah Almighty speaks and teaches. Allah Almighty, in His divine way, is still teaching people, speaking of the past and instructing future people, listening people. He was a prophet, Sayyidina Yusuf, and he had a nafs. All prophets have a nafs, have an ego, but they can command it; they are the kings of their egoes and their egoes are slaves to them. That is the difference between ourselves and prophets and saints. We are slaves to our egoes. The King's Throne, our hearts, we leave to our ego, to our nafs, saying to it, "You should be here. You can command us, and we say to it, "I am your slave." And Allah Almighty is warning people, because if you put your nafs on the throne of your territory, your body, no doubt its orders will be the worst. What is it going to say to you? If it can find a chance to sit on the throne of Pharoan, then it is going to order you the worst things, saying, "O people, you are my slaves, you are My servants, and I am your Lord!" Yes? Anything incorrect in this? It is correct; Allah Almighty says that our egos order us to do the worst things.
Therefore, in our time, in this twentieth century whose end we are reaching (the last quarter is passing away and we are going through to the twenty-first century), now people have found such freedom that before no one could dream of such a thing, of such freedom. If your ancestors, O Londoners, were to awaken, coming from cemeteries, they would first cut off your heads.
49 Truly the nafs impells toward evil" (XII:53). These words are spoken, by Prophet Joseph, p.b.u.h., when he is brought before the pharoah to explain -and to exonerate himsel from the blame of what took place between the wife of his master and himself. He is saying here that, although he is a prophet, a man of extraordinary purity, he does not totally absolve himself or all blame in the matter since the nafs always incites toward evil
They would say, "What is this? People with no shame, living in this country? Who are those people? From where have they come?" Yes - they would fight the people living in our time, in London, and also everywhere else, not only in London. Because we are in London now we are saying this, but even in Turkey, if the Ottomans came, they would fight the people living in Turkey now; in Saudia Arabia they would fight them, also. In every kind of a country, from East to West, if the previous inhabitants of those territories came, they would fight the people who are now living on earth because they would say, "What is this? What is this ignorance among people, what is this immodesty?"
We are so proud that civilization has reached the top point of freedom. And still people are asking for more freedom. What is that freedom? To make a throne for everyone and to put him on it, making him sit and say, "I am your Lord. Come to Me," everyone declaring that he is the Lord of this world and of the worlds. That is what people now want of freedom, so that no one can command them - the Lord of the Heavens cannot command them. They can order anything, they can do anything.
Yet if I say that now everyone claims to be like a prophet, it is still a lower position. But our egoes never want to be lower; they want to be higher.
Someone told me a story which shows our time's characteristics, how our egoes go on. A person went to look around a mental hospital. One patient said, "I am a prophet. I am unknown but still I am a prophet." Then, when he began shouting so much, there was another one sitting in a high place, with a long beard, calling, "What's the matter? What are you quarreling about?" The person who was visiting said, "This one claims that he is a prophet." "One minute" - a big book in front of him; turning pages. turning, and then he said, "He is a liar because I never sent such a prophet."
That is the characteristic of our egos. Don't imagine that now they are calm. When they find the chance, they are going to do everything. Therefore throughout his life the Prophet, p.b.u.h., proclaimed or warned by saying, "O my Lord, don't leave me in the hands of my ego." And all the Sahabah, all the awliyā, were afraid of their egos, of their nafs. The Prophet had divine protection; his nafs was never commander over him, never, but he was teaching us. "O people, you must be very careful. I am warning you about your egos. Too dangerous, too powerful wrestlers, yes? You don't know at what time they may throw you down. You must be very careful, He was asking, "O my Lord, don't leave me in the hands of my ego, in the hands of
my nafs," but we put it on the throne of our territories, of our bodies, and say, "Enjoy yourself. As you like. This is London.".
This is a faith, this is a religion; it is not a game. We must be serious about our faith and our religion. Now we will say something important on that point. In our time, there are so many thoughts because everyone claims to be something. No one agrees to be nothing, and the highest honor in the Divine Presence is to declare that I am nothing, o my Lord. But our nafs is never going to agree to be nothing; no. How can it be? I had printed, also, a card, writing an it that I am such and such a person, with such letters after my name50. Yes, I am registering my per sonality. And then you are telling me to be nothing!!!
That is important, because when Allah Almighty created nafs, He ordered it, "Come forward," but it went back. Ordering, "Go back," and it came forward, doing the opposite. And He asked it, "Who am I and who are you?" It claimed to be something, saying, "I am myself and you are You. You are You and I am myself in front of you, I am something." It means to say, astaghfirullan, that if you are something, then I am something, also. If you are in existence, I am in existence, also; I am something. I must prove my existence, it claimed. Never saying that you created me; You are everything, I am nothing - not saying that.
That is a battle, going on from the beginning up to the end. Therefore, how is your ego, your nafs, going to agree with you without making a visiting card? You have one, also. Everyone must make a visiting card, writing on it, "I am something !" But ego never wants to be something, never agrees to be some thing; rather, if it can find a chance, it says, "I am everything!"
"Beware!" is written in certain places - "Beware of the dog." It is written within ourselves, also. What kind? Not a dog. A mad dog may bite you, but this is a dragon - a dragon with 70,000 heads, poisoned heads. If the real form of their egos were to appear to people, everyone would fall down and die.
Therefore we must be very careful of our ego, of our nafs. And how can we be careful, how can we be able to protect ourselves, if we have such a terrible companion? It is the companion, the partner, with us, with our personality. Then how may we be able to be victorious over our nafs?
Yes, we are living in a time in which that useless but harmful freedom gives more power, more authority, to our egos, and everyone says that I am a
50 A visiting card
prophet, or I could be a prophet, or I can speak as a prophet speaks or I can think as they thought, and wants people to follow his way, each one more than the other, also. For this reason, religions are now only something looked at from outside. People look at that church, that synagogue, that mosque, and pass through it to the pub. Yes! No need for us; what was this church, what is that mosque, what is that synagogue? We must go to bars, to pubs.
Who is commanding those people? What thing commands them except their egos? Their nafs are saying this because nafs never finds enjoyment in a mosque or in a synagogue or in a church. For this reason, now in our time religions are simply forms, even though Allah Almighty never leaves His servants without a shelter against their nafs, against devils; there must always be a shelter for those who are asking a protection from devils, in every time. That is divine justice. Divine justice makes that shelter for everyone, so that if anyone is running away from devils, he may be under protection.
Now, we may say that there are three heavenly religions an earth, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Then, whoever feels a fear of devils may run into one of these three shelters. Yes, I may say to people who are asking for a shelter that they can run into any one of these three shelters; it one of them keeps them or protects them, that is all right. If anyone finds a shelter in Christianity, asking for a shelter and finding a shelter from the hands of devils and from the hands of his ego, that is all right: no discussion, no argument with him. I am saying, Keep yourself in that shelter. But - you must be very careful. If you can find a strong entrance, you may go in and you may lock it; but be careful about the back. In the background may be some holes; devils may enter. - You must look all around to see if it is all right.
Don't be like a heedless person, escaping from the enemy and entering a fortress; it has only a strong door but the background is all destroyed. Yes, because we look and we see that every religion except Islam is like a show; from an outward view it is all right, as people claim in their writings, but at the back, so many holes, so many destroyed walls, so that a thief may easily enter it. Therefore we are advising any person who is asking for a shelter from devils to take care, inspecting everywhere.
If it is all right, then he can stay. Otherwise he must look for a strong and safe shelter.
Then, we should speak about Islam and about the two others, both of them claiming to be partners in being shelters for people in our time. If you can find two things in any religion, it is all right. It means that it has a living power, that it is alive and can protect you. One thing is that if a religion gives you fear of God, it is young, it is powerful. And if it can give you love of God, then that is also a sign that it is all right.
If you can find both of them anywhere except in Islam., continue Go; no need for a new shelter. But you must not lie about it, because liars are accursed. If that power was with that shelter, Allah Almighty would never have sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah, after Moses, and if that shelter, also, was sufficient and strong, He would not have sent the Seal of the Prophets six centuries after Jesus Christ. You must think about it.
Now you can find only in Islam the fear of God Almighty an the love of God Almighty. I met a famous scholar who lived in Western countries, in England. He was saying, "I visited the tomb of a wali in Damascus, and when I first came in front of him I was trembling and I couldn't stop my trembling51. That was Muhiyuddin, Muhiyuddin ibn al-'Arabi's tomb "A fear came on me and I was trembling. I couldn't stop. Then after that, a deep love fell on my heart," he was saying.
A wali represents the life of a religion. No one can now take me to a Christian saint's tomb, although they have so many saints, and make me feel fear or feel hope or make me feel love. But I can bring anyone to such a place, making him tremble and feel fear, and at the same time love, deep love, for his Lord Almighty.
Thus, we have people, people alive now, who in no other religion except Islam represent such divine attributes, making people fear, making people love, through himself; this is specific to the living religion of Islam. You may find in the presence of such a wali fear, and at the same time love, for your Lord Almighty. These are important signs that we are speaking of.
Alhamdulillah, we are in a strong shelter.
Jum’lah khutbah/June 7, 1985
51 This refers to the well-known writer J. G. Bennett. For his own report on the above incident and his meeting with Grandsheikh Maulānā 'Abdullah ad Daghistanı, see his book Subud and his recently-published Autobiography
O believers, don't believe your nafs, your ego, which may say in your ear that this life is for you, this dunya, this world, is for you; enjoy yourself as much as you can. Satan always comes and says this into our ears, and our ego, our naf's, always goes along with him, saying that he is right, never coming along with our soul. Nafs always goes with Satan, never accepting the advice of the Lord, Almighty Allah, but saying, "Look, we have come to this life, so we must enjoy ourselves.'
Now everyone is here at this Friday prayer, so many people who have reached seventy or sixty or fifty or forty, and so many young people, also. What do you have in your hands now of your past life? It is like a dream; finished. Now you are here, and this meeting is also going to be finished after half-an hour, and one day you will find yourself at the end of your way. It will look to you as though you have passed over a long distance but now you have just arrived at its end.
There is a good tale which I am going to tell briefly. Caliph Harun al-Rashid was hunting in the desert. He had gone far from his companions and was so thirsty, wanting water to drink, and he ran here and there, searching. Then he looked and far away he saw a tent, "Must be someone there," he thought. "I can get some water to drink."
He arrived at the tent. "Who is there?" he asked. An old lady came out, with covered hair. Just quickly bring me a cup of water," Harun ordered.
"If you pay me the price of that cup, I shall give it to you."
And he said, "I am the caliph of Baghdad, I am the king. Bring it to me!"
"No. You may be king in Baghdad. I am king in this tent. You can't even enter it without my permission: Allah has prohibited it52. If I say, 'Irji'u, turn back, you must turn back; Allah Almighty orders that. Even if you are caliph you can't enter. You must thank me and pay for this water. Then it will be all right."
He was thinking that she would ask for so much money, so many gold coins, and he waited for her to say what she wanted. Then she said to him, "O Caliph, it is not what is going through your heart." Awliya are the "spies of qulüb, of hearts, knowing what is passing through them. She was not an ordinary old woman but she had a secret between herself and her Lord
52 A reference to XXIV:27-28
Almighty. "O Harun, it is not that thing that is passing through your heart. That is nothing, because the whole world and its treasures are not even as valuable as one single wing of a mosquito in the Divine Presence53.
You know this? "Lau kānat ad-dunya tazin "ind-Allah ka-janaha ba'uda, mā saqā minhā kafirun shurbata ma'. If all this world and its treasures had as much value in the Divine Presence as one wing of a mosquito, Allah Almighty would never give unbelievers even ane drop of water to drink." But it is so worthless; therefore He gives even those who disbelieve in Him everything they have. And we look at them and say, "Oh. those people have so much of dunya," and we run to be like them.
Why? We are believers, believing in a permanent, eternal Life. We believe in the prophets. And the Prophet, p.b.u.h., says, "One square foot in Paradise is more valuable than the whole world and its treasures”. and you are a candidate to enter that Paradise. Why are you running, why are you asking for dunya more than for Akhirah?
Everyone of us runs after dunya more than after Akhirah - every one. Yes, sometimes we must be ashamed of ourselves in the Divine Presence. O my Lord, Ya Rabbi, You must forgive me. Because you have said, 'Wal-Lahu khairum wa abqā54, and yet we are running after something even when we pray. You must look at the place of sajdah, prostration, when you pray, and when you move your eyes from that point, Allah Almighty says, no My servant, I am more valuable than what your eyes are going toward. What is there?" He means to say, "Everything you are looking at, you are interested in, you are running after to reach, to gather, to carry all of it - I am more valuable than all the things that you are running after for this life." Is it so?
Yes, that is right.
Then that old lady said, "O Harun, it is not something like what is passing through your heart - your gold, your jewels, no."
"Quickly tell me what you want because I am going to die of thirst."
And she brought and put water, like this. "O Harūn, how long have you been king?"
53 A reference to the hadith cited in the next paragraph
54 And God is best and endures forever(XX:73)
"For twenty-five years."
"That kingdom you have had up to today - give me all of it and I shall give you this cup of water."
He repeated it, saying, "Are you asking for the kingdom that has passed away or for the kingdom which will come?"
And she said, "No. I am not interested in the kingdom which will come to you after this day but in those days which have passed away of your kingdom.
How many years?" "Twenty-five years."
"Give them to me, and then this water is for you."
And he looked. Harin al-Rashid looked and found nothing of such long years of his kingdom, nothing at all with him. Then he understood that that lady was asking for nothing but was simply making him wake up.
Yes, it is an important lesson for everyone, and it is suitable for you, because you are not in an Eastern country. You are living in a city, a gigantic city, the headquarters of devils and enjoyments; it is full-up. Here is dunya, and your ego, your nafs, is running after it to reach every enjoyment in this gigantic city, and devils are always speaking in your ear and putting something in fron
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