Mercy Oceans, Book 11 (183 pages, 9/17)
https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6164
he same dhikr that we are now say ing in your heart.
Now listen. Three times "Allahhū - Haqq." Any time you may want to listen and keep your tongue silent, look at your heart and you may, you must, hear that dhikr going on, never stopping. When you listen, then darkness and depression go away.
"Asr/June 10, 1985
We are now living in this world. Goodness and badness, or haqq wa batil, truth and falsehood, are fighting. This side is the right side; the right side means right. Right is right, and people are in two parts, right-going people and left-going people.
One group wants to follow the right path, to be righteous, to do good things, to be with haqq. The second wants every bad thing and wants everyone to do evil. One group is against their egoes; they are following the ways of prophets and the Way of the Seal of the Prophets, peace be upon him and upon them, and the second group of people is never interested in any holy thing or any heavenly actions; they are only occupied with their pleasures during this temporary life. They never proclaim any goodness but only accept everything that is a pleasure for their egoes, saying, "It is right," and for everything that goes against their pleasures they say, "That is bātil, falsehood."
And those un believers are envious people, also; too envious people, not a little bit. That is an illness, envy, and dangerous, but it is with everyone a little; if you do not take a cure for that, it may destroy your faith. But unbelievers are people poisoned with envy, as Satan was poisoned by envy because he was envious of Adam. Therefore envious people are dangerous. For what reason? Because envious people never like something which they don't have to be with a person, going to be crazy when they see it. And even now, it is holy Ramadan, and non-fasting people are too envious. They may say, "Why are you fasting. No good, fasting. You must eat, you must look after your ego, your horse, to make it stronger. Otherwise your horse may
75 Allah, Allah, Allah - Truth (or Reality)," This dhikr was transmitted by the Holy Prophet, p.b.u.h., to Abu Bakr Siddiq when we two of them were hiding in the Cave of Thaur during their flight from Makkah to Madinah
die." Non-fasting people are advising fasting people, "No, don't do that. Why, these are long days, too long days. You may be thirsty or you may be hungry. You may die from hunger. Terrible!" Too much pity for us; they are crying for fasting people that they are going to die.
From their envy they are saying this. Any good thing that envious people see with someone, they want it to go away from that person. If he has a house, envious people say, "Why does he have a house? He must be like me - no house." If you have a car, they are envious of your car. Sometimes they are envious because I walk and they have a car. And I am saying, "O people, for a big man, a big car. All big cars are for you. Why are you fighting with those who have small cars? Big cars are all under your command. Why envy?" Then sometimes there are people saying, "This car has a private number, paying more money for it, like the government." But what about its going on the same roads, going in traffic, lights stopping it? Even if it is a Rolls Royce, there is no private road for it; it goes on the common road. What is the benefit, whether you ride in an old car or in a Rolls Royce? You must still wait for the traffic.
Who are wrong people? Unbelievers and disobedient people who keep to falsehood; they are all wrong, crooked. And everyone who is crooked wants all true people, right people, to be crooked, also. That is their hobby.
You must recognize people, o believers who are asking to walk on the right path. This is important for your life, because such people are coming to deceive you out of their envy. For this reason, Grandsheikh was saying, "In our time, if a person intends to put one foot an the right path, one thousand devils rush at him to take his foot back to the wrong path." We are living in such a time now. When they see a person putting his foot on the right path, they are going to go crazy.
Therefore the most important thing for believers now is sabāt fil-'amr, perseverence on the right way; that is important. On that point fighting is taking place. A believer in our time, and in ever time, is in need more than anything else to be patient, mutahammil, forbearing. It is so important. You must bear, you must be able to fix or to make firm your root on the right path. Conditions may be of any kind, but under any con ditions you will never move from your station, from your base, even though they may do like this, like that, to move you. You must be - a mumin, a believer, must be - like a gigantic mountain. No condition of weather ever moves it from its base.
Once there was a grandsheikh, the sheikh of the sultan. He was not such a big, heavy person; he was like this, a thin one. A wrestler came from Europe, a very famous one, and he wrestled with all the other wrestlers.
They brought this wrestler into the presence of the sultan for a wrestling match. Everyone who came to wrestle he put down. A person coming from the Christians puts down all the Muslim wrestlers, and the sultan is sitting there! Then that sheikh said, "O Sultan, give me permission to fight that one."
"O my grandsheikh, what are you going to do with that one?" the sultan said. "It will be like an elephant falling on you."
"If you give me permission for that person, I will fight him." Then he took off his turban, preparing to fight. He was thin, with legs looking like this, a very small person and an old one, also.
“What are you doing?" asked the wrestler.
"I am coming to wrestle you. But now I will stand here," and he fixed himself in his place like this. "You attack me. Try. I will not move from here. You put me down. You can do the first attack and then I will try myself."
That wrestler looked at him, heh-heh. Then he hit him, but his hand came up against a rock. That grandsheikh stood, never, never moving. Then that wrestler went back a little and rushed at him. Never! Going two steps back and rushing - never! Then it was like a bullfight, going back some distance and that bull came with his head. But the sheikh was standing. From this side, from that side, like a bull that wrestler came and then went back, trying from every direction, and the sheikh fixed his heart upon his Lord. Not only that wrestler, but if all the people on earth had combined all their powers into one and come at him, he would never have moved; they would not have been able to move him from his place.
We are saying this as an example for understanding how a mumin, believer, should be an his faith, on his base. When he believes and stands on his faith, if the whole world comes and wants to push him or to pull him, it can never push or pull him from his base. He is a mumin, he is with his Lord.
Yes Allah Almighty says to His Prophet, p.b.u.h., "Ask. You have been given." Then the Prophet's followers, also, they are the same, Allah Almighty saying to those sincere believers and followers of beloved Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., "O My servants, ask and you will be given. I am keeping those favors for those who ask. Ask; you have been given." That sheikh asked, and he asked also to show that we have power and that power is not only the physical body's power; you can find that in bulls, in elephants, in other animals. But we sometimes have such a power that we can move the whole world because we have been created to be deputies of the Lord of the Heavens and of the world and of the universes. Don't be in doubt about yourself.
But we are in doubt; there is no certainty in us. And we are trying to acquire that certainty. You can read, you can learn everything from books. It is possible, but for certainty it is impossible. You must be with someone who has certainty.
You may be with scholars; you can learn everything from scholars except certainty. The certainty-market is with awliyā. Therefore the sultans had those people of certainty with them, and the sultān then came to certainty with that sheikh. Grandsheikh Yahya Hazretleri was the sheikh of Sulaiman the Magnificent, who came up to Vienna. No one moved without his sheikh's permission. That sheikh gave the sultan and those in attendance a lesson that they could never forget about certainty. They must acquire certainty with that vision that we have a power more than our physical body's power. No one can move us, no one can move believers from their beliefs, if they have certainty. They are winners, victorious always.
Then that grandsheikh asked that wrestler, "Have you finished?" "Yes, I have finished."
The grandsheikh caught him by his belt. "Now it is my turn" - taking him from there like a feather, that big elephant, turning him and throwing him over the people out onto the grass.
Then that wrestler stood up and ran to the sheikh's feet, kissing them and saying, "O Grandsheikh, let me say shahadah with you for coming into Islam76."
76 The Declaration of Faith. "Ashhadu an la ilaha ill-Allah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadu Rasul-Allan, I' bear winess that there is no deity out God and I bear witness that Muhamad is the Messenger of God," by proclaiming which a person embraces Islam
Islam is the most perfect, powerful physically and spiritually, giving people perfection from every direction. Don't look now at the Islamic world, sleeping. Western countries think that Islam is finished. No. Don't think that the tigers in the jungle have finished and gone. Someone may sleep bravely inside; sometimes someone may be inside, waiting. And the Islamic world is not empty but full. As it was before, those lions, divine lions, are in action, on guard, looking. One-hundred-twenty-four thousand of them are guarding not only the Islamic world; over all mankind they are also guardians. Therefore don't suppose that everything is in the hands of those people who may press the buttons of those bombs - no; there are commanders over them, also, guarding people, looking after them. Yes.
We mean to say that we are in need of certainty. All of you, you are educated people; so many books, translated from Islamic sources, you have. You know more than me one hundred times, one thousand times, all of you. But it is not important because we can't acquire certainty through books, as a physician, if he wants to be a surgeon, can't be one by looking at books.
He must be with a surgeon, looking at how he cuts, how he opens a person. That is the means of certainty.
Now, that sheikh showed all the people that if a person is firm in his beliefs, no one can move him. Not only that wrestler, no; it does not mean that if another one comes he can move him. No, even if all the people living on earth rush at him, it is impossible. That is important. We are in need of that. He gave the sultān and all in attendance that lesson of certainty.
Therefore a mumin must be like a mountain; all the storms may came on it but they never move it from its base. Do you think that the Himalayas move? Everest is still on the same base after so many storms. Therefore you must be on your base. If not only one thousand devils attack you, even if everyone is a devil and rushes at you, they can't move you from your base. Therefore we are in need of those who have certainty for Islam.
Now I am hearing that so many religious people are coming from Turkey to Europe for Ramadan or to teach people. It is not such an important thing. You can send physicians from one country to another, but as for religious people, perhaps you may be able to find more learned ones than themselves in religious knowledge among European people. As we have here also Jamalat at-Tabligh77, they are coming to teach you, Western people, and
77 A world-wide movement for the propagation of Islam
they can find so many learned people in Westem countries, knowing more about Islam than themselves.
European people or Western people, all or most Muslims living in Europe or in America, are not in need of knowledge; no, you have that. You are in need of certainty, of the one who gives it to you. If you can acquire that certainty from books, no need. But you can't acquire it.
I have heard so many people objecting to Sufi ways. Some scholars are discussing how we can be successful in spreading and in calling people to Islam. And I am saying, "You can't be successful." Here, in 1975, I think, there was an international Islamic conference. For fifteen days, perhaps five hundred scholars were speaking, speaking, speaking in that conference, and people were only sleeping. And I never saw anyone from Westem people who came and said, at the end of that conference, "O scholars, we understand what Islam is. We have tasted it and we want to say Shahadah."
At the last moment, Salim Azzam asked me, because the Turkish community asked for one man also from themselves; our sheikh must speak. It was only ten minutes before Maghrib time when it finished on the last day, ten minutes which were enough for me and for the people present to say ten sentences. Those ten minutes were enough to open their eyes, becoming too happy, and after that ten persons came and said Shahādah with me. Hadha, min fadli Rabbi, this is from my Lord's favours to me; it is not from myself but I must say it. I am not going to cheat, to deceive you; I must tell the truth which I know is truth.
Yes, that is one exhibition of scholars. And they look at Sufi people - because I was wearing the Prophet's sunnah78;, not one of them was, and they don't like a person observing sunnah to come and speak to people - they look at ourselves as mutaakhir, raja'i, backward (they are too forward, making people sleep!).
I remember what the beginning of that address was. "O people, scholars have given you too much, making you sleep without tablets, without pills. Listen to me." Then people were awakened, happy. Yes, and it is all right. We have been sent to Europe. It is not my will, but the Lord's will has sent me.
78 That is, clothing and beard according to the Prophet's tradition
'Asr/June 11, 1985
Adam and Eve were created in Paradise. Allah Almighty put them there, making their residence in it. What was the reason that they were taken out of Paradise ?
That is a point, perhaps the most important point, to be known by every one of their children, the Children of Adam; that must be well known. It has been mentioned throughout holy books; otherwise no one could know it. If our Lord had not informed us through His prophets in His holy books, no one would know what was the beginning and what was the reason that Adam and Eve, the grandfather and grandmother of all the Children of Adam, were cast out of Paradise.
The reason was only disobeying the divine order of Allah Almighty. And who was urging Adam and Eve to be rebellious to their Lord? It was Satan. Now, we must know that to be rebellious takes us here, also, out of the divine mercy and calls people into Hell, just as rebellion caused Eve and Adam to be cast out of Paradise. Allah Almighty informs His servants and commands them, saying, "O My servants, you must know what Satan did with your parents. Then I am warning you not to fall into the same traps or mistakes, because when you are mistaken you may fall into the trap of Satan. Don't approach that and don't make the same mistake; I am warning you," Allah Almighty says through His prophets at every time to His servants. "O people, I am creating you for My servanthood only. Don't be servants to your enemy
- and My enemy, also - Satan. Leave him and come to Me."
But Satan has a chance to deceive or cheat people: this immediate life's pleasures. It is a chance for Satan to be able to call people, and millions of people are running after him and only very few people are coming after the prophets and after awliyā.
Once Allah Almighty sent Iblis, Satan, to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., for questioning. Sayyidina Muhammad was to ask Satan questions and he was to answer them correctly. And Allah warned Satan, "If you do not give the right answers, then I am going to destroy you finally."
Satan was very worried about that point, to be destroyed finally, and he jumped and came to that house in which the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and his Companions were meeting. When Satan came to the door asking permission to enter, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., sent a Sahābi to see who was at the door.
Whe he went and saw a strange creature, his hair stood on end, and he
returned. saying, "Ya Rasul-Allah, o Prophet! There is a very strange person waiting. I never saw such an ugly face!"
Subhanallah! Allah Almighty had created Satan with a good form: he had been handsome and his name had previously been 'Azāzil, derived from "to be honored." But, o believers, what thing makes a person ugly? Do you know? No one is created ugly; no. Beautiful ladies, handsome gentlemen. Allah created them perfect; He gave perfection to the Children of Adam. And how could it not be so when He is going to make them His deputies, creating the Children of Adam to be His deputies? Therefore He has created man, created the Children of Adam, "ahsani taqwim79," in perfect shapes, perfect forms. For this reason it is haram to say that someone is ugly. But what thing makes people appear ugly? We must know it.
It is not the form which is ugly, no, but ugliness is something in which Allah Almighty dresses some people. For what reason? As Satan was in a good position, a handsome situation, then, when he became a disobedient servant, He dressed him in that ugly shape; he was not in such a form earlier, so ugly. And the Children of Adam are also dressed in ugliness by their disobedient actions, so that anyone who is disobedient to his Lord, Almighty Allah dresses in an ugly garment, and he or she appears among people with an ugly appearance. Otherwise no one could say about another one that he is ugly, until he does something so that his Lord is not pleased with him and then dresses him in ugliness. That is an important point. And if that ugliness is not put on people during their lives, finally it is put on many people at death. When they are dying, they are dressed in it, also, so that so many people have such ugly and fearful faces at death. And so many other people are dressed in a good form; you may look and you won't be satisfied with looking at him even when he is a dead body.
That is an important point for people. Everyone must know what ugliness is and from where it comes to people. When they are disobedient servants, they must be dressed in ugly shapes. No matter how much they may put here, here, here, to make themselves beautiful, yet that wildness and ugliness appears from them. Yes.
Then the Prophet, p.b.u.h., said to his Companions, "It is Iblis, Satan. Let him come in." And he entered but he was fearful-looking. And the Prophet,
79 In the best of forms (XCV:4)
p.b.u.h., asked him, "What is the reason that you have come here? Do you not know that I am under divine protection and that whoever sits with me is also under divine protection from you?" Yes, still you may sit under the tent of the Prophet, and if Satan thinks or feels that a person has his Prophet's friendship or is companion with him, Satan never approaches him, because anyone who is in companionship with Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is under divine protection here and Hereafter.
Then Satan said, "O Muhammad (never saying 'Rasul-Allah' but only ‘Muhammad'), I know that you and your Companions are under divine protection here and Hereafter, and no way for me on you and your Companions. But I have been ordered by the Lord ('by the Lord'; he was too angry to say 'my Lord'), I have been sent by the Lord to be here and if you have any questions, to answer them truthfully. Otherwise he is threatening to destroy me finally."
And the Prophet, p.b.u.h., Sayyidina Muhammad, said, "Alhamdulillah to my Lord, endless praise that He sent you here so that I may ask questions and my nation may know about your tricks and traps." And the first question he asked Satan was, "Who is the first and most important enemy to you?"
"You, Muhammad," Satan said. "You are my most important enemy, you are the first one." And that is true, because Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is calling people to his Lord, and Satan calls them and says to them, "Don't listen to the Seal of the Prophets or to anyone else who says, 'I am a prophet.' Don't believe in them, o people, and leave them." This Satan advises the Children of Adam. "Come to me. Here are all pleasures ready for you now. The prophets say, 'Afterwards, in the Hereafter,' but I am selling you pleasures here, all ready. Come on and enjoy yourself. Don't think about anything after this life, don't believe in those words but believe in these pleasures in this life. Take your pleasure from my market, as much as you are able to take." And people are running after Satan to take more pleasure or to enjoy themselves as much as they are able.
We are now living in a time about which the Prophet, p.b.u.h., informed us fifteen centuries ago, telling what is going to happen in our time. And he gave a description of the characteristics of people who are living in the twentieth century: "Ummatuhum butūnuhum wa qiblatuhum nisā uhum80. Ummatuhum butūnuhum - all of peoples' thoughts, what is important to
80 The thing which they follow is their stomachs, and their qiblah [direction in which one orients himself] is their ladies
them, are only on their stomachs, how they are going to get more enjoyment by eating. And I hear, and sometimes I see, that people, particularly in Western countries, sit down to eat and they spend many hours eating, drinking, going out, coming in, sitting; eating, drinking, going, coming; drinking, eating, going out, coming back, such a way of spending the whole night or whole day which shows that so many people, if they are free, not working, the important thing for them will be only eating and drinking. That is most important for them during this life.
And the Prophet, p.b.u.h., in that hadith said also, "Qiblatuhum nisa'uhun." They will make their ladies like their qiblah to come to; they will not make sajdah except to their ladies, never coming on their knees except in front of their ladies. That is a miraculous hadith, giving the correct view of the characteristics of the people living in the last quarter of the twentieth century. If you do not believe this, you can look at any advertisement, putting one lady. I saw an advertisement of a car with a lady standing by it, and I asked our brother, "Does this advertisement say that if anyone buys a car, they will give him this lady, also, charming lady?"
Look, now, when you are going around. Men are using women. They are so oppressive to women, deceiving them and loading too much on them. They are cheating them, saying, "You are the first, we are the second." And women say, we have rights like the rights of men. Why, we work in factories, we work in offices. We are equal with these men everywhere, but in the houes we are not equal." Men are taking women out of their houses to load on them also, a heavy work, a heavy load. And Allah Almighty created women only for light work, for what is suitable for their natures, for the nest. Nest - yes, She should look after that only, not being destroyed by hard work outside, no. It is not justice, it is not mercy; we do not accept that. If I come to be in govemment, the first command would be to take that heavy burden from women. On cold days, morning time, like this, coming out to buses to go from one place to another; nighttime like this, trembling with cold, returning to their houses. What is this dhulm, this oppression? You, men - you have been ordered to do heavy work, not your ladies!
Therefore no more compassion is coming on us; a curse has come upon the earth. For this reason, Satan is now preparing a fire-festival, and through that fire-festival mostly men are going to be destroyed. Even out of forty people, thirty-nine will be women; only one man left. Men will go down. Allah Almighty is too angry with those people; they have changed His rule, His divine rule.
Yes, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., is calling people to their Lord, and satan is calling them to pleasure. And now almost all people are running after their stomachs, how tasty a meal they can eat, while it only goes from your lips to your throat, that taste; when it is settled in your stomach, whether you ate and filled it with dry bread or with baklava, or with lamb or with olives, it is all the same. But people are running after it for its taste only, and eating and drinking and eating, and everyone wishes his stomach were a barrel.
That is the characteristic of people which the Prophet spoke about fifteen centuries ago. Yes, you may take from halal as much as is enough for you, but don't run after too much. Enough carries you; more than enough you carry. You must understand. That is the most important medical advice in Islam, given to all people. O people, if anyone takes what is enough for him, that enough carries him, giving him enough energy for everything. But if you take more you are going to be like a dustbin; everything is put into it, and you can say about those people that they are dustbins81.
Then the Prophet, p. b.u.h., asked Satan, "And who is your second greatest enemy?"
"Those young people who follow you," Satan said. Therefore I see that you are all, alhamdulillah, enemies of Satan because I do not see here any old people except me and four others, enough. And the two hundred other people are all young people, alhamdulillan. You are his enemies because Satan has cut off his hope from ourselves but not yet from you. Therefore he is enemy to you, saying, "Those young people who follow you, O Munammad - they are enemies to me, second degree." Therefore you, young followers of the way of your Lord, you are going to be side by side with Prophet Muhammad, pb.u.h.. on the Last Day. You have been honored to be his companions, the closest people to beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h., in Paradise.
Now, it is going to be a long lecture if we
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6164
he same dhikr that we are now say ing in your heart.
Now listen. Three times "Allahhū - Haqq." Any time you may want to listen and keep your tongue silent, look at your heart and you may, you must, hear that dhikr going on, never stopping. When you listen, then darkness and depression go away.
"Asr/June 10, 1985
We are now living in this world. Goodness and badness, or haqq wa batil, truth and falsehood, are fighting. This side is the right side; the right side means right. Right is right, and people are in two parts, right-going people and left-going people.
One group wants to follow the right path, to be righteous, to do good things, to be with haqq. The second wants every bad thing and wants everyone to do evil. One group is against their egoes; they are following the ways of prophets and the Way of the Seal of the Prophets, peace be upon him and upon them, and the second group of people is never interested in any holy thing or any heavenly actions; they are only occupied with their pleasures during this temporary life. They never proclaim any goodness but only accept everything that is a pleasure for their egoes, saying, "It is right," and for everything that goes against their pleasures they say, "That is bātil, falsehood."
And those un believers are envious people, also; too envious people, not a little bit. That is an illness, envy, and dangerous, but it is with everyone a little; if you do not take a cure for that, it may destroy your faith. But unbelievers are people poisoned with envy, as Satan was poisoned by envy because he was envious of Adam. Therefore envious people are dangerous. For what reason? Because envious people never like something which they don't have to be with a person, going to be crazy when they see it. And even now, it is holy Ramadan, and non-fasting people are too envious. They may say, "Why are you fasting. No good, fasting. You must eat, you must look after your ego, your horse, to make it stronger. Otherwise your horse may
75 Allah, Allah, Allah - Truth (or Reality)," This dhikr was transmitted by the Holy Prophet, p.b.u.h., to Abu Bakr Siddiq when we two of them were hiding in the Cave of Thaur during their flight from Makkah to Madinah
die." Non-fasting people are advising fasting people, "No, don't do that. Why, these are long days, too long days. You may be thirsty or you may be hungry. You may die from hunger. Terrible!" Too much pity for us; they are crying for fasting people that they are going to die.
From their envy they are saying this. Any good thing that envious people see with someone, they want it to go away from that person. If he has a house, envious people say, "Why does he have a house? He must be like me - no house." If you have a car, they are envious of your car. Sometimes they are envious because I walk and they have a car. And I am saying, "O people, for a big man, a big car. All big cars are for you. Why are you fighting with those who have small cars? Big cars are all under your command. Why envy?" Then sometimes there are people saying, "This car has a private number, paying more money for it, like the government." But what about its going on the same roads, going in traffic, lights stopping it? Even if it is a Rolls Royce, there is no private road for it; it goes on the common road. What is the benefit, whether you ride in an old car or in a Rolls Royce? You must still wait for the traffic.
Who are wrong people? Unbelievers and disobedient people who keep to falsehood; they are all wrong, crooked. And everyone who is crooked wants all true people, right people, to be crooked, also. That is their hobby.
You must recognize people, o believers who are asking to walk on the right path. This is important for your life, because such people are coming to deceive you out of their envy. For this reason, Grandsheikh was saying, "In our time, if a person intends to put one foot an the right path, one thousand devils rush at him to take his foot back to the wrong path." We are living in such a time now. When they see a person putting his foot on the right path, they are going to go crazy.
Therefore the most important thing for believers now is sabāt fil-'amr, perseverence on the right way; that is important. On that point fighting is taking place. A believer in our time, and in ever time, is in need more than anything else to be patient, mutahammil, forbearing. It is so important. You must bear, you must be able to fix or to make firm your root on the right path. Conditions may be of any kind, but under any con ditions you will never move from your station, from your base, even though they may do like this, like that, to move you. You must be - a mumin, a believer, must be - like a gigantic mountain. No condition of weather ever moves it from its base.
Once there was a grandsheikh, the sheikh of the sultan. He was not such a big, heavy person; he was like this, a thin one. A wrestler came from Europe, a very famous one, and he wrestled with all the other wrestlers.
They brought this wrestler into the presence of the sultan for a wrestling match. Everyone who came to wrestle he put down. A person coming from the Christians puts down all the Muslim wrestlers, and the sultan is sitting there! Then that sheikh said, "O Sultan, give me permission to fight that one."
"O my grandsheikh, what are you going to do with that one?" the sultan said. "It will be like an elephant falling on you."
"If you give me permission for that person, I will fight him." Then he took off his turban, preparing to fight. He was thin, with legs looking like this, a very small person and an old one, also.
“What are you doing?" asked the wrestler.
"I am coming to wrestle you. But now I will stand here," and he fixed himself in his place like this. "You attack me. Try. I will not move from here. You put me down. You can do the first attack and then I will try myself."
That wrestler looked at him, heh-heh. Then he hit him, but his hand came up against a rock. That grandsheikh stood, never, never moving. Then that wrestler went back a little and rushed at him. Never! Going two steps back and rushing - never! Then it was like a bullfight, going back some distance and that bull came with his head. But the sheikh was standing. From this side, from that side, like a bull that wrestler came and then went back, trying from every direction, and the sheikh fixed his heart upon his Lord. Not only that wrestler, but if all the people on earth had combined all their powers into one and come at him, he would never have moved; they would not have been able to move him from his place.
We are saying this as an example for understanding how a mumin, believer, should be an his faith, on his base. When he believes and stands on his faith, if the whole world comes and wants to push him or to pull him, it can never push or pull him from his base. He is a mumin, he is with his Lord.
Yes Allah Almighty says to His Prophet, p.b.u.h., "Ask. You have been given." Then the Prophet's followers, also, they are the same, Allah Almighty saying to those sincere believers and followers of beloved Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., "O My servants, ask and you will be given. I am keeping those favors for those who ask. Ask; you have been given." That sheikh asked, and he asked also to show that we have power and that power is not only the physical body's power; you can find that in bulls, in elephants, in other animals. But we sometimes have such a power that we can move the whole world because we have been created to be deputies of the Lord of the Heavens and of the world and of the universes. Don't be in doubt about yourself.
But we are in doubt; there is no certainty in us. And we are trying to acquire that certainty. You can read, you can learn everything from books. It is possible, but for certainty it is impossible. You must be with someone who has certainty.
You may be with scholars; you can learn everything from scholars except certainty. The certainty-market is with awliyā. Therefore the sultans had those people of certainty with them, and the sultān then came to certainty with that sheikh. Grandsheikh Yahya Hazretleri was the sheikh of Sulaiman the Magnificent, who came up to Vienna. No one moved without his sheikh's permission. That sheikh gave the sultan and those in attendance a lesson that they could never forget about certainty. They must acquire certainty with that vision that we have a power more than our physical body's power. No one can move us, no one can move believers from their beliefs, if they have certainty. They are winners, victorious always.
Then that grandsheikh asked that wrestler, "Have you finished?" "Yes, I have finished."
The grandsheikh caught him by his belt. "Now it is my turn" - taking him from there like a feather, that big elephant, turning him and throwing him over the people out onto the grass.
Then that wrestler stood up and ran to the sheikh's feet, kissing them and saying, "O Grandsheikh, let me say shahadah with you for coming into Islam76."
76 The Declaration of Faith. "Ashhadu an la ilaha ill-Allah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadu Rasul-Allan, I' bear winess that there is no deity out God and I bear witness that Muhamad is the Messenger of God," by proclaiming which a person embraces Islam
Islam is the most perfect, powerful physically and spiritually, giving people perfection from every direction. Don't look now at the Islamic world, sleeping. Western countries think that Islam is finished. No. Don't think that the tigers in the jungle have finished and gone. Someone may sleep bravely inside; sometimes someone may be inside, waiting. And the Islamic world is not empty but full. As it was before, those lions, divine lions, are in action, on guard, looking. One-hundred-twenty-four thousand of them are guarding not only the Islamic world; over all mankind they are also guardians. Therefore don't suppose that everything is in the hands of those people who may press the buttons of those bombs - no; there are commanders over them, also, guarding people, looking after them. Yes.
We mean to say that we are in need of certainty. All of you, you are educated people; so many books, translated from Islamic sources, you have. You know more than me one hundred times, one thousand times, all of you. But it is not important because we can't acquire certainty through books, as a physician, if he wants to be a surgeon, can't be one by looking at books.
He must be with a surgeon, looking at how he cuts, how he opens a person. That is the means of certainty.
Now, that sheikh showed all the people that if a person is firm in his beliefs, no one can move him. Not only that wrestler, no; it does not mean that if another one comes he can move him. No, even if all the people living on earth rush at him, it is impossible. That is important. We are in need of that. He gave the sultān and all in attendance that lesson of certainty.
Therefore a mumin must be like a mountain; all the storms may came on it but they never move it from its base. Do you think that the Himalayas move? Everest is still on the same base after so many storms. Therefore you must be on your base. If not only one thousand devils attack you, even if everyone is a devil and rushes at you, they can't move you from your base. Therefore we are in need of those who have certainty for Islam.
Now I am hearing that so many religious people are coming from Turkey to Europe for Ramadan or to teach people. It is not such an important thing. You can send physicians from one country to another, but as for religious people, perhaps you may be able to find more learned ones than themselves in religious knowledge among European people. As we have here also Jamalat at-Tabligh77, they are coming to teach you, Western people, and
77 A world-wide movement for the propagation of Islam
they can find so many learned people in Westem countries, knowing more about Islam than themselves.
European people or Western people, all or most Muslims living in Europe or in America, are not in need of knowledge; no, you have that. You are in need of certainty, of the one who gives it to you. If you can acquire that certainty from books, no need. But you can't acquire it.
I have heard so many people objecting to Sufi ways. Some scholars are discussing how we can be successful in spreading and in calling people to Islam. And I am saying, "You can't be successful." Here, in 1975, I think, there was an international Islamic conference. For fifteen days, perhaps five hundred scholars were speaking, speaking, speaking in that conference, and people were only sleeping. And I never saw anyone from Westem people who came and said, at the end of that conference, "O scholars, we understand what Islam is. We have tasted it and we want to say Shahadah."
At the last moment, Salim Azzam asked me, because the Turkish community asked for one man also from themselves; our sheikh must speak. It was only ten minutes before Maghrib time when it finished on the last day, ten minutes which were enough for me and for the people present to say ten sentences. Those ten minutes were enough to open their eyes, becoming too happy, and after that ten persons came and said Shahādah with me. Hadha, min fadli Rabbi, this is from my Lord's favours to me; it is not from myself but I must say it. I am not going to cheat, to deceive you; I must tell the truth which I know is truth.
Yes, that is one exhibition of scholars. And they look at Sufi people - because I was wearing the Prophet's sunnah78;, not one of them was, and they don't like a person observing sunnah to come and speak to people - they look at ourselves as mutaakhir, raja'i, backward (they are too forward, making people sleep!).
I remember what the beginning of that address was. "O people, scholars have given you too much, making you sleep without tablets, without pills. Listen to me." Then people were awakened, happy. Yes, and it is all right. We have been sent to Europe. It is not my will, but the Lord's will has sent me.
78 That is, clothing and beard according to the Prophet's tradition
'Asr/June 11, 1985
Adam and Eve were created in Paradise. Allah Almighty put them there, making their residence in it. What was the reason that they were taken out of Paradise ?
That is a point, perhaps the most important point, to be known by every one of their children, the Children of Adam; that must be well known. It has been mentioned throughout holy books; otherwise no one could know it. If our Lord had not informed us through His prophets in His holy books, no one would know what was the beginning and what was the reason that Adam and Eve, the grandfather and grandmother of all the Children of Adam, were cast out of Paradise.
The reason was only disobeying the divine order of Allah Almighty. And who was urging Adam and Eve to be rebellious to their Lord? It was Satan. Now, we must know that to be rebellious takes us here, also, out of the divine mercy and calls people into Hell, just as rebellion caused Eve and Adam to be cast out of Paradise. Allah Almighty informs His servants and commands them, saying, "O My servants, you must know what Satan did with your parents. Then I am warning you not to fall into the same traps or mistakes, because when you are mistaken you may fall into the trap of Satan. Don't approach that and don't make the same mistake; I am warning you," Allah Almighty says through His prophets at every time to His servants. "O people, I am creating you for My servanthood only. Don't be servants to your enemy
- and My enemy, also - Satan. Leave him and come to Me."
But Satan has a chance to deceive or cheat people: this immediate life's pleasures. It is a chance for Satan to be able to call people, and millions of people are running after him and only very few people are coming after the prophets and after awliyā.
Once Allah Almighty sent Iblis, Satan, to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., for questioning. Sayyidina Muhammad was to ask Satan questions and he was to answer them correctly. And Allah warned Satan, "If you do not give the right answers, then I am going to destroy you finally."
Satan was very worried about that point, to be destroyed finally, and he jumped and came to that house in which the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and his Companions were meeting. When Satan came to the door asking permission to enter, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., sent a Sahābi to see who was at the door.
Whe he went and saw a strange creature, his hair stood on end, and he
returned. saying, "Ya Rasul-Allah, o Prophet! There is a very strange person waiting. I never saw such an ugly face!"
Subhanallah! Allah Almighty had created Satan with a good form: he had been handsome and his name had previously been 'Azāzil, derived from "to be honored." But, o believers, what thing makes a person ugly? Do you know? No one is created ugly; no. Beautiful ladies, handsome gentlemen. Allah created them perfect; He gave perfection to the Children of Adam. And how could it not be so when He is going to make them His deputies, creating the Children of Adam to be His deputies? Therefore He has created man, created the Children of Adam, "ahsani taqwim79," in perfect shapes, perfect forms. For this reason it is haram to say that someone is ugly. But what thing makes people appear ugly? We must know it.
It is not the form which is ugly, no, but ugliness is something in which Allah Almighty dresses some people. For what reason? As Satan was in a good position, a handsome situation, then, when he became a disobedient servant, He dressed him in that ugly shape; he was not in such a form earlier, so ugly. And the Children of Adam are also dressed in ugliness by their disobedient actions, so that anyone who is disobedient to his Lord, Almighty Allah dresses in an ugly garment, and he or she appears among people with an ugly appearance. Otherwise no one could say about another one that he is ugly, until he does something so that his Lord is not pleased with him and then dresses him in ugliness. That is an important point. And if that ugliness is not put on people during their lives, finally it is put on many people at death. When they are dying, they are dressed in it, also, so that so many people have such ugly and fearful faces at death. And so many other people are dressed in a good form; you may look and you won't be satisfied with looking at him even when he is a dead body.
That is an important point for people. Everyone must know what ugliness is and from where it comes to people. When they are disobedient servants, they must be dressed in ugly shapes. No matter how much they may put here, here, here, to make themselves beautiful, yet that wildness and ugliness appears from them. Yes.
Then the Prophet, p.b.u.h., said to his Companions, "It is Iblis, Satan. Let him come in." And he entered but he was fearful-looking. And the Prophet,
79 In the best of forms (XCV:4)
p.b.u.h., asked him, "What is the reason that you have come here? Do you not know that I am under divine protection and that whoever sits with me is also under divine protection from you?" Yes, still you may sit under the tent of the Prophet, and if Satan thinks or feels that a person has his Prophet's friendship or is companion with him, Satan never approaches him, because anyone who is in companionship with Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is under divine protection here and Hereafter.
Then Satan said, "O Muhammad (never saying 'Rasul-Allah' but only ‘Muhammad'), I know that you and your Companions are under divine protection here and Hereafter, and no way for me on you and your Companions. But I have been ordered by the Lord ('by the Lord'; he was too angry to say 'my Lord'), I have been sent by the Lord to be here and if you have any questions, to answer them truthfully. Otherwise he is threatening to destroy me finally."
And the Prophet, p.b.u.h., Sayyidina Muhammad, said, "Alhamdulillah to my Lord, endless praise that He sent you here so that I may ask questions and my nation may know about your tricks and traps." And the first question he asked Satan was, "Who is the first and most important enemy to you?"
"You, Muhammad," Satan said. "You are my most important enemy, you are the first one." And that is true, because Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is calling people to his Lord, and Satan calls them and says to them, "Don't listen to the Seal of the Prophets or to anyone else who says, 'I am a prophet.' Don't believe in them, o people, and leave them." This Satan advises the Children of Adam. "Come to me. Here are all pleasures ready for you now. The prophets say, 'Afterwards, in the Hereafter,' but I am selling you pleasures here, all ready. Come on and enjoy yourself. Don't think about anything after this life, don't believe in those words but believe in these pleasures in this life. Take your pleasure from my market, as much as you are able to take." And people are running after Satan to take more pleasure or to enjoy themselves as much as they are able.
We are now living in a time about which the Prophet, p.b.u.h., informed us fifteen centuries ago, telling what is going to happen in our time. And he gave a description of the characteristics of people who are living in the twentieth century: "Ummatuhum butūnuhum wa qiblatuhum nisā uhum80. Ummatuhum butūnuhum - all of peoples' thoughts, what is important to
80 The thing which they follow is their stomachs, and their qiblah [direction in which one orients himself] is their ladies
them, are only on their stomachs, how they are going to get more enjoyment by eating. And I hear, and sometimes I see, that people, particularly in Western countries, sit down to eat and they spend many hours eating, drinking, going out, coming in, sitting; eating, drinking, going, coming; drinking, eating, going out, coming back, such a way of spending the whole night or whole day which shows that so many people, if they are free, not working, the important thing for them will be only eating and drinking. That is most important for them during this life.
And the Prophet, p.b.u.h., in that hadith said also, "Qiblatuhum nisa'uhun." They will make their ladies like their qiblah to come to; they will not make sajdah except to their ladies, never coming on their knees except in front of their ladies. That is a miraculous hadith, giving the correct view of the characteristics of the people living in the last quarter of the twentieth century. If you do not believe this, you can look at any advertisement, putting one lady. I saw an advertisement of a car with a lady standing by it, and I asked our brother, "Does this advertisement say that if anyone buys a car, they will give him this lady, also, charming lady?"
Look, now, when you are going around. Men are using women. They are so oppressive to women, deceiving them and loading too much on them. They are cheating them, saying, "You are the first, we are the second." And women say, we have rights like the rights of men. Why, we work in factories, we work in offices. We are equal with these men everywhere, but in the houes we are not equal." Men are taking women out of their houses to load on them also, a heavy work, a heavy load. And Allah Almighty created women only for light work, for what is suitable for their natures, for the nest. Nest - yes, She should look after that only, not being destroyed by hard work outside, no. It is not justice, it is not mercy; we do not accept that. If I come to be in govemment, the first command would be to take that heavy burden from women. On cold days, morning time, like this, coming out to buses to go from one place to another; nighttime like this, trembling with cold, returning to their houses. What is this dhulm, this oppression? You, men - you have been ordered to do heavy work, not your ladies!
Therefore no more compassion is coming on us; a curse has come upon the earth. For this reason, Satan is now preparing a fire-festival, and through that fire-festival mostly men are going to be destroyed. Even out of forty people, thirty-nine will be women; only one man left. Men will go down. Allah Almighty is too angry with those people; they have changed His rule, His divine rule.
Yes, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., is calling people to their Lord, and satan is calling them to pleasure. And now almost all people are running after their stomachs, how tasty a meal they can eat, while it only goes from your lips to your throat, that taste; when it is settled in your stomach, whether you ate and filled it with dry bread or with baklava, or with lamb or with olives, it is all the same. But people are running after it for its taste only, and eating and drinking and eating, and everyone wishes his stomach were a barrel.
That is the characteristic of people which the Prophet spoke about fifteen centuries ago. Yes, you may take from halal as much as is enough for you, but don't run after too much. Enough carries you; more than enough you carry. You must understand. That is the most important medical advice in Islam, given to all people. O people, if anyone takes what is enough for him, that enough carries him, giving him enough energy for everything. But if you take more you are going to be like a dustbin; everything is put into it, and you can say about those people that they are dustbins81.
Then the Prophet, p. b.u.h., asked Satan, "And who is your second greatest enemy?"
"Those young people who follow you," Satan said. Therefore I see that you are all, alhamdulillah, enemies of Satan because I do not see here any old people except me and four others, enough. And the two hundred other people are all young people, alhamdulillan. You are his enemies because Satan has cut off his hope from ourselves but not yet from you. Therefore he is enemy to you, saying, "Those young people who follow you, O Munammad - they are enemies to me, second degree." Therefore you, young followers of the way of your Lord, you are going to be side by side with Prophet Muhammad, pb.u.h.. on the Last Day. You have been honored to be his companions, the closest people to beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h., in Paradise.
Now, it is going to be a long lecture if we
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