Mercy Oceans, Book 11 (183 pages, 15/17)
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practice faith or imān in a society which does not support it?
SHEIKH: It is more sharpening to faith to be in such a community, among such people. There is a stone for sharpening knives; the people of Bukhara do it with their foot, but sometimes there is electricity, turning it. These communities that you are in sharpen quickly, grinding. Therefore in these countries, heavy, difficult conditions make your faith sharper and stronger.
For this reason my Grandsheikh often would say, "O Nazim Efendi, now to go out of your house - for example, to go to market and come back - this going and coming, protecting your horse, your ego, not going like this or like that but going and coming by the right path - gives you more power or makes your faith sharper than staying for forty years in khalwah, seclusion."
A person may be in Hijāz for six months (so many people want to be there for three months or six months or more, to be there during Rajab, Shābān Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhul-Q'adah, Dhul-Hijjah or all the holy months), and he may bear so many difficulties for his ego156. His soul is all right but he needs so much patience to be there, and he is patient for six months, so many times making tawāf, making Hajj, making Umrah, making ziyarah157. All is all right.
156 Refers to prolonged stays in either of the two holy cities, Makkah or Madina for the purpose of worship and spiritual training. Throughout the courses such a stay a person may experience many physical hardships and undergo a very rigorous discipline of his ego
157 Ziyārah, visitation, refers to visits to the Holy Prophet's Mosque and grave in Madinah or visitation of other sacred sites
Then he is ready to return home, entering the plane, and a hostess comes, like this, and he looks. For six months he was keeping himself but that one time he is going to be lost. Therefore, he may be in seclusion in Makkah or Madinah for six months but when he comes out, quickly his ego catches him and wrestles with him, putting him on the ground.
Therefore, here in Western countries conditions are difficult but that gives more power to you; you may reach more quickly than others. Important is to be able to exercise control amidst disliked conditions. Yes, you may be in such difficult communities but you must not think that it is halal for you to do everything - no. You must guard yourself, and the main purpose of being in seclusion is to take that characteristic or that attribute in your hands – to make a control on yourself. If you do not do that, what is the benefit? A scholar may be the most famous one, knowing everything, but if he can't control his eyes, can't keep them from looking like this, like that - what is the benefit of those knowledges? Nothing. Therefore scholars must come to me. Fatehah.
'Asr/June 19, 1985
By the name of Allah, All-mighty, All-merciful, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent, the Lord of the Children of Adam, the Lord of the Heavens, the Lord of the universes. And we are His weak servants. Everything appears in this world as He likes. Nothing is going to be or to appear during this life without programming by His divine will. Allah Almighty's commands and His orders are going on.
Now, we are living in a life in which every ending is going to be a new beginning, and people living here start a life and finish. We say, "Long years," but it is only a short way, a jump, and we reach the ends of our lives, and that is the new beginning of the Eternal Life.
When we come to Judgment Day, the Day of Resurrection, people are going to be in two camps. The people of one camp are going to be joyful, in pleasure and in contentment in the Eternal Life. And the other camp of
people is going to begin an eternal period with sufferings, and it is a terrible beginning. I am asking for protection from our Lord, Almighty Allah.
Now, we are living in a time when people are strongly interested in this material life; the important thing for them is only this world and its material things. Most people are not interested in anything except this temporary life's pleasures and enjoyments because they have a wrong idea, saying that life is only once and there is nothing else. They are wrong but they suppose that it is true, and they are making ways to get more pleasure, as much as possible, during their lives.
But, indeed, as much as they run after this life's pleasure, to take more, it is only like a little fish swimming through oceans and opening its mouth, wanting to swallow the whole ocean while it can only hold a cubic mil
limeter from that ocean. And you, those people who want to take more pleasures from the world-wide pleasures of this life, you can take only one man's share, no more. And then it is going to be less every day, not increasing but becoming less. A horseman may ride a horse in a race; he has a whip in his hand and is always, always striking his horse and wanting that horse to go faster, faster, but finally, no matter how much he may strike it, that horse cannot go any longer - finished, no more running. It keeps up that fast speed but if it is hit too much, then it cracks inside and falls down dead.
Now we are living in the time of freedom, particularly in Westem countries. It is also the same in Eastern countries; throughout the whole world now, all of it is in the same condition. Everyone is making his horse go faster to taste as much as he possibly can, to take more, but finally all of them are not going to go faster but to fall down, down; then the crack comes and they fall dead.
That is the general view in this world now because people are saying, "No more life after this life" - saying that and running,
But we say that we have another life. Therefore no need for us to make such trouble for our horses. We are going on the middle path and, as we started, we may finish; we are not going to die of too much tiredness - no. They die of suffering but our death is not going to be with such sufferings. On their dead bodies you can see the signs of suffering, but you can't see the signs of suffering on believers; rather you may see a kind of pleasure, a smile.
Yes.
Sometimes they discuss with believers, and they may be sarcastic, making fun of them, laughing at them and saying, "Such old-fashioned people! It is the Age of Space but still they believe in such things."
Are we calling them to a bad thing? We are calling them to believe in eternal life, eternal en joyment. That is the best thing for them because they want enjoyment, endless enjoyment, and we are giving good tidings of a real and endless eternal life's pleasures. Why are they fighting with us? Are we saying bad things? But devils have established their kingdom and made everyone be in their service, and most people now are supporters of devils.
A sister - she is from our countries, from Eastern people, a journalist - came to me today, saying that she is astonished. "I see so many Western people coming into Islam. What is this?"
I said, "No, don't say that. They are not as many as even a handful of water from an ocean. Millions of people are running after Satan, after devils. What is this? Among billions, what is one hundred, two hundred, three hundred people?" People are saying, "Oh! Westem people are coming into Islam." These are Western people? Millions of people live in Westem countries. Do you suppose that oceans are going to become sweet by running into them the Thames or the Amazon or other big rivers which always run with sweet water? Then will those oceans be sweet?
Until the Lord orders a change, never will it become sweet. Now, people are like oceans and we are trying to make oceans sweet in Western countries. And our scholars are running, in their hands a handful of sugar, saying, "Oh- h! We are coming to England, we are coming to Germany, we are coming to France, we are going to America, making zawiyahs158, making tariqats Heh- heh! We are carrying only one handful of sugar to make that Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean sweet." Yes, I am laughing to myself, also. But stili, according to our intentions, we must go on. I am intending to make oceans sweet, I am standing by that intention. Doesn't matter - that is my intention. Goodness begins by good intentions and people may make their way to goodness by their intentions. I am intending. I am only one individual person among a huge crowd of people but I am intending to make everything sweet for all mankind.
158 A retreat for dervishes
Then, we hope that there may be, for those who are asking for a sweet life, some divine wisdoms through His Friends159. Allah Almighty has friends, and you must try to be one of his friends. Don't be friends of Satan and companions of devils, no; you must be friends of Allah Almighty.
Once upon a time... When you say, "Once upon a time," sleeping people wake up, looking like this, what is coming in this story, a tale for listening to. "Once upon a time there was a Bluebeard." Yes, I was reading in Reader One, Reader Two, in books for teaching English to foreigners in Cyprus. I remember. Not blue eyes; a blue beard (I have never seen that but sometimes I see blue hair). When it said, in such a way, "Once upon a time there was a wizard," also, I remember. Those things from sixty years ago I can remember now because when a wisdom comes with a tale, it make it firm, to keep it. Therefore Allah Almighty teaches people in the Holy Qur'an by so many tales. They are not just tales but they are events, yet as tales, they give so many wisdoms so that you may keep them.
Now we are living in a stormy time of denying; it is a new fashion to deny everything related to holy books. That is the new "head" which people have. And I am saying, "Alhamdulillah, I agree with my head to be safe, but you are changing yours. If you change your head from the head of a human being, what kind of head will you bring in its place? What head can be more honorable than the head of a human being? Nothing, no one's head. I am keeping my head, alhamdulillah, as it is." And I am speaking old wisdoms for those people who are now laughing at those who believe in holy books and who believe in Heaven, who believe in the Last Day, who believe in Paradise and Hell. So many people are laughing at believers. No doubt they are drunk but you must know how to defend yourself because they are attacking. If they attack, you must defend your faith. That is obligatory for everyone.
One day Sayyidina 'Ali, may Allah bless him, was sitting. Then seven philosophers came to him and said, "O Imam of the Muslims, we have come to you to discuss an important point."
"What is that matter which you have come to discuss?" Imam 'Ali asked.
They said, "We see that all believers, including yourself, also, are foolish people."
"What is the reason?" he asked.
159 That is, awliya-Allah
"The reason is that you believe that there will be another life after this life and that there will be a Judgment Day, and that after death everyone will be resurrected and that there will be a judgment and some people will go to Paradise and some people will go to Hell. Then, as you fear those things, you keep yourselves from en joyments and you make a discipline, difficult conditions, for yourselves, saying, 'You must make wudu, ablution. You must awaken early to pray.' And at noontime you pray, at 'Asr time you pray, at Maghrib time you pray, at 'Isha time you pray, and then you fast, waiting hungry, hungry, and your egos are angry."
Those seven philosophers, followers of materialistic ideas, did not believe in heavenly worlds or divine things. We do not believe in anything. And you are making such troubles for yourselves, fasting, and then also saying, ‘This is halal, that is haram. Don't smoke, don't drink, don't fornicate, don't do this, don't do that, don't do this...!’ Too many troubles you are giving yourselves without any reason, because nothing is going to happen after death.
Therefore you are all, all believers, foolish people," they said.
Then Imam 'Ali said, "Finished? Now I will say something to make more clear this point about which group is foolish. It must be clear. I will ask one question to all of you to make it clear."
"Ask," they said. "You may ask."
Imam 'Ali had been given wisdoms from the Prophet's inheritance. He asked one question. "O people, look at me. Is it correct that a day will come - will come to us and to you, also - when both believers and unbelievers are going to be the same?"
Quickly, because they were intelligent people, they said, "Yes."
"You may bring a coffin for a believer. Then you may bring a coffin for an unbeliever, putting the two dead bodies in the same place. They are the same, equal. This is a dead body and that is a dead body. This is a believer, that is an unbeliever. Are we going to be equal one day, you and ourselves?"
"'Yes," they said.
"You say that death is the finish. You do not believe in the Hereafter but you believe that all is going to be finished, that the dead body is finished.
Believing or unbelieving, they are equal. Then I am asking you about that day. One of them was a believer and he made himself suffer by discipline -
you see it as suffering - but when he died his sufferings were ended. Yes? And you say that we are intelligent people, we allow ourselves to enjoy this life by every means. Yes, you have enjoyed yourselves. But for the one who has enjoyed himself, his enjoyment will also become zero. Zero equals zero.
“We never lose anything by giving ourselves 'sufferings' to make ourselves under disciplines we never lose anything. And you, also - you leave yourselves without discipline, running after your enjoyment, taking every enjoyment, every pleasure, but at the end your enjoyment is also going to be zero. Zero of suffering, zero of enjoyment.
Then we look at it, we have not lost anything and you have not gained anything. Therefore there is no foolishness in it ultimately. If there is nothing after death, you are not more intelligent than ourselves because finally we are going to be on the same level, equal. If there is nothing after death, you will not have anything from en joyment when you are dead and we will not have any sufferings when we are dead. We will become equal. Then why do you say that we are foolish?
“But if, as we believe, there is going to be a new existence, a period of life after death, we will gain and you - you must think what become to this head" (Hazrat Ali was so strong, doing this on his head like a hamner). "You must think about that point. If everything finishes in this world, you are not going to be gaining too much and we will not lose anything. It is all right. But if after death there is Paradise and Hell, you will go your way to Hell but our way will go to Paradise. You must think about this." And he hit like this on his head.
Then the chief of the philosophers searched amidst his knowledge, looking for a way out, acting like the pendulum of a clock in order to escape - looking, but no exit. And then he said, "O Imam, yes, you are right. We are foolish because we did not think, since wisdom says to be cautious." You must take the way of caution, yes; wisdom orders people to be cautious. And he said, "O Imam, teach us what we are in need of to believe. We are saying with you, "Ashhadu an la ilaha illa-Llah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasulahu.' We are witnesses to the existence of the Lord of the universes, the existence of the Lord of the Children of Adam, and we are witnesses that beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is His Prophet, and we believe that after death will come a new life. Wisdom commands us to believe in this." And the seven of them came into Islam, and went and made thousands of people come to Islam, to true faith.
Every religion calls people to believe in the Eternal Life, and caution says to believe. If you believe, you have contentment within yourself and your life is peaceful. But unbelievers are like salt melting in water; they are melting. And they look in the mirror; if one white hair comes on their heads, they cry. And I look and try to see if there are any more black ones there or if they have all become white, and I am happier day by day because it is approaching - going from a suffering world to a peaceful world, I hope. I hope for my Lord's endless mercy. I am not hopeless; even though I look at myself as the biggest sinner among people, yet I do not lose my hope in my Lord Almighty that His Mercy Oceans are greater than my sins. I hope that His endless mercy will forgive me and that He will give me, from His endless favors, peace here and Hereafter.
This is the end of this period for this year,160 and I don't know if we are going to meet again because in each moment there is endless change. It is impossible for everything to be in the same form, even in the smallest unit of time; always quickly changing. Therefore you won't be able to find this assembly next year as it is now; it is impossible. Must be changed, even if we come to be here next year or at any time, here or any place else. I don't know. Only He knows, but we are asking anywhere, at any time, to be under His divine shelter.
At the end I advise you and myself to run from sufferings under His divine shelter, and you will find there endless peace and happiness for yourself and for everyone, and His shelter is enough for all creatures. They may find enough room for themselves, for everyone. And we are saying "Astaghfirullan." I am thankful to my Lord, Almighty Allah, that He enabled me to do it, and thankful to beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h., through his intercessions, and thankful to Grandsheikh and to other grandsheikhs161 that they supported me through this month to fast and to give these lectures to you. It is a divine favour to you and to me. And we are saying "Alhamdulillah." For all these lectures, their inspirations come to my heart through my Grandsheikh. That is a grant. If they were to be prepared from books, it would be difficult for me and for you, also. We are thankful to our Lord, Allah Almighty, and to His beloved Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and
160 This was the last lecture in Ramadan
161 That is, the grandsheikhs or awlīyā of the Naqshbandi Tariqat, whose spiritual support and presence enabled him to bear the unbelievably heavy strain of his duties during the month of Ramadan, in addition to bodily fasting, and provided him with the inspiration for his daily sohbets or lectures
to the grand sheikhs, particularly to our Grandsheikh, 'Abdullah ad- Dāghistāni, may Allah bless him.
Jum'ah/June 21, 1985
O mumins and muminahs, Ramadan, Holy Ramadan, has just passed away. What is going to happen after Ramadan? If we are going to be Muslims, mumins and obedient servants only for one month, what about the other eleven months? Because it is a strange way of thinking among people: when the holy month comes, they make some discipline for themselves, but after Holy Ramadan they feel a freedom for themselves, saying that now Ramadan is finished.
Now your ego is saying, "You are free now. You are not in Holy Ramadan any longer." Yes, this is something that our egos say to us, but we are slaves of our Lord, Allah Almighty, forever. O people, you gave your promises on the Day of Promises: "Alastu bi-Rabbikum. Qalu, balā162.". You must remember your promise to your Lord, Allah Almighty. You did not give your promise for only one month, but we have given our promises to be His slaves, to be His obedient servants, for a whole life.
Therefore it is dangerous after 'Eid. It is a period which is more dangerous for our ego because it attacks us to get its freedom, to be as free as it was before Ramadan. Then what is the benefit of the holy month, of fasting, of praying, of doing every goodness to try to be obedient servants? Is it all going to be nothing?
Yes, a person may live for one hundred years, but "Innama-l-'amalu bil- khawatim163." Only the end, our final position, is important. It is not important how you begin but how you are going to end, how your final action is going to be - that is important. That hadith indicates to people that you may be an obedient servant for one hundred years and at the last moment you are disobedient. Then beside your name is written "Rebellious."
162 A reference to the Day of Promises in the spiritual world before the creation of Adam, when Allah Almighty assembled all the souls of human beings to be born, asking them, "Am I not your Lord?" to which they replied, "Yes, truly” (VII:172).
163 Assuredly works are (judged) by their endings. (Hadith)
You must look at Satan, what he was, which position he occupied. He never left even one square-foot of earth, of the Heavens, without putting his forehead on it for sajdah. He was such a worshipper and he had been given knowledge, but at the end he was rebellious to his Lord Almighty and then all of it went away.
Don't say that during Holy Ramadan I was an obedient servant and it is written in my book; now I am free to do everything. No. That is nifac, hypocrisy, that is kufr, that is real shirk. You must keep your ego on the same path as during Holy Ramadan; you must keep your body under your control for eating, drinking, looking, listening, grasping, walking and thinking.
That thinking is a more important thing for the life of Muslims, mumins, because when you think, you intend. After thinking, you are going to intend, and after intention you are going to act. Therefore you must control your thoughts. What am I thinking? You must know that Allah Almighty is looking at you because you are thinking, and He says, "What is My slave thinking to do?" When you are thinking of a goodness, it is an intention for good actions. When you intend, you are going to be successful in that action.
A whole month, the holy month, has just passed away. It was a difficult practice, fasting. It is not an easy worship, it is a difficult worship. But alhamdulillah, thanks to Allah Almighty, that it was so easy for those who fasted, who intended to fast. You must realize, you must know, what power you can find in intention. When you intend, it is going to be easy. When you intend to do something, to carry out some action, you must make intention that it is for the sake of Allah Almighty because I promised my Lord to do it for His sake. And when you intend to do an action for the sake of Allah Almighty, He is going to be helper to you and to be supporter to you. Don't be afraid. He is your Helper, alhamdulillah. An entire holy month may be a difficult fasting, but it was so easy for us because we intended to fast according to the holy command of Allah Almighty.
O believers, you believe in the holy commands of your Lord, Allah Almighty, and you have been invited to be obedient servants forever. If this life goes on for eternity, we will not change, we do not intend to change, our way.
Perhaps your ego says, "How long can we be patient for such a discipline? We must be without discipline for some time."
Now people are giving so many satanic thoughts to others. We hear also that sometimes some foolish people say, "Now we have reached a station in which there is no more praying, no more orders. We are going to be free." It
is a wrong idea, but we hear that so many people are saying that they have reached a station in which there are no more obligations for them; now they are free. But man, as long as his ego is with him, must look after his ego, must control his ego, because it is impossible for men to change into angels. If they change and became angels, then finished; there will be nothing for us. Otherwise, if we are not human beings, we will be like wild animals in jungles, like a zoo. Wild animals do not control themselves in jungles, but human be ings must be controlled.
Therefore, o mumins and muminahs, you must look after your egos after Holy Ramadan and forever because we are Allah Almighty's servants and slaves, and we gave our promises; before reaching this life, in the spiritual world, we gave our promises, and we will be asked on the Day of Resurrection about our promises. Days, months, years are running, and our breaths are be coming less one after the other. Everyone has an assigned number of breaths. With every breath you must know that your ‘ajl 164is approaching; every breath makes us closer to death. And death is not going to be nothing, but through death we are going on to another Life on the Day of Resurrection.
Now we have finished fasting, alhamdulillah, by our Lord's endless favor. If we have made our Lord pleased with ourselves, it is all right for us to have 'Eid. That is 'Eid mubarak165. Whoever has made his Lord pleased with him, for him it is 'Eid mubarak; otherwise it is not 'Eid mubarak. And then, what is the sign? If you are asking what is the sign of its being 'Eid mubarak, you can understand from yourself. You must look at your intentions. If your intentions carry you on to be an obedient servant, also, that is the sign of our Lord's pleasure with you and you must continue; otherwise you must look at your actions, you must look at your intentions. We hope that Allah Almighty will support us against our egos and make us successful in being controllers of our egos. Even a minute makes a danger for our spiritual life. You must be very careful.
Now we are finishing Ramadan and it is going to be the season of pilgrimage; that is coming now. And who knows whether, if a person has enough strength to go on pilgrimage, he may reach another one. When he reaches this year's pilgrimage, Hajj, he must look to himself and he must try to fulfill that obligation that Allah Almighty orders for us. Don't say, "Next year
164 Term, time-span
165 A blessed Eid
I will go," because we never know if we are going to be in life next year. Therefore everyone must think and then must intend to do Hajj; it is obligatory. That is important, because Allah Almighty calls people to visit His Holy House in Makkah al-Mukarramah. Don't say that I am so busy; no.
Perhaps your ego makes too much business in front of you. You must say, "Everything can stay behind. Then I will go." And you must say to yourself, "If I die, wh
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practice faith or imān in a society which does not support it?
SHEIKH: It is more sharpening to faith to be in such a community, among such people. There is a stone for sharpening knives; the people of Bukhara do it with their foot, but sometimes there is electricity, turning it. These communities that you are in sharpen quickly, grinding. Therefore in these countries, heavy, difficult conditions make your faith sharper and stronger.
For this reason my Grandsheikh often would say, "O Nazim Efendi, now to go out of your house - for example, to go to market and come back - this going and coming, protecting your horse, your ego, not going like this or like that but going and coming by the right path - gives you more power or makes your faith sharper than staying for forty years in khalwah, seclusion."
A person may be in Hijāz for six months (so many people want to be there for three months or six months or more, to be there during Rajab, Shābān Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhul-Q'adah, Dhul-Hijjah or all the holy months), and he may bear so many difficulties for his ego156. His soul is all right but he needs so much patience to be there, and he is patient for six months, so many times making tawāf, making Hajj, making Umrah, making ziyarah157. All is all right.
156 Refers to prolonged stays in either of the two holy cities, Makkah or Madina for the purpose of worship and spiritual training. Throughout the courses such a stay a person may experience many physical hardships and undergo a very rigorous discipline of his ego
157 Ziyārah, visitation, refers to visits to the Holy Prophet's Mosque and grave in Madinah or visitation of other sacred sites
Then he is ready to return home, entering the plane, and a hostess comes, like this, and he looks. For six months he was keeping himself but that one time he is going to be lost. Therefore, he may be in seclusion in Makkah or Madinah for six months but when he comes out, quickly his ego catches him and wrestles with him, putting him on the ground.
Therefore, here in Western countries conditions are difficult but that gives more power to you; you may reach more quickly than others. Important is to be able to exercise control amidst disliked conditions. Yes, you may be in such difficult communities but you must not think that it is halal for you to do everything - no. You must guard yourself, and the main purpose of being in seclusion is to take that characteristic or that attribute in your hands – to make a control on yourself. If you do not do that, what is the benefit? A scholar may be the most famous one, knowing everything, but if he can't control his eyes, can't keep them from looking like this, like that - what is the benefit of those knowledges? Nothing. Therefore scholars must come to me. Fatehah.
'Asr/June 19, 1985
By the name of Allah, All-mighty, All-merciful, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent, the Lord of the Children of Adam, the Lord of the Heavens, the Lord of the universes. And we are His weak servants. Everything appears in this world as He likes. Nothing is going to be or to appear during this life without programming by His divine will. Allah Almighty's commands and His orders are going on.
Now, we are living in a life in which every ending is going to be a new beginning, and people living here start a life and finish. We say, "Long years," but it is only a short way, a jump, and we reach the ends of our lives, and that is the new beginning of the Eternal Life.
When we come to Judgment Day, the Day of Resurrection, people are going to be in two camps. The people of one camp are going to be joyful, in pleasure and in contentment in the Eternal Life. And the other camp of
people is going to begin an eternal period with sufferings, and it is a terrible beginning. I am asking for protection from our Lord, Almighty Allah.
Now, we are living in a time when people are strongly interested in this material life; the important thing for them is only this world and its material things. Most people are not interested in anything except this temporary life's pleasures and enjoyments because they have a wrong idea, saying that life is only once and there is nothing else. They are wrong but they suppose that it is true, and they are making ways to get more pleasure, as much as possible, during their lives.
But, indeed, as much as they run after this life's pleasure, to take more, it is only like a little fish swimming through oceans and opening its mouth, wanting to swallow the whole ocean while it can only hold a cubic mil
limeter from that ocean. And you, those people who want to take more pleasures from the world-wide pleasures of this life, you can take only one man's share, no more. And then it is going to be less every day, not increasing but becoming less. A horseman may ride a horse in a race; he has a whip in his hand and is always, always striking his horse and wanting that horse to go faster, faster, but finally, no matter how much he may strike it, that horse cannot go any longer - finished, no more running. It keeps up that fast speed but if it is hit too much, then it cracks inside and falls down dead.
Now we are living in the time of freedom, particularly in Westem countries. It is also the same in Eastern countries; throughout the whole world now, all of it is in the same condition. Everyone is making his horse go faster to taste as much as he possibly can, to take more, but finally all of them are not going to go faster but to fall down, down; then the crack comes and they fall dead.
That is the general view in this world now because people are saying, "No more life after this life" - saying that and running,
But we say that we have another life. Therefore no need for us to make such trouble for our horses. We are going on the middle path and, as we started, we may finish; we are not going to die of too much tiredness - no. They die of suffering but our death is not going to be with such sufferings. On their dead bodies you can see the signs of suffering, but you can't see the signs of suffering on believers; rather you may see a kind of pleasure, a smile.
Yes.
Sometimes they discuss with believers, and they may be sarcastic, making fun of them, laughing at them and saying, "Such old-fashioned people! It is the Age of Space but still they believe in such things."
Are we calling them to a bad thing? We are calling them to believe in eternal life, eternal en joyment. That is the best thing for them because they want enjoyment, endless enjoyment, and we are giving good tidings of a real and endless eternal life's pleasures. Why are they fighting with us? Are we saying bad things? But devils have established their kingdom and made everyone be in their service, and most people now are supporters of devils.
A sister - she is from our countries, from Eastern people, a journalist - came to me today, saying that she is astonished. "I see so many Western people coming into Islam. What is this?"
I said, "No, don't say that. They are not as many as even a handful of water from an ocean. Millions of people are running after Satan, after devils. What is this? Among billions, what is one hundred, two hundred, three hundred people?" People are saying, "Oh! Westem people are coming into Islam." These are Western people? Millions of people live in Westem countries. Do you suppose that oceans are going to become sweet by running into them the Thames or the Amazon or other big rivers which always run with sweet water? Then will those oceans be sweet?
Until the Lord orders a change, never will it become sweet. Now, people are like oceans and we are trying to make oceans sweet in Western countries. And our scholars are running, in their hands a handful of sugar, saying, "Oh- h! We are coming to England, we are coming to Germany, we are coming to France, we are going to America, making zawiyahs158, making tariqats Heh- heh! We are carrying only one handful of sugar to make that Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean sweet." Yes, I am laughing to myself, also. But stili, according to our intentions, we must go on. I am intending to make oceans sweet, I am standing by that intention. Doesn't matter - that is my intention. Goodness begins by good intentions and people may make their way to goodness by their intentions. I am intending. I am only one individual person among a huge crowd of people but I am intending to make everything sweet for all mankind.
158 A retreat for dervishes
Then, we hope that there may be, for those who are asking for a sweet life, some divine wisdoms through His Friends159. Allah Almighty has friends, and you must try to be one of his friends. Don't be friends of Satan and companions of devils, no; you must be friends of Allah Almighty.
Once upon a time... When you say, "Once upon a time," sleeping people wake up, looking like this, what is coming in this story, a tale for listening to. "Once upon a time there was a Bluebeard." Yes, I was reading in Reader One, Reader Two, in books for teaching English to foreigners in Cyprus. I remember. Not blue eyes; a blue beard (I have never seen that but sometimes I see blue hair). When it said, in such a way, "Once upon a time there was a wizard," also, I remember. Those things from sixty years ago I can remember now because when a wisdom comes with a tale, it make it firm, to keep it. Therefore Allah Almighty teaches people in the Holy Qur'an by so many tales. They are not just tales but they are events, yet as tales, they give so many wisdoms so that you may keep them.
Now we are living in a stormy time of denying; it is a new fashion to deny everything related to holy books. That is the new "head" which people have. And I am saying, "Alhamdulillah, I agree with my head to be safe, but you are changing yours. If you change your head from the head of a human being, what kind of head will you bring in its place? What head can be more honorable than the head of a human being? Nothing, no one's head. I am keeping my head, alhamdulillah, as it is." And I am speaking old wisdoms for those people who are now laughing at those who believe in holy books and who believe in Heaven, who believe in the Last Day, who believe in Paradise and Hell. So many people are laughing at believers. No doubt they are drunk but you must know how to defend yourself because they are attacking. If they attack, you must defend your faith. That is obligatory for everyone.
One day Sayyidina 'Ali, may Allah bless him, was sitting. Then seven philosophers came to him and said, "O Imam of the Muslims, we have come to you to discuss an important point."
"What is that matter which you have come to discuss?" Imam 'Ali asked.
They said, "We see that all believers, including yourself, also, are foolish people."
"What is the reason?" he asked.
159 That is, awliya-Allah
"The reason is that you believe that there will be another life after this life and that there will be a Judgment Day, and that after death everyone will be resurrected and that there will be a judgment and some people will go to Paradise and some people will go to Hell. Then, as you fear those things, you keep yourselves from en joyments and you make a discipline, difficult conditions, for yourselves, saying, 'You must make wudu, ablution. You must awaken early to pray.' And at noontime you pray, at 'Asr time you pray, at Maghrib time you pray, at 'Isha time you pray, and then you fast, waiting hungry, hungry, and your egos are angry."
Those seven philosophers, followers of materialistic ideas, did not believe in heavenly worlds or divine things. We do not believe in anything. And you are making such troubles for yourselves, fasting, and then also saying, ‘This is halal, that is haram. Don't smoke, don't drink, don't fornicate, don't do this, don't do that, don't do this...!’ Too many troubles you are giving yourselves without any reason, because nothing is going to happen after death.
Therefore you are all, all believers, foolish people," they said.
Then Imam 'Ali said, "Finished? Now I will say something to make more clear this point about which group is foolish. It must be clear. I will ask one question to all of you to make it clear."
"Ask," they said. "You may ask."
Imam 'Ali had been given wisdoms from the Prophet's inheritance. He asked one question. "O people, look at me. Is it correct that a day will come - will come to us and to you, also - when both believers and unbelievers are going to be the same?"
Quickly, because they were intelligent people, they said, "Yes."
"You may bring a coffin for a believer. Then you may bring a coffin for an unbeliever, putting the two dead bodies in the same place. They are the same, equal. This is a dead body and that is a dead body. This is a believer, that is an unbeliever. Are we going to be equal one day, you and ourselves?"
"'Yes," they said.
"You say that death is the finish. You do not believe in the Hereafter but you believe that all is going to be finished, that the dead body is finished.
Believing or unbelieving, they are equal. Then I am asking you about that day. One of them was a believer and he made himself suffer by discipline -
you see it as suffering - but when he died his sufferings were ended. Yes? And you say that we are intelligent people, we allow ourselves to enjoy this life by every means. Yes, you have enjoyed yourselves. But for the one who has enjoyed himself, his enjoyment will also become zero. Zero equals zero.
“We never lose anything by giving ourselves 'sufferings' to make ourselves under disciplines we never lose anything. And you, also - you leave yourselves without discipline, running after your enjoyment, taking every enjoyment, every pleasure, but at the end your enjoyment is also going to be zero. Zero of suffering, zero of enjoyment.
Then we look at it, we have not lost anything and you have not gained anything. Therefore there is no foolishness in it ultimately. If there is nothing after death, you are not more intelligent than ourselves because finally we are going to be on the same level, equal. If there is nothing after death, you will not have anything from en joyment when you are dead and we will not have any sufferings when we are dead. We will become equal. Then why do you say that we are foolish?
“But if, as we believe, there is going to be a new existence, a period of life after death, we will gain and you - you must think what become to this head" (Hazrat Ali was so strong, doing this on his head like a hamner). "You must think about that point. If everything finishes in this world, you are not going to be gaining too much and we will not lose anything. It is all right. But if after death there is Paradise and Hell, you will go your way to Hell but our way will go to Paradise. You must think about this." And he hit like this on his head.
Then the chief of the philosophers searched amidst his knowledge, looking for a way out, acting like the pendulum of a clock in order to escape - looking, but no exit. And then he said, "O Imam, yes, you are right. We are foolish because we did not think, since wisdom says to be cautious." You must take the way of caution, yes; wisdom orders people to be cautious. And he said, "O Imam, teach us what we are in need of to believe. We are saying with you, "Ashhadu an la ilaha illa-Llah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasulahu.' We are witnesses to the existence of the Lord of the universes, the existence of the Lord of the Children of Adam, and we are witnesses that beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is His Prophet, and we believe that after death will come a new life. Wisdom commands us to believe in this." And the seven of them came into Islam, and went and made thousands of people come to Islam, to true faith.
Every religion calls people to believe in the Eternal Life, and caution says to believe. If you believe, you have contentment within yourself and your life is peaceful. But unbelievers are like salt melting in water; they are melting. And they look in the mirror; if one white hair comes on their heads, they cry. And I look and try to see if there are any more black ones there or if they have all become white, and I am happier day by day because it is approaching - going from a suffering world to a peaceful world, I hope. I hope for my Lord's endless mercy. I am not hopeless; even though I look at myself as the biggest sinner among people, yet I do not lose my hope in my Lord Almighty that His Mercy Oceans are greater than my sins. I hope that His endless mercy will forgive me and that He will give me, from His endless favors, peace here and Hereafter.
This is the end of this period for this year,160 and I don't know if we are going to meet again because in each moment there is endless change. It is impossible for everything to be in the same form, even in the smallest unit of time; always quickly changing. Therefore you won't be able to find this assembly next year as it is now; it is impossible. Must be changed, even if we come to be here next year or at any time, here or any place else. I don't know. Only He knows, but we are asking anywhere, at any time, to be under His divine shelter.
At the end I advise you and myself to run from sufferings under His divine shelter, and you will find there endless peace and happiness for yourself and for everyone, and His shelter is enough for all creatures. They may find enough room for themselves, for everyone. And we are saying "Astaghfirullan." I am thankful to my Lord, Almighty Allah, that He enabled me to do it, and thankful to beloved Muhammad, p.b.u.h., through his intercessions, and thankful to Grandsheikh and to other grandsheikhs161 that they supported me through this month to fast and to give these lectures to you. It is a divine favour to you and to me. And we are saying "Alhamdulillah." For all these lectures, their inspirations come to my heart through my Grandsheikh. That is a grant. If they were to be prepared from books, it would be difficult for me and for you, also. We are thankful to our Lord, Allah Almighty, and to His beloved Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and
160 This was the last lecture in Ramadan
161 That is, the grandsheikhs or awlīyā of the Naqshbandi Tariqat, whose spiritual support and presence enabled him to bear the unbelievably heavy strain of his duties during the month of Ramadan, in addition to bodily fasting, and provided him with the inspiration for his daily sohbets or lectures
to the grand sheikhs, particularly to our Grandsheikh, 'Abdullah ad- Dāghistāni, may Allah bless him.
Jum'ah/June 21, 1985
O mumins and muminahs, Ramadan, Holy Ramadan, has just passed away. What is going to happen after Ramadan? If we are going to be Muslims, mumins and obedient servants only for one month, what about the other eleven months? Because it is a strange way of thinking among people: when the holy month comes, they make some discipline for themselves, but after Holy Ramadan they feel a freedom for themselves, saying that now Ramadan is finished.
Now your ego is saying, "You are free now. You are not in Holy Ramadan any longer." Yes, this is something that our egos say to us, but we are slaves of our Lord, Allah Almighty, forever. O people, you gave your promises on the Day of Promises: "Alastu bi-Rabbikum. Qalu, balā162.". You must remember your promise to your Lord, Allah Almighty. You did not give your promise for only one month, but we have given our promises to be His slaves, to be His obedient servants, for a whole life.
Therefore it is dangerous after 'Eid. It is a period which is more dangerous for our ego because it attacks us to get its freedom, to be as free as it was before Ramadan. Then what is the benefit of the holy month, of fasting, of praying, of doing every goodness to try to be obedient servants? Is it all going to be nothing?
Yes, a person may live for one hundred years, but "Innama-l-'amalu bil- khawatim163." Only the end, our final position, is important. It is not important how you begin but how you are going to end, how your final action is going to be - that is important. That hadith indicates to people that you may be an obedient servant for one hundred years and at the last moment you are disobedient. Then beside your name is written "Rebellious."
162 A reference to the Day of Promises in the spiritual world before the creation of Adam, when Allah Almighty assembled all the souls of human beings to be born, asking them, "Am I not your Lord?" to which they replied, "Yes, truly” (VII:172).
163 Assuredly works are (judged) by their endings. (Hadith)
You must look at Satan, what he was, which position he occupied. He never left even one square-foot of earth, of the Heavens, without putting his forehead on it for sajdah. He was such a worshipper and he had been given knowledge, but at the end he was rebellious to his Lord Almighty and then all of it went away.
Don't say that during Holy Ramadan I was an obedient servant and it is written in my book; now I am free to do everything. No. That is nifac, hypocrisy, that is kufr, that is real shirk. You must keep your ego on the same path as during Holy Ramadan; you must keep your body under your control for eating, drinking, looking, listening, grasping, walking and thinking.
That thinking is a more important thing for the life of Muslims, mumins, because when you think, you intend. After thinking, you are going to intend, and after intention you are going to act. Therefore you must control your thoughts. What am I thinking? You must know that Allah Almighty is looking at you because you are thinking, and He says, "What is My slave thinking to do?" When you are thinking of a goodness, it is an intention for good actions. When you intend, you are going to be successful in that action.
A whole month, the holy month, has just passed away. It was a difficult practice, fasting. It is not an easy worship, it is a difficult worship. But alhamdulillah, thanks to Allah Almighty, that it was so easy for those who fasted, who intended to fast. You must realize, you must know, what power you can find in intention. When you intend, it is going to be easy. When you intend to do something, to carry out some action, you must make intention that it is for the sake of Allah Almighty because I promised my Lord to do it for His sake. And when you intend to do an action for the sake of Allah Almighty, He is going to be helper to you and to be supporter to you. Don't be afraid. He is your Helper, alhamdulillah. An entire holy month may be a difficult fasting, but it was so easy for us because we intended to fast according to the holy command of Allah Almighty.
O believers, you believe in the holy commands of your Lord, Allah Almighty, and you have been invited to be obedient servants forever. If this life goes on for eternity, we will not change, we do not intend to change, our way.
Perhaps your ego says, "How long can we be patient for such a discipline? We must be without discipline for some time."
Now people are giving so many satanic thoughts to others. We hear also that sometimes some foolish people say, "Now we have reached a station in which there is no more praying, no more orders. We are going to be free." It
is a wrong idea, but we hear that so many people are saying that they have reached a station in which there are no more obligations for them; now they are free. But man, as long as his ego is with him, must look after his ego, must control his ego, because it is impossible for men to change into angels. If they change and became angels, then finished; there will be nothing for us. Otherwise, if we are not human beings, we will be like wild animals in jungles, like a zoo. Wild animals do not control themselves in jungles, but human be ings must be controlled.
Therefore, o mumins and muminahs, you must look after your egos after Holy Ramadan and forever because we are Allah Almighty's servants and slaves, and we gave our promises; before reaching this life, in the spiritual world, we gave our promises, and we will be asked on the Day of Resurrection about our promises. Days, months, years are running, and our breaths are be coming less one after the other. Everyone has an assigned number of breaths. With every breath you must know that your ‘ajl 164is approaching; every breath makes us closer to death. And death is not going to be nothing, but through death we are going on to another Life on the Day of Resurrection.
Now we have finished fasting, alhamdulillah, by our Lord's endless favor. If we have made our Lord pleased with ourselves, it is all right for us to have 'Eid. That is 'Eid mubarak165. Whoever has made his Lord pleased with him, for him it is 'Eid mubarak; otherwise it is not 'Eid mubarak. And then, what is the sign? If you are asking what is the sign of its being 'Eid mubarak, you can understand from yourself. You must look at your intentions. If your intentions carry you on to be an obedient servant, also, that is the sign of our Lord's pleasure with you and you must continue; otherwise you must look at your actions, you must look at your intentions. We hope that Allah Almighty will support us against our egos and make us successful in being controllers of our egos. Even a minute makes a danger for our spiritual life. You must be very careful.
Now we are finishing Ramadan and it is going to be the season of pilgrimage; that is coming now. And who knows whether, if a person has enough strength to go on pilgrimage, he may reach another one. When he reaches this year's pilgrimage, Hajj, he must look to himself and he must try to fulfill that obligation that Allah Almighty orders for us. Don't say, "Next year
164 Term, time-span
165 A blessed Eid
I will go," because we never know if we are going to be in life next year. Therefore everyone must think and then must intend to do Hajj; it is obligatory. That is important, because Allah Almighty calls people to visit His Holy House in Makkah al-Mukarramah. Don't say that I am so busy; no.
Perhaps your ego makes too much business in front of you. You must say, "Everything can stay behind. Then I will go." And you must say to yourself, "If I die, wh
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