MSH.20 AUG 2010.Vol7.POST.ENG

Hierarchy of Saints Series, Vol 7
Changeable and Unchangeable Principles
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
20 August 2010    Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Fajr    Ramadan Series 2010

 

As-salaamu `alaykum.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-'uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`ala fee hadhaa 'l-masjid.

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Madad yaa Sayyidee, yaa Sultan al-Awliya Shaykh `AbdAllah al-Fa`iz ad-Daghestani!
Madad yaa Sayyidee, Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani!

Alhamdulillah that Allah (swt) has connected us with people to whom He granted heavenly support. As followers or mureeds, it is necessary for everyone, if he wants to find his journey and reach his goal, to know where he is putting his foot. To know where he is stepping, his intention has to be clean, that he is following the path of Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah, the path of Ahlu 'l-Bayt, and his intention has to be saadiq, pure, on his journey. Because today people are connecting with so many `ulama and different scholars, leaving the reality of Islam behind them and not giving importance to or even speaking about Maqaam al-Ihsaan, the station where thoughts and characters are pure, and moral values are carried within you, which takes you to your goal and destiny.

Awliyaaullah say that every person likes to reach somewhere. The goal is to reach Allah's love and Prophet's love, but unfortunately, it is like a pipe with many holes, so water leaks through the holes and doesn't reach the end of pipe, so you don't receive anything. Qaaloo innama kharam al-wusool ... "they pierce their way by putting many holes in it," and they lost the usool, the main principles of Islam, which is Maqaam al-Ihsaan.

People say they want Maqaam al-Ihsaan, but already they have put too many holes in their pipe, so how will they reach it? They will not. Awliyaa say you have to be careful. Qaala al-Qushayri, one of the big Sufi `alims, Imam Abd al-Karim ibn Hawazin al-Qushayri (q) (d. 1074, Persia), said, "It is not good to follow someone who is not from this path (Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah and Ahlu 'l-Bayt; the Sufi path) as it might take you somewhere unaccepted. Today (700 years ago) people are on two ways and you have to avoid these two ways." It means, not avoid them completely, but find someone who carries them and carries the reality of Maqaam al-Ihsaan. "People today are people of footnotes and hearsay. They copy; they don't depend on what is new coming to hearts, refreshing their hearts. They copy what has been written, as this is their knowledge. They know what others wrote, but they don't progress to reach their destination. aw imma ashaab al-qawl wa 'l-fikr, They are people of thoughts: academia and intellectuals. You have to be careful about them. They are thinking with the mind, and Allah (swt) cannot be known by the mind, He is known by hearts."

So today people copy and paste and if that knowledge is not footnoted, they don't accept it! So they copy what came before them or they use their mind to make "reforms," as if Islam needs reform. No, Islam doesn't need reform but Muslims need to reform, by returning to the tradition of Prophet (s) and his Companions (r)! So the first group copy and paste and the second group are thinking people, like socialists who came at the beginning of the 20th century, Maududi, Syed Qutb and many others, saying, "We have to reform Islam." No, you have to be very careful about what your mind is thinking.

Awliyaa take from the heart of Prophet (s), and in that there are two principles: thawaabit, firm, fixed elements that you cannot play with or change, and mutaghayaraat, changeable. The thawaabit principles are not changed from copying and pasting, nor through academia thinking, but there has to be an inspiration from the heart of Prophet (s). Allah (swt) sends to Prophet, and Prophet sends to the hearts of awliyaa.This is why Jalaaluddin Rumi (q) brought so many changeable principles that he dressed on thawaabit, firm principles, because firm principles can be dressed with whatever dress you like.

Allah (swt) is known through His Beautiful Names, so His Beautiful Names can be dressed. Allah will manifest on His Prophet with His Beautiful Names, and He can dress on anyone from His Beautiful Names and grant them to know what name they are under. And there are many Names. Like tajalli ismullah al-`azham, the manifestation of the Name encompassing all Names, "Allah". How will it be manifested? For example, it will be manifested on "one," as in Holy Qur'an it is mentioned:

وَأَنَّهُ لَمَّا قَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ كَادُوا يَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِ لِبَدًا

Wa annahu lamma qama `abdu Allaahi yad`oohu kaadoo yakoonoona `alayhi libada.
Yet when the Devotee of Allah stands forth to invoke Him, they just make round him a dense crowd. (72:19)

"When Allah's servant, the only one mentioned in Holy Qur'an as '`AbdAllah'," which means He dressed Prophet (s) with His Beautiful Names and with `ismullah al-`Adham, the Name encompassing all the Beautiful Names and Attributes, "Allah".

So Allah al-`ism al-ladhee... yatahaqaqu bi ismih...He is the only one on whom Allah (swt) manifested His Beautiful Names and Attributes, the Prophet (s). Because he is the highest rank and highest shaan, prestige, because he reached the reality and certainty of the manifestation of His Highest Beautiful Name, "Allah" that Prophet (s) was able to reach. That is why he was able to go in Israa wa 'l-Mi`raaj. Do you think that if Allah didn't dress him, he could go in Israa wa 'l-Mi`raaj? He would have been completely annihilated! Allah dressed him so he can come back. So Imam al-Qushayri (q) said, "When the servant of Allah asks through prayers, that Name was for Prophet and his inheritors," who are Ghawth, Aqtaab, Budalaa, Nujabaa, Nuqabaa, Awtaad, Akhyaar.

So the reality is not changeable. They can be dressed by mutaghayaraat, changeable principles, and in this way you can give every reality a colorful dress that you can follow. He continues:

وَأَلَّوِ اسْتَقَامُوا عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ لَأَسْقَيْنَاهُم مَّاء غَدَقًا

wa law istaqaamoo `ala at-tariqati la asqaynaahum maa'an ghadaqa
If they kept straight forward on the way, tariqah, we would shower them with blessings.

"If they stay on the Way, Siraat al-Mustaqeem," this is a fixed principle. But you can dress that principle, that anyone can go on that path, in a different manifestation, with different dresses, with different shuyookh, with different dhikr. The road doesn't change, but your technique as you go from one shaykh to another is a dress that can be changed. Allah said in Holy Qur'an: wa law istaqaamoo `ala at-tariqati la asqaynaahum maa'an ghadaqa.

Today they know now where rain comes from and to where it goes. The reality of the rain doesn't change. There are lakes or equatorial areas to where water evaporates, that is unchangable, but where that rain is sent is changable.

وَالْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَالَّذِي خَبُثَ لاَ يَخْرُجُ إِلاَّ نَكِدًا كَذَلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ

Wal baladut-tayyibu yakhruju nabatuhu bi-idhni rabbihi wa'Lladhee khabutha laa yakhruju illa nakidan kadhaalika nusarrifu 'l-ayati li-qawmin yashkuroon.
From the land that is clean and good, by the will of its Cherisher, springs up produce, (rich) after its kind: but from the land that is bad, springs up nothing but that which is niggardly: thus do we explain the signs by various (symbols) to those who are grateful. (al-Aa`raaf, 7:58)

The clouds are there, but Allah (swt) moves them as He likes by wind, which is in hands of angels, which is changeable. The principles of evaporation are unchangeable. For example, if you drop water on the floor, in ten or fifteen minutes it evaporates. If you go to the sauna, you sweat. Similarly, you have to sweat in the way of tariqah. If you don't sweat, what is the benefit? Do you want to sit on the throne and for them to carry you? nuqsaniyya, you have deficiencies they must work on for you to improve. For example, you don't like watermelon, so they give you watermelon; that is a bitterness, a sweat. This one likes to sleep too much, so they keep him awake! So everyone has to sweat and in a different way.

So a big wali said to someone who is higher than him but he didn't know, and awliyaa like to joke with each other, "Do you like to see Him, atureedu an taraah." The same question applies to everyone here: do you like to see Him? Yes, of course! Why are you coming to make dhikrullah? To see Him, to be more near Him.
That wali answered, "No, I don't like to see Him."
If they ask us, we would run to see Him! Sayyidina Musa (a) asked to see Him! So this wali was careful. And so he said no. They said that is strange.
He continued, unnazihu dhaak al-jamal `an nazhari mithilih, "I exalt that Beauty from Someone who has my eyes," meaning, "I am not worthy; I don't want my dirty eyes to see that Beauty, because that Beauty is exalted." To see that Beauty requires clean eyes. Can we say that?
They said, "When do you relax?" Today they say when you relax, take a massage. (laughter)
He said, "No, ma dumtu lahu dhaakiran, as long as I am remembering Him, I am relaxing. When I am heedless from His remembrance, I will not find any relaxation; I am sweating."

 

So you see the difference between them and us? Imam al-Qushayri (q) said, wa law istaqaamoo `ala at-tareeqati la asqaynahum maa'an ghadaqa "If they knew the variants (utaghayaraat), they would have succeeded."

Light is a constant speed, traveling at 300,000 Km/s. The moon has many variations in density between it and Earth; that is mutaghayaraat. That is why the speed of light coming from the moon is less than 300,000 Km/s, as there is a lot of friction taking place within that distance. So in this galaxy with so many stars--some farther than the moon, or the sun, or the polestar--your destination on this path is farther than any star in this universe. And a lot of variations might drop your power to move forward. That is why the guide will teach you what awraad to say, to make you move depending on your capacity. If you connect a 500-watt lamp to a 100-watt power source, the light, the lamp, and the wire will burn. But if you connect a 50-watt lamp to a 100-watt power source, neither the lamp nor the wire will burn. So the shaykh knows the capacity your heart can carry; he connects you, and your light is not burned out, and you move on that path. What the shaykh gives is mutaghayaraat, something that changes. He might give you a 50-watt or a 100-watt connection.

 

So Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an, "If he would stand on the path, we would order angels to send these clouds of mercy and put in their hearts. We would shower them with 'un-understandables' (unique knowledge)."

Support comes from Allah (swt). If you are on a track ready to move, as you are given awraad from your shaykh and you do it, then mercy, inayatullah, comes to push you like the wind blowing the clouds of rain. That is reeh as-siba, "cool breeze from Heavens" that moves you forward. Like a carriage on a track only needs the first push and it keeps going like a roller coaster. It might find a hill but it will go slowly up and then will go down quickly.

Allah (swt) said, inna ma` al-`usri yusra,"With difficulty comes ease." (94:6) He didn't say, "With ease comes difficulty," no, with difficulty there must be ease. So you face difficulty first, then you reach ease, as Allah (swt) confirmed:

أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ

alam nashrah laka sadrak, wa wadaa`naa `anka wizrak.
Have We not opened your breast for you and removed from you your burden. (Surat al-Shahr, 94:1-2)

Then, when you are steady on path, He sends angels to move these clouds of mercy and you quickly reach your goal.
Today people are so interested in an-naql wal-athar, "This one said this and this one said that." If you don't say the transmission of that knowledge, it is not acceptable. But everything is changeable, as today there are awliyaaullah inspired from the heart of Prophet (s). He (s) said, "I left behind the Book of Allah and my Way," and, "I left behind the holy Book and my Family." Put these two different hadeeth in an equation with the first side kitaabullah wa sunnatee = kitaabullah wa `itratee. Remove what is common on both sides, kitaabullah, so what is left? Sunnatee = `Itratee. So you have to look, those who are on his way are from his Family. Who are his Family? Many are from his blood family and also there is his spiritual family, like Sayyidina Salmaan al-Faarsi (r). Awliyaa are the ones who can take you forward to understand kitaabullah, the Book of Allah. Others only say, "He said this and he said that," but they are not understanding what is coming new. That is `ilm al-ghuyoob for you, but for them that is `ilm azh-zhuhoor, knowledge appearing for them.

 

So follow those who are receive divine inspiration in their hearts, shuyookh at-taa'ifah, shaykhs of that particular group. Who are they? They are awliyaaullah. If you follow others, you are in a maze. So awliyaa take you out of that maze. Awliyaullah are all on the similar way. Think-tank intellectuals believe if they study four years, they become a doctor and put that certificate. No, awliyaa are those who take you through your life, the past, future and present, giving you precisely what you need at any given moment. Now the intellectuals are coming to reform Islam. Islam is perfect like the full moon! You cannot reform Islam with ideas of Marx, Lenin, or socio-political movements such as communism, socialism, or even democratic or liberal ideologies. You have to come with something that is more spiritual and in the middle, that everyone can follow.

So Prophet (s) mentioned in many ahadeeth, and what is revealed in Holy Qur'an, that the best way to reach that is through dhikrullah and different ways of dhikr. Allah (swt) describes Himself for us with 99 Beautiful Names. You can go to infinite Names to remember Him and you have to know the highest is ismullah, "Allah," and when the servant of Allah (swt) stood up to pray, he is the one whom Allah (swt) dressed with all the Beautiful Names and Attributes. Abdus-Salaam is under the tajalli of the Divine Name "as-Salaam," but "`AbdAllah," Allah's Servant, is under the tajalli of all the Beautiful Names and Attributes!

So awliyaa are changable, based on what is dressing them. So may Allah (swt) clean us with His endless power.

Be careful on that verse, wa law istaqaamoo `ala at-tareeqati la asqaynaahum maan ghadaqa. May Allah (swt) fill our hearts with all His Names and Attributes.

Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.