Mercy Oceans, Book 11 (183 pages, 8/17)
https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6163
ly. I was wearing wooden sandals; there was so much water in the streets and my kif, leather socks, were wet. I complained to my Grandsheikh. Then Grandsheikh shouted, "Don't say such a thing, Nazim Efendi! Don't complain! People have been waiting for rains, and when they are too much you talk about your leather socks !" "Astāghfirullan, forgiveness, vā Sayyidi," I said.
For everything about which you may make a complaint, you must remember that you must not complain. No reason; you must remember what you have been given and you must be ashamed to complain. Some things come to us according to the level of our faith. As much as you may be able to bear, bear that and don't complain. It is better for you. Grandsheikh does not agree that his murids, his followers, should complain, because Allah Almighty is giving something to you, He is testing you.
You must not suppose that everything should be as you like - no. You must learn to say to your Lord, "O my Lord, as you like." That is tarbiyah, training; that is irshād, guidance, showing us the correct way. That is tariqat's training, that is our murshid's, guide's, training for us.
I am not saying that you are not going to be tested. You must be tested, but you must keep yourself from complaining. You must fight your ego, your nafs, to leave off complaining because it is an illness; if you complain for one reason, then more than one comes to you. When you take up complaining, there are going to be more than two - three, four, never becoming less but increasing
Therefore, don't be trained to complain; leave off complaining. Yes, there must be so many things which may be a reason for complaint, but you must leave that complaining so that it becomes less and less and less, then finishing. That is important, for all of us. Don't complain about your husband, don't complain about your wife; rather each side must look at your partner as a favour from your Lord to you. Then you are going to be happy throughout your lives. But now an ignorant man does not say that this woman is my Lord's favour, or she does not say that that person is a favour from my Lord
to me. They are ignorant, and therefore they get fed up quickly, after three days throwing the other out like a pair of shoes. They are not from humanity but are coming down from the level of humanity to the level of animals. Only animals come with love for each other for three days and then go away, bye- bye.
We must keep the way of humanity because mankind have been honored by their Lord Almighty, while animals have been ordered to be under the command of mankind, the Children of Adam. Leave off complaining, yes. But don't think that it is going to be easy to reach that point. You must fight. In front of you may be a great battle, fighting with your ego. Your ego, your nafs, always complains, never becoming satisfied, because if your nafs is given the whole of London, it will want the whole of England to be for it, and every time it complains, never finishing. "Why London only? Must be Birmingham, must be Edinburgh, must be Kent for me." When it is given that, it asks for Scotland, then asks for Wales, asking, asking. Nafs never stops its complaining. If a man has the most beautiful lady for himself, then his nafs will look for another one. Where is another beautiful lady? Why is she not for me? She gets to be for him, also. Then he looks for still another. "Shame on you, you monstrous ego," you must say. You must know that it is impossible to stop our shameless nafs. And we have been given one nafs but ladies have been given nine nafs; yes, and they, more than men, are restraining themselves. Therefore every time punishment comes on men more than on ladies, They have an excuse in the Divine Presence, also, but you, men, no.
Yes. Therefore you must be happy. So many people are coming to me; twenty-four hours a day I am listening to complaints. Therefore Grandsheikh is making this to stop that complaining, or I will take a stick in my hand.
Whoever comes while he is complaining...!
Yes, "Alhamdulillah, ya Rabbi, glory to Allah Almighty," opens the Holy Qur'ān67. O people, say "Alhamdulillah!" and enter Paradise. Say "Al hamdulillah!" Then you will be in Paradise here and Hereafter you will also be in Paradise. At every time say "Alhamdulillahi-Rabbi-l-'alamin"; always, always say it, o people. Then all problems are going to be solved, finished; that one word saves all humanity. Therefore it is a Divine Book for the solution of every problem on earth, from beginning up to end. O people, say
67 The opening words of the first surah (chapter) of the Qur'an are, "Alhamdulillahi- Rabbi-l-‘alamin," praisē be to God, the Lord of the worlds
"Alhamdulillahi-Rabbi-l-'alamin" and you will be able to find every solution in it. Then you will be in Paradise here; before the Last Day comes, you will be in Paradise on earth. Those mercies and endless favors, like rain, will rain upon you if you can say "Alhamdulillahi-rabbi l-'alamin" for every occasion.
I am not saying that it is easy, no, because we have egos and we listen to our egos and talk and complain. But you must try, as much as you are able, to do it less and less so that you may finish it altogether. On the Day of Resurrection, when people gather in the Divine Pre sence at the end of this life's period, Allah Almighty will order an angel to proclaim to all the people gathered on that Plain of Manshahr, the Plain of Gathering, "Aina-l- hamidūn? Where are those people who always, for every occasion or for every condition they were in, used to say 'Alhamdulillan. - where are they? They must now get up and enter Paradise, no judgment for them." Bi-dün muhasabah, without being called for accounting, for judgment, without anything, Allah Almighty orders those people into Paradise who for every condition used to say "Alhamdulillahi Rabbi-l-'alamin."
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., himself is teaching us. When his little son, Sayyidina Ibrahim, died, he was too sorry; he cried, also. Two-and-a half or three years old his son was. But he said only, "Kama yuhibbu Rabbunā wa yarda. As my Lord likes and is pleased with, I agree."
Such heavy conditions or difficult trials may come on you, but you must not lose your faith in your Lord, Allah Almighty. You may be so sorry or sad, but you must always say, "As my Lord likes and pleased with, I am trying to be," so that you may reach a level, the level that only very few people can reach - the level of rida, the level of contentment.
That is the top point that a person can reach. Such people have private Paradises, and others may look at their stations as people on earth look at the stars although it is impossible to reach those stars. It is impossible, and as we look at the stars, the people of Paradise will look at the ranks, the stations, of those people of contentment; you can't approach because of their lights. You can't bear those lights; it is impossible to approach those stars. Too bright, too hot, but it is right for them, for those people of contentment.
Yes, we are beginners, but I am showing you goals to be reached. I am showing you to make you know the ways of being happy here and Hereafter. because Allah Almighty never likes His servants to be unhappy - no. Allah Almighty is not happy when His servants are unhappy. You think He is
happy when you are unhappy? You see how you can be happy if one of your family is unhappy; then you are going to be unhappy, also. And all mankind is in the divine family, the creation of the family of Allah. How can you suppose that your Lord is happy if His servants are unhappy? Therefore He is angry with people who say that they are unhappy, because He gave them everything that He did not give to anyone else, and yet they say that they are unhappy, The divine anger is on those who are unhappy. Therefore I am warning you: don't approach the divine anger.
We are asking forgiveness. We must be happy; then He is happy. Yes, alhamdulillah, we are beginners and we are trying, trying to reach that point. And you must use all possibilities to reach that goal before leaving this life, and one way for happiness is to look at everything as a favour from your Lord to you. Everyone around ourselves is from our Lord's favours. You can imagine what you would do in this city if in such a huge city there were only 50,000 people; you would say that this is the city of ghosts if there were only 50,000 in this huge city of London. Therefore everyone crowding into this city is from our Lord's favours. Maybe most of them make trouble but even if they make trouble they are favours. Otherwise it would be a very silent city; you would be able to hear your footsteps, you would be afraid. Yes. Look at everything surrounding you as being from your Lord's favours and you will live in Paradise.
'Asr/June 9, 1985
No doubt. About what? No doubt that there is a Creator in existence because if there were no Creator in existence, no creatures could be in existence. But so many people (who have heads like a football, so many people,
No doubt that Sayyidina Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is a prophet. Even if all people deny it, their denying will never change that reality. No doubt about the prophethood of Sayyidina Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and no doubt that the Glorious Qur'an is the last holy book that has been sent by Allah Almighty, the Lord of the Heavens, the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Jesus Christ, the Lord of Moses, the Lord of Abraham, the Lord of beloved Muhammad, peace be upon them all - no doubt.
A person may be in doubt about himself but he can't be in doubt that Muhammad, p. b.u.h., is a prophet and the Seal of the Prophets, sent by the
Lord of the Heavens with the last message to all mankind, and that the Holy Qur'an is the last message of Allah Almighty to His servants. No doubt that if this world goes on for eternity, his prophethood is enough. Don't say that he came fifteen centuries ago and now he is not suitable for these people, no. Not only after fifteen centuries; if fifteen trillion centuries come, he is the Prophet; no need for any other prophet. He is perfect, and he represents the perfection of his Lord Almighty. And if this world were to go on up to eternity, no need for a new holy book. The Holy Qur’an, Glorious Qur'an, is enough for everyone or for every time, for every nation, even if they were to go on eternally. No need for another book to come. It is correct because it is also perfect.
And Islam is also perfect, but if your eyes have a squint what can we do? Once Maulānā Jalaluddin Rumi, may Allah bless him, was telling a tale of a person who brought a boy to a carpenter, saying, "Please teach this boy to be a carpenter."
Then that master said, "O boy, bring that bottle here."
The boy looked and said, "Which one shall I bring? There are two bottles." "Bring a hammer. Break one of them and bring the second one."
Then he took the hammer and - tram! he broke that bottle. said, "O master, both of them are broken."
It was only one bottle, not two, but his eyes saw two, cross-eyed. Then, what shall we say if people are cross-eyed? Yes, you can't do anything. Islam is perfect. Only imperfect people can say that it is imperfect, but Allah Almighty Himself bears witness that Islam is perfect and that it is the only acceptable faith in His Divine Presence68;t whoever comes to Him in Islam, he is acceptable, not anyone else. And from beginning up to end, all the prophets brought Islam, but we give some other names to it, covering reality. Adam was Muslim, surrendering to the commands of his Lord, Allah Almighty.
Moses, Jesus Christ and all the prophets, 124,000 of them, whether their names are mentioned in the Holy Qur'an or not - all of them were Muslims69.
That means that they surrendered to their Lord - but not only for His commands, because Muslims are of two kinds. One kind surrenders to the
68 See, for example, III:19, 85, and V:4 (V:3 in Pickthall's translation)
69 See II:128, 132–133, 136; III:52, 67, 84; V:114 (111 in Pickthall); VII:126; X:84;
XII:78, among others
commands of Allah Almighty; as He commands, they try to keep those commands, those orders. But the highest degree in Islam is to surrender to the Lord's will, also. That is perfection - if you are able to say, "O my Lord, as you like, as You will, as you wish. As You will; I am not fighting."
So many people may pray, may worship, but when their Lord's will comes upon them, they make trouble, not surrendering. Look at the ocean. Until a person surrenders, it takes that person under deep; when he surrenders, then it takes him out, floating. A dead body does not go very deep, but until that struggle finishes it is under the water; then when it is dead, the ocean carries that body.
Therefore, Islam is perfect from all directions. You can look at it from any direction and you must see perfection in Islam. And when you surrender to your Lord, Almighty Allah, you will reach true peace and happiness and satisfaction, here and Hereafter. Then the angels will carry you on their heads. No troubles or sufferings for that person - finished: he has surrendered, never struggling, never fighting his Lord's will. For this reason a grandsheikh, 'Abdul Qadir Jilani, was saying, "Allah Almighty’s will runs. If a person goes against that will, wanting to stop it, that makes his tauhid70 vanish, because only His will prevails."
Don't stand against the will of you Lord Almighty; rather you must be suitable to run with that will. Yes, Allah Almighty gives honor to His servants by giving them a will, but out of your good manners you must say, "O my Lord, You gave me will, and all wills are in Your Hands. And I surrender to You, I give my will, also, to You. I am going to be as you like, O my Lord. Don't leave me in the hands of my will."
You can understand, yes? That is the perfection which Islam brought finally for all nations. You must surrender to the Lord's will because His will is the best for you. You don't know. You may ask for something but you never know what is going to happen to you ultimately. What the result will be if you ask for that, you can't know.
Once Jesus Christ, p.b.u.h., who was created by a miracle - he was miraculous; he was the servant of his Lord alone - was travelling. And one
70 The Divine Unity, which embraces the Oneness of God Almighty and of everything, in existence, and also the oneness of the command or decree, covering everything in existence, which proceeds only from the one holy Will
day a person met him and he said, "Oh, you are Jesus Christ. I must travel with you, be your companion."
But it is not easy to be companion to those chosen people. You must keep adab with them, you must be good-mannered with them. Then he walked with Jesus Christ; for some distance he went. They reached a beach and there was a pile of bones, a skeleton. And that person said to Jesus Christ, "O Jesus Christ, please make these bones come to life, as I would like to see what kind of an animal it was. You have miracles, you can do this."
Jesus Christ stopped him, saying, "Don't ask, don't do this. Leave it alone." But he was insistent, saying, "No, I must see."
Then Jesus Christ, p.b.u.h., said, "O my Lord, who gives life to dead bones, make it appear as it was before." As soon as the words were finished, a huge tiger rose up and rushed at that person, cutting him and eating. And Jesus Christ, p.b.u.h., said, "O my friend, you should not have asked this. I said, 'Don't ask,' but you wanted that. It is not a good end for you."
Therefore, we have will which Allah Almighty gives us, and we are asking this, asking that, wishing this, wishing that, but not leaving it to our Lord, not saying, "O my Lord, let it be as you like." So many times I ask something.
Then it does not go as I wish but goes another way, and then I thank my Lord, Allah Almighty, saying, "Alhamdulillah," thanks be to Allah that what I wanted did not happen. This is better, this is the best - what Allah Almighty wills for us."
This must be well-known. He has only honored His people, His servants, because Allah Almighty never gave any other creature will. Will, the divine attribute, has been granted to the Children of Adam, and He is trying you because you are His deputy or have been created as candidate for the deputy of Allah Almighty. No other creature has that honor. Therefore He grants you from His divine attribute, His will, giving you will and seeing what His servant does with his will that he has been granted. Is he using his will only once, for one thing, saying, "O my Lord, You granted me that divine attribute which belongs to you, and I am using it only once: to return my will to You. I give it to you. You make me as you like"? That is the top point of Islam and the top point of adab m'a Allah, good manners with Allah Almighty.
Therefore we have been given six articles of faith in Islam: believing in God, believing in angels, believing in holy books, believing in prophets, believing
in the Last Day, and believing that everything is "on program." Now people make programs for electronic computers and those machines work as that is written. The meaning of "Khairihi wa sharrihi min Allani Ta'alā," the sixth pillar of iman, of faith, is that you must know that everyone's life has been divinely-programmed: you must know this. When you know it, when you believe in it, then you must say, "O my Lord, I give my will to you. You lead me, You guide me, to my destination." That is a deep secret but it is also obvious because no one is created without his own program. It is written an Lawhi-l-Mahfudh, the Preserved Tablet. What does it mean? That everything is programmed.
Now in this century, people are so proud of their computers, of their science, and it is not more than a drop in an endless Knowledge Ocean of the Lord of the universes. Only that little drop Allah Almighty has authorized for the Children of Adam by His divine attribute, knowledge, and it is such a little drop beside Allah Almighty's endless Knowledge Oceans and endless Wisdom Oceans. "Wa ma utitum min al-'ilmi illa qalila71." No matter how much you may know about everything - Allah Almighty may give you more knowledge, more knowledge; every time you may ask and He gives - it is always going to be only a small amount, qalila, not a big one; it will always be a little bit. Don't be proud; no! It is only a little bit of knowledge you have been given, but yet you look at yourself as if you know everything. No; you can't know everything because your capacity, your capability, is only within limits. Therefore it is impossible to the cover endless oceans.
But people now are so proud, and unlearned or ignorant people are also proud, saying, "This is the time of space, this is the time of computers." But - do you know about computers? No. He only looks but can never understand how it works, but he is also proud because he lives in a century of computers. He imagines that he did that, that he made this, never thinking that it is only a little bit of authority or of knowledge that has been given to people during the last century.
There is not going to be another century; this one is going to complete the world's period. We are waiting for Qiyamah, for a finishing. The beginning has passed away and we are going to the finish, to the ending of this life; this period is going to be ended. And people imagine that they may do anything, and they imagine, also, wrongly, that their thoughts, their ideas, are correct because everyone thinks himself to be something - not only to be something
71 And there has not been given to you of knowledge except a little (XVII:85)
but to be everything, and then he claims that he is a Lord, looking at everything that science brought for the life of mankind in this century, like a tale about Pharoah.
Pharoah claimed that he was the Lord of the Egyptians; yes, he thought that. But once Satan came and knocked at his door, and Pharoah asked, "Who is it? Who is there?"
Satan entered without opening the door; no need, coming in and saying, "How do you claim that you are the Lord of the Egyptians? You don't even know who is at the door and ask who is there. A Lord not knowing what is beyond this wall, beyond that door? And how do you claim that you are God
- and the first one, also, not an ordinary god, saying that you are the most famous one, the commander of the Gods, also, not an or dinary one? What is your power, to claim such a thing?"
"Oh, I have so many wizards, magicians," Pharoah said. "Bring them here,"
Then Pharoah brought so many, hundreds of magicians. "What is your power?" Satan said to them. "Show me."
Then those magicians made a strange and terrible show in front of Pharoah and Satan. Satan looked. "This is your power by which you claim that you are God?"
"Yes," Pharoah said. "This is my power and those magicians are power stations for me, for my godhood."
"Oh, such important power stations you have !" Satan said. Then he blew on their magic and everything disappeared. Even Pharoah and all of them appeared without clothes, nothing to cover themselves, and trembling.
"Look!" said Satan. Now see what I will do." Then he blew again and made such a magic show that their minds went out, becoming crazy. Now our people in the twentieth century, to whom Allah Almighty just gave a little bit of authority of knowledge, look at their computers, at their rockets, at their satellites, and they say, "No God. We are Gods." Aha, their powers! In one second Allah Almighty can take everything from their hands and leave them crazy.
Then that pharoah was without clothes, trembling, and all the magicians, also. And Satan asked, "O Pharoah, are you important or am I important? Are you more powerful or is my power more?"
"No, you!
Then Satan said to him, "Are you not ashamed to say that you are God? With such power in me, my Lord never accepted me, casting me out from His servanthood. How would He accept you as a partner to Him? Are you not ashamed?"
"Yes, that is true, " Pharoah said. "I must repent, I must ask forgiveness."
"No, don't do that," Satan said. "Keep your position; it is all right. I don't mean to say that you must say you are sorry. If it is for me, don't say anything. I am your teacher, I am your boss. You must be under my command. As I order you, keep yourself” (because the Egyptians were accustomed to have Lords, and when Satan disappeared, they came and made sajdah to Pharoah; they were accustomed to that). "If you tell them that you are a servant like themselves," Satan said, "then there will be too many troubles in Egypt. They will run to find another Lord and it will be a difficulty for me. Now it is all right. You can be their Lord."
This tale is for those people who are too proud of their science, while it is only a little bit of knowledge that Allah Almighty has authorized them with this power, electricity. That is something of qudrah, power. As yet no one is able to give a description of what electricity is. Who can say? No one knows what electricity is. Rather it is a qudrah, a power from endless Power Oceans, which Allah Almighty just gave authority : to catch, to be under our command, as He promised: “Wa sakhara lakum ma fis-samawati wa mā fil- tardi jami'an72"; "sakhara" is from "taskhir," to make under our command.
That is only one ray from endless Power Oceans which Allah Almighty gives under our command, running in this wire, not burning it. If you catch hold of a naked wire, you may die. No one knows what is going in it. If it is electrons, they must be finished. What is running in it? Energy. And people are so proud! If Allah Almighty says, "Kun fa yakun73, Stop that energy," then everything that the Children of Adam are so proud of will be lost.
72 And He has subjected to you whatever is in the Heavens and whatever is an earth all together
73 Be, and it is," the divine Word of Creation mentioned in several places in the Qur'an
Therefore, o people, o believers, o Children of Adam, you must ask for perfection in your souls. That is important to ask because we have been invited to the Divine Presence and Allah Almighty is asking from every one perfection within himself, spiritual perfection. Take that perfection through the prophets, particularly from the Last Prophet, the Seal of the Prophets, p.b.u.h.
May Allah Almighty forgive us, because mostly we are running after our egoes and their desires, and we are using our wills in the direction of our egoes' desires and it is making us dishonored people. We must be honorable people in the Divine Presence. And that is all.
Isha/June 9, 1985
May Allah keep us from our egoes' evil. As much as you are able to, fight your ego. There is a different test every day. Allah Almighty is looking. If you go after your ego like a sheep, then it is dangerous. Keep to the right hand and go on, straight; then there will be peace and satisfaction for you, here and Hereafter.
May Allah Almighty let you, all of you, taste true faith. It is sweet, true faith's taste. When you taste true faith, you keep it, never losing it. The one who does not taste, he quickly leaves, quickly loses.
Which way makes you taste true faith? Dhikr74; dhikr makes you taste the taste of iman. Say "Allah" and you may taste the taste of faith. Whoever feels darkness and depression in his heart may say "Allah-Allah Allah..." and then nothing can stop his heart. When you say "Allah-Allah Allah..." there is no darkness in your heart. But if it should continue, then keep your tongue silent
74 Remembrance, specifically, of God. In the specific sense used among Sufis, dhikr denotés remembrance of God through repetition of phrases of glorification or His Holy Names, as mentioned in the Prophet's Hadith. One may.follow a personal wird or wazifah, that is, a regular, daily practice of dhikr given by one's Sheikh, which consists of a fixed number of repetitions of such parases or Names, and beyond that may try to keep his heart constantly with his Lord by engaging in dhikr whenever possible
and make your heart say, "Allah-hu, Allan-hu. Allan-hū - Haqq75" and you should hear t
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6163
ly. I was wearing wooden sandals; there was so much water in the streets and my kif, leather socks, were wet. I complained to my Grandsheikh. Then Grandsheikh shouted, "Don't say such a thing, Nazim Efendi! Don't complain! People have been waiting for rains, and when they are too much you talk about your leather socks !" "Astāghfirullan, forgiveness, vā Sayyidi," I said.
For everything about which you may make a complaint, you must remember that you must not complain. No reason; you must remember what you have been given and you must be ashamed to complain. Some things come to us according to the level of our faith. As much as you may be able to bear, bear that and don't complain. It is better for you. Grandsheikh does not agree that his murids, his followers, should complain, because Allah Almighty is giving something to you, He is testing you.
You must not suppose that everything should be as you like - no. You must learn to say to your Lord, "O my Lord, as you like." That is tarbiyah, training; that is irshād, guidance, showing us the correct way. That is tariqat's training, that is our murshid's, guide's, training for us.
I am not saying that you are not going to be tested. You must be tested, but you must keep yourself from complaining. You must fight your ego, your nafs, to leave off complaining because it is an illness; if you complain for one reason, then more than one comes to you. When you take up complaining, there are going to be more than two - three, four, never becoming less but increasing
Therefore, don't be trained to complain; leave off complaining. Yes, there must be so many things which may be a reason for complaint, but you must leave that complaining so that it becomes less and less and less, then finishing. That is important, for all of us. Don't complain about your husband, don't complain about your wife; rather each side must look at your partner as a favour from your Lord to you. Then you are going to be happy throughout your lives. But now an ignorant man does not say that this woman is my Lord's favour, or she does not say that that person is a favour from my Lord
to me. They are ignorant, and therefore they get fed up quickly, after three days throwing the other out like a pair of shoes. They are not from humanity but are coming down from the level of humanity to the level of animals. Only animals come with love for each other for three days and then go away, bye- bye.
We must keep the way of humanity because mankind have been honored by their Lord Almighty, while animals have been ordered to be under the command of mankind, the Children of Adam. Leave off complaining, yes. But don't think that it is going to be easy to reach that point. You must fight. In front of you may be a great battle, fighting with your ego. Your ego, your nafs, always complains, never becoming satisfied, because if your nafs is given the whole of London, it will want the whole of England to be for it, and every time it complains, never finishing. "Why London only? Must be Birmingham, must be Edinburgh, must be Kent for me." When it is given that, it asks for Scotland, then asks for Wales, asking, asking. Nafs never stops its complaining. If a man has the most beautiful lady for himself, then his nafs will look for another one. Where is another beautiful lady? Why is she not for me? She gets to be for him, also. Then he looks for still another. "Shame on you, you monstrous ego," you must say. You must know that it is impossible to stop our shameless nafs. And we have been given one nafs but ladies have been given nine nafs; yes, and they, more than men, are restraining themselves. Therefore every time punishment comes on men more than on ladies, They have an excuse in the Divine Presence, also, but you, men, no.
Yes. Therefore you must be happy. So many people are coming to me; twenty-four hours a day I am listening to complaints. Therefore Grandsheikh is making this to stop that complaining, or I will take a stick in my hand.
Whoever comes while he is complaining...!
Yes, "Alhamdulillah, ya Rabbi, glory to Allah Almighty," opens the Holy Qur'ān67. O people, say "Alhamdulillah!" and enter Paradise. Say "Al hamdulillah!" Then you will be in Paradise here and Hereafter you will also be in Paradise. At every time say "Alhamdulillahi-Rabbi-l-'alamin"; always, always say it, o people. Then all problems are going to be solved, finished; that one word saves all humanity. Therefore it is a Divine Book for the solution of every problem on earth, from beginning up to end. O people, say
67 The opening words of the first surah (chapter) of the Qur'an are, "Alhamdulillahi- Rabbi-l-‘alamin," praisē be to God, the Lord of the worlds
"Alhamdulillahi-Rabbi-l-'alamin" and you will be able to find every solution in it. Then you will be in Paradise here; before the Last Day comes, you will be in Paradise on earth. Those mercies and endless favors, like rain, will rain upon you if you can say "Alhamdulillahi-rabbi l-'alamin" for every occasion.
I am not saying that it is easy, no, because we have egos and we listen to our egos and talk and complain. But you must try, as much as you are able, to do it less and less so that you may finish it altogether. On the Day of Resurrection, when people gather in the Divine Pre sence at the end of this life's period, Allah Almighty will order an angel to proclaim to all the people gathered on that Plain of Manshahr, the Plain of Gathering, "Aina-l- hamidūn? Where are those people who always, for every occasion or for every condition they were in, used to say 'Alhamdulillan. - where are they? They must now get up and enter Paradise, no judgment for them." Bi-dün muhasabah, without being called for accounting, for judgment, without anything, Allah Almighty orders those people into Paradise who for every condition used to say "Alhamdulillahi Rabbi-l-'alamin."
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., himself is teaching us. When his little son, Sayyidina Ibrahim, died, he was too sorry; he cried, also. Two-and-a half or three years old his son was. But he said only, "Kama yuhibbu Rabbunā wa yarda. As my Lord likes and is pleased with, I agree."
Such heavy conditions or difficult trials may come on you, but you must not lose your faith in your Lord, Allah Almighty. You may be so sorry or sad, but you must always say, "As my Lord likes and pleased with, I am trying to be," so that you may reach a level, the level that only very few people can reach - the level of rida, the level of contentment.
That is the top point that a person can reach. Such people have private Paradises, and others may look at their stations as people on earth look at the stars although it is impossible to reach those stars. It is impossible, and as we look at the stars, the people of Paradise will look at the ranks, the stations, of those people of contentment; you can't approach because of their lights. You can't bear those lights; it is impossible to approach those stars. Too bright, too hot, but it is right for them, for those people of contentment.
Yes, we are beginners, but I am showing you goals to be reached. I am showing you to make you know the ways of being happy here and Hereafter. because Allah Almighty never likes His servants to be unhappy - no. Allah Almighty is not happy when His servants are unhappy. You think He is
happy when you are unhappy? You see how you can be happy if one of your family is unhappy; then you are going to be unhappy, also. And all mankind is in the divine family, the creation of the family of Allah. How can you suppose that your Lord is happy if His servants are unhappy? Therefore He is angry with people who say that they are unhappy, because He gave them everything that He did not give to anyone else, and yet they say that they are unhappy, The divine anger is on those who are unhappy. Therefore I am warning you: don't approach the divine anger.
We are asking forgiveness. We must be happy; then He is happy. Yes, alhamdulillah, we are beginners and we are trying, trying to reach that point. And you must use all possibilities to reach that goal before leaving this life, and one way for happiness is to look at everything as a favour from your Lord to you. Everyone around ourselves is from our Lord's favours. You can imagine what you would do in this city if in such a huge city there were only 50,000 people; you would say that this is the city of ghosts if there were only 50,000 in this huge city of London. Therefore everyone crowding into this city is from our Lord's favours. Maybe most of them make trouble but even if they make trouble they are favours. Otherwise it would be a very silent city; you would be able to hear your footsteps, you would be afraid. Yes. Look at everything surrounding you as being from your Lord's favours and you will live in Paradise.
'Asr/June 9, 1985
No doubt. About what? No doubt that there is a Creator in existence because if there were no Creator in existence, no creatures could be in existence. But so many people (who have heads like a football, so many people,
No doubt that Sayyidina Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is a prophet. Even if all people deny it, their denying will never change that reality. No doubt about the prophethood of Sayyidina Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and no doubt that the Glorious Qur'an is the last holy book that has been sent by Allah Almighty, the Lord of the Heavens, the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Jesus Christ, the Lord of Moses, the Lord of Abraham, the Lord of beloved Muhammad, peace be upon them all - no doubt.
A person may be in doubt about himself but he can't be in doubt that Muhammad, p. b.u.h., is a prophet and the Seal of the Prophets, sent by the
Lord of the Heavens with the last message to all mankind, and that the Holy Qur'an is the last message of Allah Almighty to His servants. No doubt that if this world goes on for eternity, his prophethood is enough. Don't say that he came fifteen centuries ago and now he is not suitable for these people, no. Not only after fifteen centuries; if fifteen trillion centuries come, he is the Prophet; no need for any other prophet. He is perfect, and he represents the perfection of his Lord Almighty. And if this world were to go on up to eternity, no need for a new holy book. The Holy Qur’an, Glorious Qur'an, is enough for everyone or for every time, for every nation, even if they were to go on eternally. No need for another book to come. It is correct because it is also perfect.
And Islam is also perfect, but if your eyes have a squint what can we do? Once Maulānā Jalaluddin Rumi, may Allah bless him, was telling a tale of a person who brought a boy to a carpenter, saying, "Please teach this boy to be a carpenter."
Then that master said, "O boy, bring that bottle here."
The boy looked and said, "Which one shall I bring? There are two bottles." "Bring a hammer. Break one of them and bring the second one."
Then he took the hammer and - tram! he broke that bottle. said, "O master, both of them are broken."
It was only one bottle, not two, but his eyes saw two, cross-eyed. Then, what shall we say if people are cross-eyed? Yes, you can't do anything. Islam is perfect. Only imperfect people can say that it is imperfect, but Allah Almighty Himself bears witness that Islam is perfect and that it is the only acceptable faith in His Divine Presence68;t whoever comes to Him in Islam, he is acceptable, not anyone else. And from beginning up to end, all the prophets brought Islam, but we give some other names to it, covering reality. Adam was Muslim, surrendering to the commands of his Lord, Allah Almighty.
Moses, Jesus Christ and all the prophets, 124,000 of them, whether their names are mentioned in the Holy Qur'an or not - all of them were Muslims69.
That means that they surrendered to their Lord - but not only for His commands, because Muslims are of two kinds. One kind surrenders to the
68 See, for example, III:19, 85, and V:4 (V:3 in Pickthall's translation)
69 See II:128, 132–133, 136; III:52, 67, 84; V:114 (111 in Pickthall); VII:126; X:84;
XII:78, among others
commands of Allah Almighty; as He commands, they try to keep those commands, those orders. But the highest degree in Islam is to surrender to the Lord's will, also. That is perfection - if you are able to say, "O my Lord, as you like, as You will, as you wish. As You will; I am not fighting."
So many people may pray, may worship, but when their Lord's will comes upon them, they make trouble, not surrendering. Look at the ocean. Until a person surrenders, it takes that person under deep; when he surrenders, then it takes him out, floating. A dead body does not go very deep, but until that struggle finishes it is under the water; then when it is dead, the ocean carries that body.
Therefore, Islam is perfect from all directions. You can look at it from any direction and you must see perfection in Islam. And when you surrender to your Lord, Almighty Allah, you will reach true peace and happiness and satisfaction, here and Hereafter. Then the angels will carry you on their heads. No troubles or sufferings for that person - finished: he has surrendered, never struggling, never fighting his Lord's will. For this reason a grandsheikh, 'Abdul Qadir Jilani, was saying, "Allah Almighty’s will runs. If a person goes against that will, wanting to stop it, that makes his tauhid70 vanish, because only His will prevails."
Don't stand against the will of you Lord Almighty; rather you must be suitable to run with that will. Yes, Allah Almighty gives honor to His servants by giving them a will, but out of your good manners you must say, "O my Lord, You gave me will, and all wills are in Your Hands. And I surrender to You, I give my will, also, to You. I am going to be as you like, O my Lord. Don't leave me in the hands of my will."
You can understand, yes? That is the perfection which Islam brought finally for all nations. You must surrender to the Lord's will because His will is the best for you. You don't know. You may ask for something but you never know what is going to happen to you ultimately. What the result will be if you ask for that, you can't know.
Once Jesus Christ, p.b.u.h., who was created by a miracle - he was miraculous; he was the servant of his Lord alone - was travelling. And one
70 The Divine Unity, which embraces the Oneness of God Almighty and of everything, in existence, and also the oneness of the command or decree, covering everything in existence, which proceeds only from the one holy Will
day a person met him and he said, "Oh, you are Jesus Christ. I must travel with you, be your companion."
But it is not easy to be companion to those chosen people. You must keep adab with them, you must be good-mannered with them. Then he walked with Jesus Christ; for some distance he went. They reached a beach and there was a pile of bones, a skeleton. And that person said to Jesus Christ, "O Jesus Christ, please make these bones come to life, as I would like to see what kind of an animal it was. You have miracles, you can do this."
Jesus Christ stopped him, saying, "Don't ask, don't do this. Leave it alone." But he was insistent, saying, "No, I must see."
Then Jesus Christ, p.b.u.h., said, "O my Lord, who gives life to dead bones, make it appear as it was before." As soon as the words were finished, a huge tiger rose up and rushed at that person, cutting him and eating. And Jesus Christ, p.b.u.h., said, "O my friend, you should not have asked this. I said, 'Don't ask,' but you wanted that. It is not a good end for you."
Therefore, we have will which Allah Almighty gives us, and we are asking this, asking that, wishing this, wishing that, but not leaving it to our Lord, not saying, "O my Lord, let it be as you like." So many times I ask something.
Then it does not go as I wish but goes another way, and then I thank my Lord, Allah Almighty, saying, "Alhamdulillah," thanks be to Allah that what I wanted did not happen. This is better, this is the best - what Allah Almighty wills for us."
This must be well-known. He has only honored His people, His servants, because Allah Almighty never gave any other creature will. Will, the divine attribute, has been granted to the Children of Adam, and He is trying you because you are His deputy or have been created as candidate for the deputy of Allah Almighty. No other creature has that honor. Therefore He grants you from His divine attribute, His will, giving you will and seeing what His servant does with his will that he has been granted. Is he using his will only once, for one thing, saying, "O my Lord, You granted me that divine attribute which belongs to you, and I am using it only once: to return my will to You. I give it to you. You make me as you like"? That is the top point of Islam and the top point of adab m'a Allah, good manners with Allah Almighty.
Therefore we have been given six articles of faith in Islam: believing in God, believing in angels, believing in holy books, believing in prophets, believing
in the Last Day, and believing that everything is "on program." Now people make programs for electronic computers and those machines work as that is written. The meaning of "Khairihi wa sharrihi min Allani Ta'alā," the sixth pillar of iman, of faith, is that you must know that everyone's life has been divinely-programmed: you must know this. When you know it, when you believe in it, then you must say, "O my Lord, I give my will to you. You lead me, You guide me, to my destination." That is a deep secret but it is also obvious because no one is created without his own program. It is written an Lawhi-l-Mahfudh, the Preserved Tablet. What does it mean? That everything is programmed.
Now in this century, people are so proud of their computers, of their science, and it is not more than a drop in an endless Knowledge Ocean of the Lord of the universes. Only that little drop Allah Almighty has authorized for the Children of Adam by His divine attribute, knowledge, and it is such a little drop beside Allah Almighty's endless Knowledge Oceans and endless Wisdom Oceans. "Wa ma utitum min al-'ilmi illa qalila71." No matter how much you may know about everything - Allah Almighty may give you more knowledge, more knowledge; every time you may ask and He gives - it is always going to be only a small amount, qalila, not a big one; it will always be a little bit. Don't be proud; no! It is only a little bit of knowledge you have been given, but yet you look at yourself as if you know everything. No; you can't know everything because your capacity, your capability, is only within limits. Therefore it is impossible to the cover endless oceans.
But people now are so proud, and unlearned or ignorant people are also proud, saying, "This is the time of space, this is the time of computers." But - do you know about computers? No. He only looks but can never understand how it works, but he is also proud because he lives in a century of computers. He imagines that he did that, that he made this, never thinking that it is only a little bit of authority or of knowledge that has been given to people during the last century.
There is not going to be another century; this one is going to complete the world's period. We are waiting for Qiyamah, for a finishing. The beginning has passed away and we are going to the finish, to the ending of this life; this period is going to be ended. And people imagine that they may do anything, and they imagine, also, wrongly, that their thoughts, their ideas, are correct because everyone thinks himself to be something - not only to be something
71 And there has not been given to you of knowledge except a little (XVII:85)
but to be everything, and then he claims that he is a Lord, looking at everything that science brought for the life of mankind in this century, like a tale about Pharoah.
Pharoah claimed that he was the Lord of the Egyptians; yes, he thought that. But once Satan came and knocked at his door, and Pharoah asked, "Who is it? Who is there?"
Satan entered without opening the door; no need, coming in and saying, "How do you claim that you are the Lord of the Egyptians? You don't even know who is at the door and ask who is there. A Lord not knowing what is beyond this wall, beyond that door? And how do you claim that you are God
- and the first one, also, not an ordinary god, saying that you are the most famous one, the commander of the Gods, also, not an or dinary one? What is your power, to claim such a thing?"
"Oh, I have so many wizards, magicians," Pharoah said. "Bring them here,"
Then Pharoah brought so many, hundreds of magicians. "What is your power?" Satan said to them. "Show me."
Then those magicians made a strange and terrible show in front of Pharoah and Satan. Satan looked. "This is your power by which you claim that you are God?"
"Yes," Pharoah said. "This is my power and those magicians are power stations for me, for my godhood."
"Oh, such important power stations you have !" Satan said. Then he blew on their magic and everything disappeared. Even Pharoah and all of them appeared without clothes, nothing to cover themselves, and trembling.
"Look!" said Satan. Now see what I will do." Then he blew again and made such a magic show that their minds went out, becoming crazy. Now our people in the twentieth century, to whom Allah Almighty just gave a little bit of authority of knowledge, look at their computers, at their rockets, at their satellites, and they say, "No God. We are Gods." Aha, their powers! In one second Allah Almighty can take everything from their hands and leave them crazy.
Then that pharoah was without clothes, trembling, and all the magicians, also. And Satan asked, "O Pharoah, are you important or am I important? Are you more powerful or is my power more?"
"No, you!
Then Satan said to him, "Are you not ashamed to say that you are God? With such power in me, my Lord never accepted me, casting me out from His servanthood. How would He accept you as a partner to Him? Are you not ashamed?"
"Yes, that is true, " Pharoah said. "I must repent, I must ask forgiveness."
"No, don't do that," Satan said. "Keep your position; it is all right. I don't mean to say that you must say you are sorry. If it is for me, don't say anything. I am your teacher, I am your boss. You must be under my command. As I order you, keep yourself” (because the Egyptians were accustomed to have Lords, and when Satan disappeared, they came and made sajdah to Pharoah; they were accustomed to that). "If you tell them that you are a servant like themselves," Satan said, "then there will be too many troubles in Egypt. They will run to find another Lord and it will be a difficulty for me. Now it is all right. You can be their Lord."
This tale is for those people who are too proud of their science, while it is only a little bit of knowledge that Allah Almighty has authorized them with this power, electricity. That is something of qudrah, power. As yet no one is able to give a description of what electricity is. Who can say? No one knows what electricity is. Rather it is a qudrah, a power from endless Power Oceans, which Allah Almighty just gave authority : to catch, to be under our command, as He promised: “Wa sakhara lakum ma fis-samawati wa mā fil- tardi jami'an72"; "sakhara" is from "taskhir," to make under our command.
That is only one ray from endless Power Oceans which Allah Almighty gives under our command, running in this wire, not burning it. If you catch hold of a naked wire, you may die. No one knows what is going in it. If it is electrons, they must be finished. What is running in it? Energy. And people are so proud! If Allah Almighty says, "Kun fa yakun73, Stop that energy," then everything that the Children of Adam are so proud of will be lost.
72 And He has subjected to you whatever is in the Heavens and whatever is an earth all together
73 Be, and it is," the divine Word of Creation mentioned in several places in the Qur'an
Therefore, o people, o believers, o Children of Adam, you must ask for perfection in your souls. That is important to ask because we have been invited to the Divine Presence and Allah Almighty is asking from every one perfection within himself, spiritual perfection. Take that perfection through the prophets, particularly from the Last Prophet, the Seal of the Prophets, p.b.u.h.
May Allah Almighty forgive us, because mostly we are running after our egoes and their desires, and we are using our wills in the direction of our egoes' desires and it is making us dishonored people. We must be honorable people in the Divine Presence. And that is all.
Isha/June 9, 1985
May Allah keep us from our egoes' evil. As much as you are able to, fight your ego. There is a different test every day. Allah Almighty is looking. If you go after your ego like a sheep, then it is dangerous. Keep to the right hand and go on, straight; then there will be peace and satisfaction for you, here and Hereafter.
May Allah Almighty let you, all of you, taste true faith. It is sweet, true faith's taste. When you taste true faith, you keep it, never losing it. The one who does not taste, he quickly leaves, quickly loses.
Which way makes you taste true faith? Dhikr74; dhikr makes you taste the taste of iman. Say "Allah" and you may taste the taste of faith. Whoever feels darkness and depression in his heart may say "Allah-Allah Allah..." and then nothing can stop his heart. When you say "Allah-Allah Allah..." there is no darkness in your heart. But if it should continue, then keep your tongue silent
74 Remembrance, specifically, of God. In the specific sense used among Sufis, dhikr denotés remembrance of God through repetition of phrases of glorification or His Holy Names, as mentioned in the Prophet's Hadith. One may.follow a personal wird or wazifah, that is, a regular, daily practice of dhikr given by one's Sheikh, which consists of a fixed number of repetitions of such parases or Names, and beyond that may try to keep his heart constantly with his Lord by engaging in dhikr whenever possible
and make your heart say, "Allah-hu, Allan-hu. Allan-hū - Haqq75" and you should hear t
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6163