MSH.16 DEC 2010.ISHA.PREPOST.ENG.Ashura

The Year of Mahdi (a) and Safety for All Humanity
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
16 December 2010     Jakarta, Indonesia
`Ashura / Private Residence

Kalimataan khafeefataan `ala al-lisan thaqeelataan fi'l-meezaan, subhaanAllah wa bihamdihi subhaanAllahi 'l-Aliyyu 'l-`Azheem astaghfirullah.
 
Allah (swt) is Arham ur-Rahimeen, "the Most Merciful of those who show mercy." If you call upon Him do you think He answers, or not? When you call upon Him, His doors are open and there is no blockage.

Tonight is the first Thursday of this year, which is known among awliyaaullah as "the Year of Mahdi," because this year for sure is Hajj al-Akbar, and Sayyidina Mahdi will appear in Hajj al-Akbar, as mentioned among awliyaaullah. From one Hajj al-Akbar to the next is seven years. Awliyaaullah are feeling the heat and the problem now, and seeing through dreams and visions that the problems might escalate this year, which might be the year for Mahdi (a) to appear.

There are many ahadeeth on Sayyidina Mahdi (a) and most of them are authenticated by many scholars, especially those at Umm al-Qurrah University, where Muhammad Ali Sabooni wrote a book on the ahadeeth of al-Mahdi. For this reason, awliyaaullah are giving us some information which we have to follow in order to be safe. Some of the people are already following it and for some, it is not coming to their minds. Those who are following are praying, fasting, giving zakaat and performing Hajj, but the others are behind fitnah, and by backbiting each other and not respecting each other they are falling into trap of Shaytan that will take them from the door of Sayyidina al-Mahdi (a).

Prophet (s) said:
in kuntum thalathah, fa-amiru ahadakum.
If you are three, make one your leader (amir).

The "amir" takes care of the whole Muslim ummah, and Sayyidina al-Mahdi (a) will be `Ameer ul-Mu'mineen, granted heavenly responsibility to take care of the ummat an-Nabi (s), to remove batil (falsehood) and restore haqq (truth). As it is mentioned, Mahdi (a) will come with heavenly support, just as the Prophet (s) was supported by angels wearing turbans that are musawwamah, with a tail, an extension of the turban on the back. Allah (swt) supported the Prophet (s) with angels wearing turbans and also when Mahdi (a) comes, he will be supported by people with turbans. In Arabic, "turban" is al-amaim (plural) and al-amama (singular). Prophet (s) wore a white, black, red, or green turban depending on the situation he was in.

Many who are pretending to be mashaykh or `ulama have discarded the turban, although it is mentioned in all the sihhah, specifically Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. We respect their knowledge, but if they are scholars, why are they not putting turbans, but instead they wear a jacket and pants like western people? Islam is not "western," but it is Allah's law and constitution. Siffat ahl al-Islam is amaa'im, the Sign of Islam is turbans, and beards, for you to know they are following the sunnah of the Prophet (s). He grew his beard and put on a turban. I don't understand how they exchanged amaa'im for something else. Most of al-haba'ib wear turbans but those who claim they are scholars, not haba'ib, I am surprised they do not wear turbans, although Prophet (s) did. Following the sunnah is the way of Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jama`ah!

Allah (swt) said:

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Qul in kuntum tuhiboon Allaha fat-tabi`oonee yuhbibkumullah wa yaghfir lakum dhunoobakum.

Say, "If you love Allah, follow me (Muhammad). Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (`Aali Imraan, 3:31)

The Prophet (s) said, yuhshar al-maru ma` man ahab, "People will be with the ones they love on the Judgment Day." What do you think about people who are leaving their work, jobs, homes, and coming to be together and glorifying Allah (swt) and praising his Prophet (s) in the Year of Mahdi (a)? What do you think Allah is dressing those people with? "Yuhshar" does not necessarily mean on Judgment Day, as for sure people on the Resurrection Day will be mahshoor, but in dunya people can be gathered in a gathering. It is not only in akhirah, but in dunya also you can be gathered. Those who are gathered tonight, yuhshar ul-marru ma` man ahabb, "they are gathered with the one they love," The One, that is Allah (swt) and Sayyidina Muhammad (s), His servant!

Allah (swt) will not let us go from here without dressing us completely with maghfirah, forgiveness! It is mentioned in Tabaqat al-Awliya by Imam ash-Shara`ani that on Judgment Day, Allah (swt) will look at the worst person from all the people and call him for judgment. As soon as that man arrives, Allah will open for him his records that have been written by the angels who write the sins. All his `amal will be full of sins, kabaair, saghaair, big and small sins, doing this and doing that, you cannot imagine. He will be a Muslim, and there are so many Muslims who do so many wrong things. And Allah will call him into His Presence and He will open his records. There will be 99 records and every record is bigger than the space between east to west; how far is that distance? The east, we don't know and the west, we don't know; the east that has no beginning and the west that we don't know about. He will open for him 99 records of that width, and Allah (swt) will put those records on the Scale, and the Scale will go down, weighted very heavy with sins. At that moment one paper will come, with laa ilaaha illa-Llah written on it, and Allah (swt) will order the angels to put it on the other side of the Scale. Immediately it will go heavier than the side of sins, and all the records will be thrown up, and immediately Allah will take that person and send him with angels to Paradise!

O Muslims! If you say one time, laa ilaaha illa-Llah, it is enough to take you to Paradise! Say, laa ilaaha illa-Llah, laa ilaaha illa-Llah, laa ilaaha illa-Llah! Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar! Muhammadun Rasoolullah, Muhammadun Rasoolullah, Muhammadun Rasoolullah! What do you think? Rahmatullah is coming on us, and maghfiratullah is coming on us!

O Muslims! As long as you praise the Prophet (s) you are safe! If you don't know how to praise by qasidah, then say salawaat; that will be enough to take you to Paradise. This day is an important day that, alhamdulillah, most of you were fasting, and when the Prophet (s) entered Madinah he saw the Jews also fasting. He asked, "Why are they fasting?" And they said, "This is the day in which Allah saved Musa from Pharaoh. And he said, "We have more right on Musa (a) than them." Then he ordered his Sahaabah (r) to fast that day of Ashura. He said that fasting will take all sins of the prior year. So you all are clean, with no sins on you, and that is according to the sunnah of the Prophet (s)! The majlis `ulama will come tomorrow and say, "Where did you come with that?" I am coming with that from Hadeeth an-Nabi (s), not from my father's home!

So if you break fast you will be forgiven, then what is left? To be dressed with a heavenly dress. When Allah sends His maghfirah, He sends His dress of Beauty and Majesty, Jamal and Jalal. You are more beautiful than Hur al-`Ayn, whom, if one of their fingers comes to Earth, the whole Earth will faint from its beauty! In front of Allah (swt), the beauty of a Hur al-`ayn is nothing (in comparison), and He dresses such beauty on those pious, obedient servants with a dress that makes all Hur al-`ayn faint! We ask that Allah (swt) will dress us with that dress.

وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمْ أَنَّا حَمَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ فِي الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ

Wa aayatun lahum anna hamalna dhurriy-yatahum fi 'l-fulki 'l-mashhoon.

And a sign to them is that we carry them and their descendants in a loaded ship. (36:41)

We say mash-hoon; in Arabic, "shahn" is to charge the battery. So those descendants Allah mentioned in Holy Qur'an that are loaded on a ship, who are they? Is the ayah mentioning the offspring of Nuh (a), or something stronger? That charged ship is safety for humanity, what is that? That is the safest thing we can think about.

We will discuss this after Salat al-Fajr at Ishraq. We will pray `Isha and go up, and after Fajr we will discuss that fulk al-mash-hoon, that "charged vessel that carries offspring" of whom. Now we have good tidings for everyone as this year, 1432 Hijri, is loaded with truth. It is 1432: 3+2=5 and 4+1=5 and that is 10, which is 1+0 = 1. That is the year of Heavenly Qahr; revenge is coming, and we have to be very careful.

Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.