MSH.16 SEP 2010.PREPOST.ENG

The Importance of Discipline on the Path, pt. 1
Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani
16 September, 2010 | Fenton Zawiya

Whatever you want to choose, choose. If you don't want to choose any of these tariqas, and you only want to say, "I follow the four schools of thought, the madhaahib, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi`ee, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Ahmad," that is no problem. If you want to say, "I don't want to follow anyone, I will follow my own" that is ok.

BUT, any path you choose there must be discipline. You cannot choose a path with no discipline.

Like driving a car, is there no discipline in driving a car? Can you look right or left? You can, but you have to look in the mirror. The mirror will tell you what you have to do on your right and on your left and (mainly) you have to look forward. So there is discipline (in driving).

In old time cars they have no mirror on right or left. So where do you look? You look to see who is behind (rear-view mirror). They used to sell, I remember in the fifties, this is my time, we used to buy big mirrors (stretches arms) and you hook it on the small mirror and it shows you everything. But you cannot (drive) except you have to follow the highway or the road. You cannot go on the road if there is no discipline.

So choose any way you like.. You follow the evil way, it is ok, you end up in evil. No problem; this is what you like. If you the choose good way, you end up in goodness.
Don't say "I choose a way that there is no discipline." Even in sitting there must be discipline. Today in the beginning when I came in at the end (where they were sitting) there was no discipline. All of them were sitting in the corner, tight. Spread out!

Kamau! Why you didn't say anything to them to them? You teach yoga, correct. Don't you teach yoga sometimes? Is there discipline  in it or not? Yes, and this is yoga. Why when something is for Allah then there is no discipline  in it? Whatever is for Allah, people say "who cares?"

You teach martial arts. In martial arts is there no discipline? It is full of discipline. In the Chinese (martial art) - I don't know the names of these arts - in that Chinese or Japanese martial art (the master), even if he closes his eyes he can feel who is coming from here, or here, or here. So what you think if you are on the Way of Allah swt? Can you not see right or left or from the back? So that gives us an indication to know we are not following correctly. So when we follow correctly we end up in right way and the right direction. The right direction is direction of Allah swt.

فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّواْ فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللّهِ

fa ayanamaa tawallu fa thamma wajhullah.

Whithersoever ye turn, there is the presence of Allah. (al-Baqara, 2:115)

Whatever you are, whereever you direct your face Allah swt you will find Him; whereever you are, and you can see all His Signs everywhere.

    سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ

sanureehim ayaatina fi 'l-afaaq wa fee anfusihim
Soon will We show them our Signs in the far horizons, and in their own souls.

Where is the horizon? go look at the horizon what do you see? Nothing. Which horizon? The horizon of the heart. As much as you look in your heart as much as you look you are far away from reachign the Divine Presence, but always you are seeing signs.

sanureehim ayaatina fi 'l-afaaq. We are going to show them Our signs (in the horizons of their hearts).

That is where ayatahi 'l-kubra, meaning "We are showing him from our highest signs." Those were the signs that Allah showed to Sayyidina Muhammad in his mi`raaj.
That is where He showed Sayyidina Muhammad the greatest signs. Awliyaullah they inherit from Sayyidina Muhammad (s). They see these signs, both physically and spiritually. That is where awliyaullah inherit from the Prophet, they see spiritually and then some may see physically, which is much more difficult.