MSH.19 AUG 2010.Vol 6.POST.ENG

Hierarchy of Saints Series, Vol 6
Ittiba` and Taqleed: Follow the Footsteps and Imitate the Character of the Pious
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
19 August 2010    Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Fajr    Ramadan Series 2010

 

 

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.

Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,

nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`ala fee haadha 'l-masjid.

  

Ati`ullaha wa ati`u 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.

Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (4:59)

 

Awliyaaullah, qaddas-Allahu ta`ala arwaahahumu zakiyya wa nawwar-Allahu ta`ala adrihatahum al-mubarakah. May Allah (swt) bless their souls, those who passed away and those living. They always cared for their followers. As we said yesterday, if Allah likes His servant He is possessive of that one; He doesn't want His servant to go anywhere. That is why the end-goal of a servant is to be in the Divine Presence and the shaykhs have to do their best for their followers to reach there, as this is their duty. And awliyaa were not able to become awliyaa except by inkisaar, to lower themselves to be like Earth for their followers. If you step on the Earth, it doesn't complain; if you drill it, take its treasures, mine it, or throw garbage on it, it doesn't complain. A wali is like the Earth; he doesn't complain. He wants those whom he is guiding to benefit and they didn't reach that level except through humiliation and humility.

Humility means to they show that they are like normal people. I am speaking of the Naqshbandi Tariqah and other tariqats. In the Naqshbandi Tariqah, the shaykh doesn't show himself with any abnormality, he always shows himself as normal, in order to make familiarity with followers. They even joke with their followers, as they are following the footsteps of the Prophet (s). He used to sit privately with Sahaabah (r) and joke and eat with them to make them feel easy-going. It is not like visiting a government minister, when you have to follow many protocols, although the minister might stand at the door of the Prime Minister like nothing. A Prime Minister might even kick the minister, and we might shake in front of the minister. Even to his doorman we say, "Yes sir." Do we say it (among ourselves)? Never.

Awliyaaullah don't have that behavior or characteristic because they want to show how they are easy-going with followers, and that is how their followers are attracted to them. Mureeds have to show discipline to their shaykh by keeping the adab of following. That is why people say, hal atabi`uka. Musa (a), who is ooulu 'l-`azam, one of the five highest prophets and messengers, said, "Can I follow?" What is the meaning of follow, ittiba`? That is why `ulama said, you must have ittiba`, not like today as Salafi `ulama say, la tatatabi`, "Don't follow, do what you like." No, you have to follow! Sayyidina Musa (a) was asking permission of Sayyidina  Khidr (a), "Can I follow you?" Ittiba` is footsteps. "Can I follow you?" He said, "I don't know, you might not be able." But he asked, he came with discipline and knocked on the door.

So `ulama must understand, as Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah, we have to follow the pious ones who came before us, and imitate them, taqleed. Today they refuse ittiba` and taqleed, and Allah (swt) said He chose messengers and put them among the community for people to follow their footsteps. People look at them and say, "O, that is a pious one. I have to imitate his way." So that is tariqah: to make taqleed and ittiba` , which is the order in the Holy Qur'an.

 

So Sayyidina Khidr said, "If you want to follow me I accept, but you have to be patient." You have to follow a shaykh, yes; you took his hand, you gave initation, then what is your duty? To follow. One simple example is when Sayyidina `Ubaydullah al-Ahraar (q) said to his mureed, "Go to the mountain and wait, I am coming." What did he do? He went to the mountain and he stayed all day; Maghrib came and shaykh didn't come. But he was a clever mureed and his heart is connected. He said to himself, "O! Shaykh said, 'I am coming.' Why do I have to listen to the ego and go home?" So he stayed and waited and the second day he waited and shaykh didn't come, one week , one month, no more food, the fruit on the trees finished. He didn't say, "I have to go home to sleep," he waited. One year passed, and no shaykh. Then Allah (swt) sent a deer to him, because he kept the word of the shaykh, who said, "I am coming, wait for me." That is ittiba`, to follow.

 

Sayyidina Khidr (a) said to Sayyidina Musa (a), "You may follow, but don't object against me."

قَالَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبْرًا

Qaala innaka lan tastati` ma`iya sabra.
(The other) said, "Verily thou wilt not be able to have patience with me!" (18:67)

Don't object. When you object it means there is no ittiba`. The first step in tariqah is ittiba` and taqleed, and unfortunately today `ulama are saying, "Don't follow." The principle of Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah is to follow and take the consensus of the `ulama!

 

That mureed waited seven years until his shaykh came, saying, "O my son! Where were you? I might have died and you didn't come to see?"

The mureed answered, "If I left, then you would not be here now by order of Prophet (s)." He reached a high level.

What happened yesterday? I said I am coming at 12 o'clock, and you ran away, you didn't wait even half-an-hour! This one (mureed) ran away. What kind of notes are you taking?

 

Whoever doesn't follow Allah's orders first, then Prophet's ways and orders, and awliyaaullah's order and ways, fa laysa fee yadihi shay, then he will not achieve anything. Sayyidina `Ali (r) said, "The reality is within three things:

الحقيقة في ثلاث، من لم يكن عنده سنة الله ورسوله والأولياء فليس في يده شيء

al-haqeeqatu fee thalaath: Man lam yakun `indahu sunnatullah wa sunnat rasoolihi wa sunnat awliyaaihi fa laysa fee yadihi shay.
If someone doesn't have respect for Allah's way, the Prophet's way and awliya's way, he or she can't achieve anything."

They said to him... and Prophet said:

أنا مدينة العلم و علي بابها           

 anaa madinatu 'l-`ilmi wa `Aliyyun baabuha,
I am the city of knowledge and `Ali is it's door. (al-Haakim, Tirmidhi)

His companions said, "Tell us what we have to do."
He said, "Allah's Way is kitmaan as-sirr, keep the secrets."

Don't expose them, keep hiding secrets. That has two meanings here: it means keep whatever Allah gives you in the way of your journey, don't expose it, or you will feel arrogant and you lose. Don't say, "I am speaking with jinn, I will send jinn on you, or I will do this and I will do that. " No, show humbleness in every situation (as if) you know nothing; that way you will not show yourself as arrogant. And kitmaan as-sirr, don't expose your brothers' and sisters' mistakes. Both of these ways are exposing.

 

If you get secret of what Allah opened to your heart, you go and say it, especially if they saw a dream. What do they do? They are so happy to tell about their dream. If Allah wants to show that dream to everyone He can, but He sent it to you. If you want to say it, say it to your shaykh directly, not to people. They come and say to each what they have seen in dreams and expose it on the Internet even, saying, "I have seen a dream." If it is nice a one, keep it for yourself, and secondly, don't expose to your brothers and sisters what Allah (swt) gave you. What do we do? We expose them!So what we said about, anaa madinatu 'l-`ilmi wa `Aliyyun baabuha, and what tariqahs came from Sayyidina `Ali (a)? Don't expose secrets that Allah has given to you, keep it to yourself. If you did good for humanity, keep it to yourself. If you gave of what Allah gave you, don't say to people, "I gave." Don't say it, keep it to yourself.

 

And they asked, "What about the sunnah of Prophet (s), wa ma hiya sunnat ar-rasool?" And this is what `ulama have to know the importance of, and all politicians have to go back to Muslim sources, and extract from pious people what they said, and not to listen to those who are extreme in their understanding.

They asked Sayyidina `Ali (r), "What is Prophet's way? We understand Allah's way to veil what happened to you, but what is the way of Prophet (s)?"
Sayyidina `Ali said, al-mudaaraatu li 'n-naas. That is very important. "O politicians! That is what Islam is based on."

He took from the sunnah of Prophet (s) and he didn't say, "Explode yourself with suicide bombings," as we see Muslims killing Muslims now. He said, al-mudaaraat lin-naas, to be able to take everything balanced, to be caring for everyone, how to deal with him to keep him happy. It means whoever you meet. And he said, lin-naas, "to humanity," not lil-Muslim, "Muslims (only)." Prophet's way is to make everyone feel they have been cared for. Prophet took everyone into consideration, and this is not easy, but this is what we have to tell people Islam is based on, to take consideration for everyone's needs. Prophet (s) gave everyone what he or she needed, but who doesn't have a mind or a heart doesn't understand.

They asked, Qeela wa maa sunnata awliyaa-ih, "What is the sunnah of the saints?"
Sayyidina `Ali (r) said, "One of the most difficult is ihtimaalu 'l-adhaa, to carry peoples' harms."

What is their harm? It is not that they speak bad about the wali, as today they say, "There are no awliyaa." It is for the shaykh to carry the harm, the mistakes and the sins of his followers, and clean them by taking their mistakes on his shoulders and giving them from his good deeds and good tidings that he dressed them with. He is sacrificing himself for the benefit of his followers. That is a wali's job and that is a wali, what he gave him from the beginning.

 

And so when Sayyidina Musa (a) asked Sayyidin Khidr (a), "Can I follow you?" he said, "Yes, but you have to be patient. I am not going to expose my secrets and I am carrying the harm and difficulty, taking into consideration my prophet will carry the burden and make people happy." That is why he took responsibility when he put a hole in the boat, as he didn't want the king to take the boat from the poor fisherman; then he took responsibility when he built the wall to save the treasure for its rightful heirs, and he took responsibility for that child that was harmful to his parents.

 

So our responsibility in tariqah is to carry each other and not to criticize each other, and our way is not to advocate separation. And today all technology is the worst, as Mawlana said yesterday, because people are using it for destruction. You are destroying the morality of people on the Internet by saying things or showing things. And these three ways Allah made under three actions. If you follow them, as Sayyidina `Ali (r) said, Allah will give you support, Prophet will give shafa`ah, and awliyaa will accept you as followers. And the first `amal is to do for akhirah; always do your best for the Hereafter, don't do the best for dunya. Man `amal li 'l-akhira kafaa-Allahu dunyahu, "Whoever does his best for akhirah will make people help him for his dunya." He doesn't need to work even, from everywhere help will come. If you are doing for Allah (swt), Allah will make people come to help you. But we are not doing enough for akhirah and that is why we are running after our dunya, to be able to eat and drink!

 

And I can see and I observed and experienced how Mawlana Shaykh, may Allah give him long life and may Allah bless the soul of Grandshaykh, how they were only working for da`wah. Allah made people to come and serve them, their homes were never empty from anything. SubhaanAllah! Grandshaykh's home was so humble but three times a day food was served. If any guest came food was served and not one day there is no food in his house. SubhaanAllah. Allah sent people to serve. And similarly with Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, may Allah give him long life.

 

Grandshaykh (q) one day said to me and my brother, "Who followed me, Allah and Prophet promised to me in my visions, 'O `AbdAllah Effendi, anyone who follows you is not going to see fi 'd-dunya sharr aw fi 'l-akhira, never in dunya will he see any harm and never in akhirah, and his pocket will never be empty of money.' Allah gave every wali a specialty, anyone who follows me will never see harm in this life or the Next Life and their rizq will always be there." Their doors are always open and that is why whoever does for akhirah, Allah will give him whatever he needs in dunya.

Wa man ahsana sareeratahu ahsan Allahu zhaahirah, "The one who rides his ego and perfects his inside, Allah will perfect his appearance." When he appears, any spot will be a spotlight, in any assembly or meeting or association, people will run to him because of that light that Allah and his Prophet (s) and awliyaa have put in his forehead. They run to him and they feel attracted like a magnet. That is why awliyaaullah are like magnets; Allah gave them that secret speciality. You cannot perfect your outside, that has to come from them. It is not perfecting outside by wearing nice clothes, but you need that heavenly light to be put and people will be attracted to that heavenly light.

So try to fix what is between you and people. These are major issues that if we follow, we succeed. Awliyaa succeeded, becaused they follow these ways. They began to know `irfaan, Gnosticism. Allah gave them the knowledge. They fixed that pipe between them and Allah, and Allah made people run to them!

May Allah forgive us and we will continue this tomorrow and summarize what the Naqshbandi Tariqah is about.

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