The Grandshaykh of the Naqshbandi Order is Inheritor of Sayyidina Abu Bakr (ra)

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani ar-Rabbani

In the name of Allah, the All-Compassionate, All-Merciful

A`udhu billahi mi na'sh-shaytani'r-rajeem, Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, alhamdulillahi Rabbi 'l-`alamen

April/May 1999

As much as you believe in your shaykh, you may give the reins over to his hands, and so, find rest and satisfaction in your heart. As long as you are trying to catch the reins in your own hands, you are carrying a great burden on your shoulders; shaykhs are the inheritors of the Prophets and are offering to carry your burdens, and you must give your burdens to them. just put your desires in line with the Shaykh's: That is the way to open your heart to Heavenly Power. Then you may see or hear or know something which you can't know now.

So many mureeds/followers have high spiritual aspiration, himma, and they say: "Oh my Shaykh, I am asking for himma in order that my soul may be activated," the Shaykh replies: "Oh my mureed, I am asking service from you, hizmat. You must be like me. When you are like me, my spiritual powers may come to you, but if we are not of the same kind of metal, the current cannot pass through you. I am copper, and you must not remain stone."

Allah Almighty asked the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam - peace be upon him - to be with Him, and the Prophet asked the sahaba/companions to be with him. To be 'with him' meant for them to be as he wished them to be; the Shaykh also asks mureeds to be 'with him'. The Prophet (s) was saying about Abu Bakr, may Allah be well pleased with him, that he was someone who had 'died before he died' because he had absolutely left all his desires behind, so that there was nothing left of them in the face of his Lord and his Prophet; he was a dead person with no desire for this life. When he had arrived at this state, he was like a shadow of the Prophet, entirely in agreement with him, never leaving his way!

Because of this attribute, Abu Bakr became trustworthy in all respects, and thus the Prophet was able to plant many knowledges in his heart; therefore in spiritual rank, Abu Bakr was at the top of all companions of the Prophet.

The Prophet praised him saying that if his faith was balanced against the faith of the whole ummah/nation of Muhammad, his faith would be heavier.

On the Day of Promises, when everyone was asked by Allah Almighty "Am I not your Lord?" and we replied "Yes, You are our Lord" on that day, if it had not been for Abu Bakr teaching everyone with his spiritual power, no one could have said 'Yes'.

Our Grandshaykh said that everyone has a share of Abu Bakr's faith, even the person of the lowest degree of faith; from that share, whether they pray or not, so many people will go to Paradise because it keeps people from a bad ending in this life and the next. "La ilaha ill-L’lah, Muhammad Rasulullah" is written in the heart, it only needs a chance to show itself. so many people have the seeds of faith in their hearts, deeply planted, only waiting for mercy rain; mercy may be delayed up to the end: A person may be on his deathbed and begin to cry. This crying attracts that mercy, Allah Almighty says: "My servant is crying" and the seed of faith opens, filling the heart, green with the Lights of real faith. He was like a desert, then death comes, and he begins to cry; that is the sign of mercy coming on him. Allah does not leave His servants; He has Endless Mercy! The Prophet (s) said about Abu Bakr (ra): "Whatever Allah has put in my heart I have poured into the heart of Abu Bakr."

Sayyidina `Ali radiyallahu `anh also put his will and desires totally in line with the Prophet's desires; therefore the Prophet said about him: "I am the City of Knowledge, and Ali is the gate to that City."

There are 41 Tariqats/Orders to make our hearts pure; 40 springs from the heart of Imam `Ali (as), and one, the Naqshbandi Order is coming from Abu Bakr As Siddiq (as). The Prophet had 124,000 companions and Abu Bakr (ra) was the grand companion. This is well known among real Tariqat Shaykhs who don't give titles to themselves; they respect the Naqshibandi Order as the first one.

A real Shaykh must know if a mureed was with him on the Day of Promises or not; he has Light/Nur in his eyes and recognizes his mureeds without mistake. You may meet many shaykhs and take exercises but not find satisfaction until finding your Grandshaykh. So many shaykhs are only trainers but a Grandshaykh must finally call you: This does not happen through words, but there are ways from heart to heart. If a Naqshibandi Shaykh is giving baya`/pledge, he must tell the mureed who the Grandshaykh is in his time for the Naqshbandi Order: He must point to him! So many people from the West are coming now invited by the way of hearts to our Grandshaykh. The Golden Chain of Grandshaykhs ends in our Grandshaykh, the last link in the chain. I am only his servant.

We are waiting for the Naqshbandi Shaykhs to come and renew their baya` with us. If not, they are just putting titles on themselves. There may be a thousand shaykhs, but only one Grandshaykh. If they come together, who will be the Imam? If all of the 124.000 Sahaba are brought together, who is the Imam? Sayyidina Abu Bakr (ra)!

Sayyidina Mahdi `alayhi ’s-salaam and his seven Grand Wazirs, 99 Caliphas, and 313 Grand Murshids are all in the Naqshibandi Tariqat!

In these times, there is no power for other Tariqats to carry people all the way to the ultimate goal. All are invited to renew their baya` with our Grandshaykh, and they may observe their improvement. Both Sayyidina Abu Bakr (ra) and Sayyidina `Ali (ra) reached their Divine positions and took their holy trusts from the Prophet (s) during their lifetime. Because they desired and did what the Prophet (s) desired and did, they reached a station where they were shown Sayyidina Muhammad's (s) real Prophetic Personality in the Divine Presence.

If we can use our willpower as we should, making it accord with our Lord's desires, carrying out our Lord's Will, then we may improve to reach the ranks of saints and prophets, approach the Divine Presence and be accepted there!

Allah Almighty has said, through all of His Holy Prophets: "Oh My people, if you claim that you are servants, then put your desires in line with Mine, otherwise you are not servants. I am not in need of your worship; all I want from you is that you accord with My Desires."

We have to learn manners, and keep a form of discipline, so we can say inside ourselves: "As You like, Oh My Lord."

Excerpted from On the Bridge to Eternity