Monday, May 31, 2010

Iskandar al-Maqduni

Bismillah.

Habib Ali Zainal Abidin at a majlis ta'lim at KL Ba'alawi last Sunday said:

There are many versions of the real name of Dhul-Qarnain. Some thought he was Iskandar al-Yunani, the man who built Alexandria in Egypt who lived in the times after Prophet Ibrahim. He was well known as Alexander the Great. One of Iskandar al-Yunani's advisors was Aristotles whose worldview did not conform to aqidatul tauhid. Therefore, it is impossible that he was the Dhul-Qarnain that was mentioned in the Holy Qur'an.

Dhul-qarnain was actually Iskandar al-Maqduni who lived during the reign of Prophet Ibrahim a.s. Allah did not, however, mention his real name but referred to his qualities, his akhlak and his deeds for us to emulate.

Allah granted Dhul-qarnain amazing strengths - inna makanna lahu fil ardhi. He was 'makmun indallah' - one who is trusted by Allah. Allah entrusted him to rule the earth. Allah had given such extraordinary power to only 4 persons. Two of them were mukmin and two were kuffar. The mukmins were Sulaiman and Dhul-qarnain and the kuffar were Buktunsir and Namrud.

When Dhul-qarnain arrived at a miry spring where the sun had set, Allah gave him an inspiration (ilham). He was given two choices, whether to punish or forgive them. But know that the sun never sets, it just appears to be set at one place yet it appears to be rising at another place. So the earth is always in zikrullah and salawat because some people are praying Isha while others are praying zuhur.

When Dhul-qarnain arrived at the place situated between two mountains (barriers/as-saddain) whose inhabitants spoke using sign-language, he was asked to help protect them. Dhul-qarnain agreed to help the dwellers build 'rodma'  - some sort of two-layer high-walls. The barrier would last a long time until the time comes for Yakjuj and Makjuj to appear.
_____________________________________
The above is a partial transcript of Habib Ali's lecture on tafsir of verses 83-88 of Surah Kahf. Below is the tafsir of the same verses, quoted from Tafsir al-Jalalayn, translated into English by Feras Hamza.

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَن ذِي ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ قُلْ سَأَتْلُواْ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْهُ ذِكْراً
And they, the Jews, question you concerning Dhū’l-Qarnayn, whose name was Alexander; he was not a prophet. Say: ‘I shall recite, relate, to you a mention, an account, of him’, of his affair.
إِنَّا مَكَّنَّا لَهُ فِي ٱلأَرْضِ وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ سَبَباً
Indeed We empowered him throughout the land, by facilitating [for him] the journeying therein, and We gave him to everything, of which one might have a need, a way, a route to lead him to that which he sought.
فَأَتْبَعَ سَبَباً
And he followed a way, he took a route towards the west,
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِي عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةٍ وَوَجَدَ عِندَهَا قَوْماً قُلْنَا يٰذَا ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ إِمَّآ أَن تُعَذِّبَ وَإِمَّآ أَن تَتَّخِذَ فِيهِمْ حُسْناً
until, when he reached the setting of the sun, the place where it sets, he found it setting in a muddy spring (‘ayn hami’a: [a spring] containing ham’a, which is black clay): its setting in a spring is [described as seen] from the perspective of the eye, for otherwise, it is far larger [in size] than this world; and he found by it, that is, [by] the spring, a folk, of disbelievers. We said, ‘O Dhū’l-Qarnayn — by [means of] inspiration — either chastise, the folk, by slaying [them], or treat them kindly’, by [merely] taking them captive.
قَالَ أَمَّا مَن ظَلَمَ فَسَوْفَ نُعَذِّبُهُ ثُمَّ يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِ فَيُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَاباً نُّكْراً
He said, ‘As for him who does wrong, by way of [practicing] idolatry, we shall chastise him, We shall slay him. Then he shall be returned to his Lord and He shall chastise him with an awful chastisement (read nukran or nukuran), that is, a severe [one], in the Fire.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحاً فَلَهُ جَزَآءً ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ وَسَنَقُولُ لَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِنَا يُسْراً
But as for him who believes and acts righteously, he shall have the fairest reward, namely, Paradise (the annexation construction [jazā’u l-husnā, ‘the fairest reward’] is explicative; a variant reading has jazā’an al-husnā, ‘[he shall have] as a requital that which is fairest’; al-Farrā’ said that this accusative [reading of jazā’an] is [intended] as an explanation [of the nature of the requital] by way of attribution [to ‘that which is fairest’], and we shall speak to him mildly in our command’, that is to say, we shall command him with what he will find easy [to bear].

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Habib Ali Zainal Abidin on the meaning of Dhul-Qarnain


Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah for the opportunity to sit before Habib Ali Zainal Abidin and learned tafsir of Surah Kahf verses 83 to 88. I must say that my heart is soothed the fact that we can call someone by that special name (Habib Ali) as it reminds us of Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus. Habib Ali Zainal Abidin is one young, gifted scholar who has become a familiar face and voice in KL for his role as an interpreter for renowned scholars who speak in Arabic.

Habib Ali is now one of three resident mu'aleem at KL Ba'alawi alongside Baba Aziz and Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam al-Maliki. At KL Ba'alawi, Habib Ali focuses on tafsir Quran.

They ask you about Dhul-Qarnain. Say, “I shall now recite to you an account of him.” Surely, We gave him power on earth and gave him means to (have) everything (he needs). So he followed a course until when he reached the point of sunset, he found it setting into a miry spring, and found a people near it. We said, “O Dhul-Qarnain, either punish them or adopt good behavior with them.” He said, “As for him who does wrong, we shall punish him, then he will be sent back to his Lord, and He will punish him with severe punishment. As for the one who believes and acts righteously, he will have the best (life) as a reward, and we shall speak to him politely in our directions.” (Qur'an, Al-Kahf 83-88)
Habib Ali said:
The Prophet was asked three questions to prove his prophecy:
- on ashabul kahf (the people of the cave)
- on ruh and
- on the man who went around the globe i.e. Dhul-Qarnain.

For two of the questions, Allah guided the Prophet to answer them as recorded in Surah Kahf. And the other question was answered in another verse. There are 16 places in the Qur'an where Prophet Muhammad was questioned - "Yas alu naka anil..." and Allah inspired him to answer by saying Qul, "Say, O Muhammad.." Out of the 16 questions directed to the Prophet, one question was answered directly by Allah. It was a question pertaining to ruh (spirit). "When they ask you about me, say I am near". The Qur'an says "fa inni qarib" and not "qul inni qarib".  Notice that the question was about Allah Ta'ala so He the Exalted is He was the one who answered directly. Furthermore, the ayah is related to du'a. Prophet Muhammad was also asked on whether Allah was far that we have to shout to Him or if He was near that we should only whisper our petitions. Know that the ayah actually mentioned the word qabul first before du'a. What it means is that Allah grant your wish even before you begin to ask. The door for du'a is already opened even before you knock on its door! One who does not make du'a is mutakabbir (proud). By contrast one who is muttar is one who only focuses on Allah as his only savior, so his du'a is directed to Allah wholeheartedly because he is desperate for His help. Allah will immediately answer the du'a of one who is muttar. His du'a is qabul instantaneously.

Coming back to the story of Dhul-Qarnain. He is one man of a great stature that Allah said 'I will write his history.' The story of one as great as Dhul-Qarnain, to Allah, warrants a record in the Qur'an. But Dhul-Qarnain is not a name. It is a name referring to one man whose dedication on da'wah had caused his heads to be injured on account of assault from people who disliked what he was doing. Qarnain actually means horn. Dhul-Qarnain was hurt on both sides of his head on the spots where horns are.  

Some people asked Saidina Ali if Dhul-Qarnain was a prophet or Rasul or if he had a horn made of gold or silver. Saidina Ali said, 'No, he was just a pious man, a solehin.' Dhul-Qarnain was beaten for his dedication and bravery in propagating the deen. His story was recorded in the Qur'an to teach us the value of da'wah in Islam. But Dhul-qarnain is not his real name, it is just a nickname that describes his role and contribution to the deen. What is his real name then?

To be continued.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Hidayah & Tawfik


Bismillah.

I am touched that one of our sisters is in despair for not being able to do something she has been meaning to do - wear hijab. I can emphatise with her. I pray that Allah will grant her patience while she waits for strength from Him. Truly, there is no power and no strength save with Allah, the High the Great. La hawla wala quwata ilah billahil 'Aliyil 'Azim.

Surely, she is one of those who has been given hidayah, but she is yet to receive tawfik (the strength) to implement her niyyat (intention) of wearing hijab.

We learned from our guru to not make the common mistakes of praying for tawfik & hidayah but for hidayah & tawfik. Our guru said that the order of the words are significant. One first gets hidayah or guidance from Allah to do a good thing and then the strength or tawfik to actually carry it out. He said, 'Many people are given hidayah on solat. Many people know the rulings, they are aware of it but do you think everybody does it? So we see that only a few people are actually given the tawfik to perform solat. Think about it. So pray for hidayah wal tawfik.'

Another guru of mine said, 'Why do you think someone can speak English? It's because Allah give him tawfiqi - the strength to speak English. So different people get different tawfiqi from Allah. Some people can speak Arabic well, some can speak English, though it's not their mother tongue.'

O son, every now and then, I would reminisce my 'jahiliyah' days. The days when I was in great despair as I could not even bring myself to the prayer mat. I would just sit in my room and stare at the spot where I had placed a prayer mat. But I just could not do it! Allahu Akbar!

So know that when you pray or do anything good, it's not because you are 'naturally' good but because Allah give you hidayah and tawfik to do it. Be patient, have sabr and keep striving when you seem to be lacking of hidayah and tawfik. And be grateful (shukur) when He bless you with it and make you do good deeds.

We pray for continued guidance and strength from Allah so that He keeps us on the Straight Path always, and grant us a good ending. Ameen Allahumma ameen.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Bless the Perfect Full Moon


Bismillah.

"O God, bless the Perfect Full Moon!
O God, bless the Light of Darkness!
O God, bless the Key to the Abode of Peace!
O God, bless the the Intercessor of all creation!"

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah for the perfect full moon I see from the window of my room - at my new home. Then again our home is but a temporary one. Ultimately, the accomodation that we aim for is one that is in the Prophet's neighborhood. Bi-iznillah.

The perfect full moon I see from my window reminded me of Imam Al-Jazuli's composition on the Guide to Goodness (Dala'il Khayrat), where he has beautifully pleaded...

"O Mercy of God! I am afraid, filled with dread,
O Grace of God! I am ruined, help me!
And I have no good acts with which to meet The Knowing!
Save great love for Thee and my faith!
Be my protection from the evil of life and from
the evil of death and from the burning of my mortal frame!
And fulfill my every need saving me from ruin!
And be my release from the fetters of disobedience!

Salutations of the Eternal, the Master and His Mercy,
As abundant as the leaves in the leafiness of the boughs,
Upon Thee, O Trusty Handhold, O my Support!
The Faithful One and whomever praises him spiritually and fragrantly!
Prophet of Guidance! I lost my state among mankind,
And you are worthy for that which I hope from you
So ask of my Creator relief from my sorrow,
for He is able to free me from grief, away from mankind.

Bismilahirahmanirahim
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
O God, through our asking for blessings upon him, expand our hearts!
And thereby cease our affairs!
And dispel our anxieties!
And remove our sorrows!
And thereby forgive our sins!
And relieve our debts!
And improve our states!
And thereby fulfill our hopes!
And accept our repentance!
And cleanse our misdeeds!
And thereby help our pleas!
And purify our tongues!
And end our loneliness!
And thereby relieve our separation!
And make it a light in front of us and behind us!
To our right! And to our left!
And above us and beneath us!
And in our lives and in our deaths!
And in our graves and in our gathering
and in our resurrection
and shade for us on the Day of Judgment over our heads!
And weigh down the scales thereby with good actions!
And repeat its blessing on us until we meet with our Prophet Muhammad,
God's blessings and peace be upon him and his family.
We believe.
We are certain.
We are overjoyed.
We are the receivers of good news!
And do not separate us from him until Thou make us enter through his entrance hall
and accomodate us in his noble neighborhood
with those Thou has favored among the Prophets, the truthful ones,
the martyrs and the righteous ones and what a fine company they are!
O God, we have believed in him (s.a.w),
without seeing him,
so make us enjoy,
O God, a vision of him
in the two realms and keep our hearts always in love with him!"
_______________________________
O God, Bless the Perfect Full Moon!
Allahumma salli ala Sayyidina Muhammad.

FROM the last few paragraphs of Dalail Khayrat
as translated into English by Hassan Rosowsky.
Pic credit: Cajie on Muslimvoices.org

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Believe in miracles

Bismillah.

O son, this is a personal message to you as it relates to something that has happened to me. Actually, it is not a miracle as it is something that is very easy for Him to do for He is the Almighty. But it is miraculous for a mortal, for one who has fears and hopes.

Yesterday, I saw 'Sultanan Nasira'.

You know every time I leave the prayer rug it is as though I am going to leave His abode and enter the tough tough world out there, so I would pray for help:
Rabbi ad khilni mud khalla sidqin  
wa akrijni muk raja sidqin
waj alli min laduka sultanan nasira
(From the Qur'an Surah Isra 17:80)
"O my Lord! let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honor
and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honor;
and grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid (me)."

Subhan Allah, yesterday He sent me an authority to help me, yet again. The assistance seemed 'unbelieveable', it had to be from His presence. Well what's not from His presence? Subhan Allah!

I am merely proclaiming His bounties on me as in the Qur'anic verse wa amma biniqmati rabbika fahaddis. "And proclaim the bounties of your Lord." Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.
O son, I believe in miracles, I have always believed in miracles.
I hope you do too!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Scents of a saint

Bismillah.

We had the privilege to be in the gathering with Shaykh Abdul Aziz (Baba Aziz), two days after the demise of the venerated Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus who had passed away on Thursday, 13 May 2010.

We knew from the several sittings (majlis ta'lim) with Baba Aziz how attached he was to Almarhum Habib Ali. Fresh from the sad turn of event, Baba said:

"I wish to hand out this perfume to all of you. It is one habit I learned from Almarhum Habib Ali. It is qiswah. The fragrant which is used on the Kaabah has a sentimental value to me because of my family tradition right from my great grandfather and grandfather when we were living in Makkah. Habib Ali had told me to always distribute perfume to the mureed during class. He said the scent may linger on for a while but what's more important is that the scent from the knowledge will last for a long... long... time."

Baba Aziz confessed how badly affected he was; how much Almarhum had groomed him...and then he broke into tears! 

For a while, the audience fell into an awkward silence as we witnessed the love and attachment Baba Aziz had towards Almarhum Habib Ali - a perfumed soul who had left an everlasting scent on all who adored him especially one like Baba Aziz.

Al-Fatihah to Almarhum Habib Ali and all the beloved of Allah who have left us physically, but not in spirit.

Almarhum Habib Ali's maqam is located at
Tanah Perkuburan Bukit Cermai, Batu Pahat, Malaysia
(At Taman Kemajuan/ near Simpang Rantai roundabout) 

Monday, May 24, 2010

And you thought you were clever

Bismillah.

Moses said:
"O God, why do you provide for the stupid and deprive the clever?
He replied, "So that the clever may know that provision depends upon apportioning and, not upon cleverness."

On the Day of Resurrection, He will forgive the disobedient so that the creatures may know that mercy is a gift not an earning. It comes through God's solicitude, not through the servant's worship.

FROM: Rawh al-arwah, translated by WC Chittick in Sufism, A Short Introduction
Publisher credit: Oneworld



Sunday, May 23, 2010

Good intentions | Multiple intentions

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullah.
For the past 48 hours I could not help but think of the kind hearted visitors who might have come by Lisan al-Din and not find any postings. May Allah bless you for your husnul-zan. I have been struggling with time. Just so you know, yesterday and today, I was with a group of mudarris learning 'Digital Story Telling'. Mudarrris if you recall from an earlier posting, is one who teaches you a skill. I will post a Digital Story on Lisan al-Din someday InshaAllah. Well, that's one intention for His record, bi-iznillah.

Coming back to my guilt about my inability to keep up with daily postings - let me tell you yet again that two key people who had inspired me to start Lisan al-Din were Shaykh Ahmad Mustafa al-Alawi (1869 - 1934) and Shaykh Sidi Ahmad Zarruq (1442 -1493).  Sidi Ahmad Zarruq was known to have produced plenty of wonderful writings. It was said that on average he had written half a page a day, throughout his entire life. So I naively thought of posting half a page a day. Well that is just an intention (niyyat).

Now that brings me to what I wanted to blog about yesterday - what Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam had said about the significance of multiplying one's niyyat. This was during his monthly lecture at KL Ba'alawi on Kitab al-targhib wat tarhib.

He said:
It is important that when you make an intention, you set your intention for Allah's sake and for akhira. Because if you do something with akhira in mind, you will actually get both - dunya and akhira. On the other hand, if you make an intention only for dunya sake, all that you will end up getting is for dunya only. The problem is people have become secular. Dunya and akhira have been secularized or separated. But in actual fact, as true Muslims you should believe that they are not. Moreover, you should give emphasis on akhira because by doing that, you would actually reap benefit for dunya as well.

So be sure to relate all your intentions to akhira. [For example, you want to work and earn a living because Allah wants you to, so you will not be questioned later on for being lazy, for not using the blessings of good health, or for not fulfilling your duty to provide for your family. That person's intention differs from one who wants to work because he wants to make plenty of money to buy expensive cars and homes etc so that he would be considered as being successful. That intention stops at dunya.]

People actually do just about the same things. People work, do this, do that, we put in almost the same amount of effort, but notice that our intentions vary. Know that we are being judged for our intentions. Innamal aqmalu bin niyyat although many people tend to focus more on their deeds/efforts rather than their intentions. So be sure to make the right intention. But not just that, you should also try to make multiple intentions.

For example, when you decide to come to this majlis ilm, do not limit youself to just one niyyat. Generally, people's intention when they go to majlis 'ilm is because it's good to do so. You should be more specific in making your intention. You should set several intentions. For example: I want to go to the majlis zikr because...
I want to learn.
I dont want to be ignorant.
I want to be in the company of good people, the aleem and the solehin, hence avoid being with bad people.
If I go there, I get to do solat jemaah because my intention is that I want to pray in jemaah for as many times as I could throughout my life
After Maghrib while waiting for Isha, I shall learn my lessons so that should be counted as though I was in a prayer.
I want to do wirid (Ratib al-Haddad) in between Maghrib and Isha.
I want to learn so that I could share with others.
I will pay more attention so that my notes are accurate because I will be sharing them with others.
So that is 6 niyyat there, which is surely better than just having one.

When I first started lecturing this new kitab that we are doing (Kitab al-targhib wat-tarhib) I made a niyyat that I want to finish teaching it until the end. I am not sure if you have the same niyyat of completing the kitab but that is my niyyat.

Be sincere in your niyyat. Those who seek knowledge with other intentions, with bad intentions, they are bound for hellfire. They are those who:
- learn so that they could boast to those who are ignorant.
- seek knowledge so that they could challenge the ulama and be takabbur, be proud of it.
- seek knowledge for popularity, so that people would come to him, acknowledge him and support him.

Allah said that He will punish these people because they seek knowledge for the sake of other than Him. They learn not for Allah sake. So be careful with your niyyat.

- Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam al-Maliki







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Friday, May 21, 2010

Taslit and Tashkir

Bismillah.

O son, taslit and tashkir are two words I wish to memorize today. Thanks to one visitor who left a comment on one old posting of Lisan al-Din on The Real Knower.

We often hear our gurus talk about qabdhu state and basthu state which correspond to His attributes of Jalal and Jamal. In simple language the former means 'a bad day' (qabdhu state) and the latter, 'a good day' (basthu state).
So we learn from Ghawth al-Azam that the real knower is one who recognizes the action of Allah of inflicting us with bad things - taslit. And His ability to make good things happen to us - tashkir.

So on a bad day, remember the word taslit. On a good day, it is tashkir. Either way, Allahu Akbar! Allah is the Greatest!


Jumaah Mubarrak to all.
Peace,

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Five types of guru

Bismillah.

I chanced upon the Mufti of Kelantan  on television recently. Kelantan is a state in northeast Malaysia. His name is Datuk Mohamad Shukri bin Mohamad.












He was speaking about five types of guru.
1. Mu'aleem
2. Mu'adib
3. Murashid
4. Murabbi
5. Mudarris

Mu'aleem is one who teaches you knowledge, any branches of knowledge.
Mu'adib is one who teaches you manners (adab).
Murashid is one who teaches you how to think smartly.
Murabbi is one who teaches you how to build a good character.
(This one, from what I know it is usually referred to the Sufis or gurus teaching tasawwuf, because tasawwuf is about shaping a good character and purifying one's heart.)
Mudarris is one who teaches a skill.

Teachers are people who make the earth prosper, he said.
No doubt about that! May Allah increase us in knowledge.
Rabbi zidni ilma.
May Allah bless all our gurus for being selfless, for their dedication
and for their love!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

"The Prophet is Ra'ufun Rahim" - Al-Kubaisi

Bismillah.

Habib Ali Zainal Abidin (pic right) was once again entrusted to translate the tausiyah of eminent scholars at big events such as the one held last Saturday at Malaysia's National Mosque. 

Prof. Dr. Ahmad Obaid Al-Kubaisi from Iraq/UAE had spoken in Arabic about Prophet Muhammad's supreme ranking - the exemplar beyond compare.

He said:
Allah granted the Prophet His name and attributes. The Prophet is known as Ahmad, Muhammad, Hadi, and many other great names. One of them is Ra'ufun Rahim. This one special name derives from Allah s.w.t. He had not given His name to any other prophets save Muhammad s.a.w. The Prophet is 'qadamun sidqin'. Qadamun sidqin means one servant who is trusted by a king. Allah will agree with whatever His trusted servant has to say. Prophet Muhammad is a mercy to the ummah indeed. He himself is granted three incomparable mercies:
i. The Prophet receives mercy directly from Allah.
ii. Allah leaves some matters in the Prophet's hand.
iii. Some mercies for the Prophet are specially reserved in the akhira.

The first type of mercy that is direct from Allah for the Prophet is none other than the Qur'an. In it is the often-repeated verse of Al-Fatihah and the ending verses of Al-Baqarah. Archangel Jibril heard the sound of the heaven's door opening. It was the sound of some wonderful angels who have never descended before, saying "O Muhammad, convey this glad tiding to your ummah for they are blessed with two lights. One is Al-Fatihah and the other is the last verses of Al-Baqarah. So know the virtues of these two.

Allah grants His mercy to the Prophet. He made him His qadamun sidqin. Prophet  Muhammad s.a.w is trusted by the Almighty. Allah fulfills his wishes. Ra'ufun Rahim is an attribute of the Prophet. Rahim means merciful. Indeed, the Prophet has vast mercy reserved for his ummah. The Prophet said whoever recites subhanallah wabihamdih subhanallahil azim 100 times a day, he will be forgiven no matter what sins he has committed - because that is what the Prophet wishes, Allah will grant. Whoever takes wudhu and perform two rakaah of solah will enter Jannah; whoever dies and if four people testify that he is a good person, then he will go to Heaven; whoever picks up a thorn from the walkway will also be rewarded - these are some examples of mercy due from the Prophet s.a.w.

I am sure all of you have done at least one of these. So the opportunities are plenty for people to find their way to Jannah. I don't know what to say about people who does not want to grab the opportunity.

The third type of rahmah which Allah has reserved for the Prophet in akhira is shafaah. This one is meant for those who has committed grave sins. But with a few conditions: the person should show some kind of obedience to Allah and Rasul; he must be istijabah that is be quick in doing good; he must also be i'tiba' - follow the Prophet in his worship, and last but not least, he must fully accept that all comes from Him and only Him.

Al-Kubaisi - left and Habib Ali - right
Wallahu a'lam.
For more stories and photos of 2010 Mawlid & Majlis Haul of Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jailani please visit Darul Jailani.net
___________________________________
May I be forgiven for any mistakes, for they are unintentional.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

They whose foreheads radiate nur

Bismillah.

The awliya Allah they are always in the presence of Allah. They are never absent from His Presence. That is why there is constant mercy from Allah onto them. Their special spiritual standing has made them a link/bridge for us to be connected with the Prophet. They are the chosen ones. Whoever keeps a connection with them will, therefore, receive Allah's mercy. Your sitting in their company is never worthless. Nur (light) shines forth from their forehead. They are the ones with taqwa (god-fearing) and Allah exalt people of taqwa. Allah grants them sakinah (peace of mind). Their names and lives are well protected.  So are their sight and movement, everything is well guarded by Allah. They have become good examples. They have been given the right guidance (hidayah) so follow them! Allah gave them mahabbah (love), they walk not save on the path of anbiya. They have a relationship of ehsan with Allah.

One of them is Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani. One great imam, at the mention of whose name makes the heart tremble. People feel ta'jub towards him. His da'wah, knowledge, and secrets are with Allah. You know the hadith that says if you remember Him (zikr) in a large gathering, He will remember you in a much better gathering than this.

- Habib Umar Hamid al-Geylani
at Mawlid Nabi & Haul of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani in KL, 15 May 2010.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Event honoring the exemplar beyond compare - Prophet Muhammad s.a.w


Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, Malaysia is blessed to have the 19th descendant of Shaykh Abdul Kadir al-Jailani organizing a grand majlis which has become a highly anticipated annual event of Mawlid and Majlis Haul for Ghawth al-Azam.

Shaykh Afeefuddin al-Jailani is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Al-Wariseen Trust. Al Wariseen has been organizing the event since 2007. This year's majlis was held last Saturday, 15 May 2010 at Malaysia's National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. His Majesty Tuanku Mizan, the King of Malaysia graced the event attended by tens of thousands of people. 

A list of outstanding scholars gave tausiyah from Asar to Isha with Qasidah performance in between. They were:
Prof Dr. Ahmad Obaid Al-Kubaisi (from Iraq/UAE)
Habib Umar Hamid Al-Gailani (from Makkah)
Syed Abbas bin Alawi Al-Maliki Al-Hasani (from Makkah)
Habib Hassan bin Mohammed Salim Al-Attas (from Singapore)
Dr. Muhammad Uthman El-Muhammady (from Malaysia) and
Prof Dr. Ahmed Omar Hashim (from Egypt).

Dr. Muhammad Uthman El-Muhammady was the first invited to speak about the exemplar beyond compare - Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.
He said:
There is no greater blessing than the blessing of Rasulullah s.a.w. He should be a moving effective force in our lives and in our actions. He is present 5 times a day in the azan and 5 times in the qamat. He is present in the Friday khutbah, present in the tahiyat, in the shahadah and in the salawat. When we say in the tahiyat recitation 'Assalamu alaika aiyuhan nabi...', we must imagine that he is in front of us answering our salam. His presence is one that is alive. But to what extent are we aware of hudurun rasul (the presence of Rasul)?

The siratal mustaqim that we seek for in our Al-Fatihah recitation in solat is also him. He is also the one referred to in the Surah Tawba read by our qari just now. When we make du'a, we say his name in salawat twice, at the beginning and at the end. He is also present in so many branches of knowledge e.g. sirah, hadith, syamail, literature and many more. We must create this awareness. We must idolize him appropriately. We should not be influenced by the culture of the celebrity like sportsmen, artists and so on. We must be more conscious of the presence of the Prophet sallallah alaihi wasalam.
(to be continued)

Wallahu'alam. May I be forgiven for any errors in transmission. I will be sharing more soon. InshaAllah.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Ahlan wa Sahlan Shaykh Muhammad Shukri al-Banjari

Bismillah.

Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam al-Maliki had every reason to be delighted yesterday. The man who has been educating, coaching and mentoring him since he was a teen was present. He is Kiai Shaykh Muhammad Shukri bn Unus bin Ali bin Abdul Rashid bin Hassan al-Banjari from Banjarmasin Indonesia. It was Shaykh Shukri's first visit to Malaysia. Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.
 
Wearing a radiant smile on his face, Shaykh Fahmi started the Majlis Ta'alim at KL Ba'alawi saying: “You know the ruling on tayamum? It becomes null and void when there is water. So, now that my guru is here, you don’t really need me anymore. I humbly request him to give you whatever ijazah he has given me. So that the sanad of knowledge that I have been teaching you would carry more value. So that you will benefit from more barakah InshaAllah

Allah Hu Allah! That is how tawadhuk and loving Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam is. So you can imagine how extraordinary his own guru is. MashaAllah tabarakallah!

"One of the ijazah which I had received from my dear guru Shaykh Muhammad Shukri al-Banjari is Ratib al-Haddad. That was in 1975. That is more than 30 years ago. Praise be to Allah who has given him a long life, and you too, that we could all meet here today."

"Thanks to him, I understand the Arabic language. I first learned nash'ah, jurumiah and all the important basics of Arabic grammar from him. His lecture notes were still handwritten then. They were subsequently published and became an important text at pesantren in and around Banjarmasin. But I must say that my guru is not a speaker/orator. He is more than that. He has been very much involved in coaching mureed who later became guru themselves. He is also well known for the grand event (majlis ilm) called 'Sabilah Anwar' which he has been organizing since the '70s.  He has written more than 20 books. The most popular being the Isfa'ut Talibin - on the concept of jurumiyah, published decades ago. As far as I am concerned, Shaykh Shukri is insan Rabbani - one who has mastered a great deal of spiritual knowledge, one who practices his knowledge and one who is dedicated to spreading the deen.

Today, we will cordially ask him to start our new lecture series based on a book which he wrote in Arabic and which I had translated into Malay in 2004. It is called '40 Hadith Kelebihan Ilmu dan Ulama' (Forty hadith on the virtues of knowledge and scholars.'
Shaykh Shukri,  petite and soft-spoken, introduced himself to the eager attendees. The moment he started speaking, it became obvious that his small physique hides a treasure of knowledge.

"My name is Shukri bin Unus bin Ali bin Abdul Rashid bin Hassan al-Banjari. As per the meanings of my name and my forefathers, I hope to be one who is grateful, unsun lillah (familiar with Allah) and become exalted thereby; and a servant who guides others to goodness."

"I had written the original kitab in Arabic 26 years ago. Allah had caused my chest to expand (inspired) to compile the forty hadith. He had made me busy on the days of Tashrik when I had begun working on the book. I hope Allah would reward my small effort as mentioned by the Prophet s.a.w in a hadith: “Whoever involves himself i.e. memorize, keep or relate, 40 hadith, he will be resurrected as one who is faqih and aleem.” And “Whoever narrates to my ummat 40 of my hadith I will grant that person my shafaat and he will always be in Allah’s mercy.” I wish to also quote the words of Prophet Daud from 'Sunan' Imam ad-Darimi: “Tell the seekers of knowledge to get himself a cane and sandals made of steel. Let him use them to go around looking for knowledge until the cane is broken and the sandal wears off.”

The first hadith quoted in my book is from Abu Umamah r.a.: “Between two men; one is an abid (worshipper) and one is aleem (knower), the advantage of the latter over the former is like my stature over the weakest of you.” And, “Allah, the angels and the inhabitants of the heavens and earth, including the ants and fish all pray for the good of one who teaches.”

On a lighter note, Shaykh Shukri said, Imam Nawawi of Bantan and Javanese in general don’t like to eat fish. They don’t have the heart to eat a creature that seeks forgiveness for man! Adding to what his guru was saying, Shaykh Fahmi said, ‘We have plenty to learn from ants. They are not only cooperative and have a sense of togetherness, but they are also a good planner.’ He related a story of Prophet Daud keeping one ant as captive in a bottle. Prophet Daud had asked the ant how much it needed to survive for a year. The ant confessed to needing only one grain of wheat. So Prophet Daud kept it in a jar with just that. After a year had passed, Prophet Daud found that the ant had only eaten half of the wheat. Apparently, the ant had planned to save some for fear that Prophet Daud might forget to let him out.

The second hadith in Shaykh Shukri's book discussed the difference between one who is knowlegable and one who concentrates more on practices. The hadith as reported by Abdullah bin Abbas says: “An aleem has more control over shaytan than a thousand abid.” This is because an aleem can not only protect himself but also guide others. In contrast with an abid who only busies himself with worship for his own good. The third hadith is about Allah elevating one who is knowledgable and that the most noble of all people is one with taqwa. The person with knowledge will always be highly regarded even if he was poor or lacking in pedigree.

"Three hadith is enough as muqaddimah to my book. I hereby grant you ijazah for all that he (Shaykh Fahmi) has taught you and will teach you, from all that I have given him ijazah for, InshaAllah."

_____________________________________________
The above is part transcript and part summary of the lectures. The ahadith I had quoted from the lectures were not verbatim.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Tiada lagi

Bismillah.

Tiada lagi desir butir tasbih
Kamar di tengah rumah
Hilang sudah penghuni
Hilanglah seri

Hayat mencecah satu abad
Tinggalkan bumi
tidak berpasak lagi
Wali, warak, zuhud, berbudi

Tiada lagi mata mengintai
dari celah jendela
kala langsir cuai terbuka
Mendamba barakah cuma



Tiada lagi perjalanan ke utara
bagi pencinta seberang tambak

Untuk apa lagi
Nafisah, Alida, Atikah berharap
Tiada lagi destinasi ke Batu Pahat

Ke mana mahu Baba menimba ilmu
Guru murabbi pergi dahulu

Tinggalkan nama bergema segenap sukma
Tinggalkan ilmu berakar di jiwa
Tinggalkan pesan buat yang gundah
Tinggalkan harapan dan inspirasi

Tiada lagi abid mengiring dini hari
Tiada lagi aleem pembimbing ruhani
Tiada lagi Habib Ali
______________________________________________

Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus kembali ke rahmatullah
pada hari Khamis, 13 Mei 2010 bersamaan 28 Jamadil Awal 1431 Hijri
di Batu Pahat, Malaysia selepas waktu Asar.
Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat ke atas rohnya. Al-Fatihah

Friday, May 14, 2010

One karamah of Almarhum Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus

Bismillah.

A close friend of mine narrated this karamah story of Almarhum Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus.
Almarhum Sayyid Muhammad bin Alawi al-Hassani al-Maliki (Abuya) (1944 - 2004), a highly esteemed scholar and sufi of Makkah had just changed his phone number. His aides had not yet informed anyone of their guru's new contact number.

All of a sudden, the phone rang. Abuya was startled. He asked his aides if they had given the new number to anyone. They said no. Surprised, Abuya answered the phone call only to find out that  it was Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus!
Habib Ali had phoned Abuya inviting him to his house in Batu Pahat, Malaysia for a spiritual get together with some other blessed souls!

Wallahu a'lam.
May Allah shower eternal rahmah on such ruhul quddus.
Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus passed away yesterday, 13 May 2010/28 Jamadil Awal 1431 Hijri in Batu Pahat, Malaysia.

Read Lisan al-Din posting on Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus has passed away

Inna lillah wa inna ilai hira ji'un
انّا للہ و انّا الیہ راجعون
"Verily we belong to Allah, and to Allah we return."

The venerated and much loved
Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus
has passed away after Asar today
Thursday
13 May 2010/28 Jamadil Awal 1431Hijri
at around 5.10 pm Malaysian time

May Allah reunite his soul with the anbiya', awliya'
and all whom he loves. 
May Allah carry him to the station of nearness
and reward him with the best that He has reserved for
a gem like Habib Ali. 
Allah knows best of his maqam in this world and in the barzakh.
We are unworthy to say anything more about such an esteemed person.
All we hope for is to continue receiving barakah from him.
"For, in the realm of spirit, there is no distance."

Al - Fatihah


Read Lisan al-Din posting on Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus

Ikhwan Muslimin - Friends in Faith


Bismillah.

O son, we have met and will meet many people in our journey to the Lord of Truth. Some crossed our path and stopped by, seemingly for a good intention. And then we come to realize that they are not that genuine after all. So we move on. Some are simply sincere and loveable. I have quoted Hassan al-Basri before, how much he treasures friends in faith more than his family. 

One friend whom I will testify as a friend in faith is Syed Mustafa. He is among the crowd in the picture above. One, who despite being a male has shown me so much adab and politeness than any other male friend I have ever known. Alhamdulillah. As a woman (and single), I have met many who are not worth mentioning here. So it soothes my heart to have made valuable friendships with some honorable men like him.

I have every reason to believe that he comes from a respectable lineage. His spiritual experiences and amazing dreams are proof that he is a man of taqwa. I just want to say thanks to him publicly for the words of advice and encouragement that he has been giving me. May we belong to one of the seven groups of people whom Allah promise protection on the Day of Resurrection - that is two friends who meet and part for the sake of Allah. Ameen.

The Imam of the Naqshbandi Tariqa, Shaykh Bahauddin Naqshbandi said:
"طريقتنا الصحبة والخير في الجمعية
Tariqatuna as-suhbah wa'l-khayru fi'l- jam`iyyah
“Our way is fellowship, and the goodness is in the gathering.”
__________________________________
p/s Brother Syed, please come visit us in KL again and again! My love to you, your family and Sis Rizwana too.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Beware of tongue-bombs - Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

Bismillah.

Any association or a get-together for the love of Allah, the Prophet, and awliya Allah is an association that gets mentioned in numerous hadith. There are angels who circumambulate people in such a gathering. Before that, the angels would roam looking at us. How can a mobile phone roam? The angels can roam too. Allah sends angels or camera if you like - they roam everywhere checking on people, who is listening to shaytan. Actually whoever violates Allah's rule is a terrorist. We don't need a definition for terrorism, anyone who does not follow Allah's order only means that he follows the enemies; he becomes a terrorist.

Many Muslims today have a tendency to label others as kafir. If you accuse anyone who professes la ilaha illAllah then the accuser is the one who is kafir. Some people have 'tongue bombs' that are just waiting to explode. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w says 'whoever could control what is between his jaws and legs, I guarantee him paradise.' If you see something wrong you must correct it. The suicide bomber will surely be punished by Allah but those with tongue-bombs will continually be punished because it is always there and it keeps exploding. Learn your lesson, although Allah may delay His punishment.

I challenge those who claim to be khalifah if they know the basic teachings of Arabic. What do you know about Alif? Did you know that there are 28 volumes of kitab each with 1500 pages on alif alone? What does alif represent? Alif being the first letter in Allah comprises 99 Names of Allah. What does ya represent? Ya is the first letter of the Prophet's name Yassin. Yaasin is the heart of the Qur'an. Muhammad is the heart of Allah. How near Muhammad is to Allah! He is continuously ascending to Allah. The whole knowledge is between alif and ya. Allah gives an oath to Muhammad that 'you are My Messenger.' So everything in between heavenly knowledge beginning from alif dive into the ocean of Muhammad or Yassin.

Know that there are two kinds of dakwah: dakwatul haqq and dakwatul batil. The former calls you to Allah while the latter takes you to Iblis. Beware, you must not think that you are better than anyone else. Greatness is when you have humility, when you humble yourself, not when you exalt yourself.

Wallahu'alam
Partial transcript of Shaykh Hisham's zohor sohbet in KL on 8th May 2010. Visit sufilive.com for a video recording of his sohbet.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Know the secrets of the alphabets - Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

Bismillah.

We are all slaves, so all we can say is:
- labbaikallah humma labbaik
- sami'na wa atoqna
We cannot listen and disobey.

Everything that Allah has ma siwallah huwal mulku - He owns everything. We don't even own ourselves. If we own ourselves we can then live forever.

If you make mistakes out of ignorance, it is ok but if you are responsible you cannot afford to make mistakes. You have no choice but to go along with sharia. We are sheep, we don't know. Heaven and earth are in His hands.  But some people try to interfere in other people's lives. Prophet Daud, when he was thinking about his neighbor's wife, Allah sent angels to warn him. Allah disliked that. A husband is responsible for his wife and family, the neighbor is not.

There is nothing without a measure. Everything will be measured. Servants must always be in sajdah (prostration), in every second. Open your mouth and say Bismillah and exalt Allah. Bis means by it, with it. It is the key for you to open the Name of Allah. 

When you start writing the letter ba, you actually begin with an alif. Then you would draw alif horizontally, like alif in sajdah, then you end with a vertical alif. Ask people of the Holy Qur'an about it. If you don't know, ask, don't pretend you know. Above every knower, there is a knower. Who is the one who is always in sajadah? The Prophet s.a.w is. By him, you would be able to enter into the divine presence. Allah from the alphabet alif gives us knowledge, saying 'You cannot come to me without Muhammad. He is the door to me. If you are always in sajadah, I will let you enter my Jannah. I will give you hayyat when you enter Jannah. Alif ba ta tha jim ha all the 29 letters represent each day of the month. The first day is alif and so on. 

Know that the Naqshbandi shaykh fix your problem without you knowing it. All they want from you is that you learn about makrifatullah. So our duty is to sit with mashaikh and learn. Remove jealousy from your heart. Come to majlis zikr with good intention. Our goal is the grave. Make it a good destination. Make friendship with everyone. Remove your anger. Anger cannot take you anywhere. O Muslims, remove anger from your heart. Get rid of donkey-ness. Get rid of ignorance. Grand Shaykh used to say, 'Our door is open from, east to west. Whoever enters cannot leave."  

From: Shaykh Hisham sohbet in KL on 9th May 2010
Visit sufilive for a video recording of his sohbet.


Monday, May 10, 2010

Plan not for dunya but for akhira - Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

Bismillah.

Days are passing. We are passing. Planning is for akhira, not for dunya. Today people plan for the year 2020. Who knows we will live that long. We will be leaving dunya at any time. People must remember that death exists. A sick person thinks about akhira more than when he is not sick. Be grateful that we have good health. So we should be thinking about akhira more than a sick person.  Dunya is passing. We are passing. I looked at the clock when I arrived and it was 9.00, it's 9.30 now, so we have passed 30 minutes. It's gone.

O Allah, protect us. We live in a society who only thinks about happiness and pleasure. Some people make Allah happy. Some people make syaitan happy. There are Muslims today who take drugs such as ecstasy. Awliya Allah they are in ecstasy when they remember the Lord. Prophet s.a.w said anything that harms the body must be eliminated. You can't say, I pray but I also take drugs. The corrupted male is for corrupted female. The corrupted female is for corrupted male. We should try not to be corrupted. You need to struggle against your ego. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim keeps saying 'I am nothing'. What about us?

If a Muslim see good, it is good for Allah. O Muslims, be careful, time is passing. We are nothing. You need to choose a good guide, not one who hallucinates, claiming to see or hear things. A guide must carry a murid's responsibilities on his shoulder. Awliya Allah is capable of changing things but they are not granted permission save when the time comes when there will be too much ignorance. Many people are ignorant but they do not know that they are ignorant. Allah and the Prophet s.a.w will see your amal. We are losing days from our lives. We will come to reach death. Wherever there is a gathering for zikr, go! Zikr groups should unite, come to the majlis for the sake of Allah and Rasulullah s.a.w.

In akhira, one who attends majlis zikr and one who does not attend, both will be brought to face Allah s.w.t.

Wallahu a'lam.
Partial transcript of Shaykh Hisham's sohbet in KL on 10 May 2010. Visit sufilive.com for a video recording of his sohbet.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani on hubb, hayyat and baqa

Bismillah.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani said on a Saturday evening sohbet in Kuala Lumpur:
"Say 'Ya Rabb, I know nothing.' Ask for help, madad, to show humility. Look at the universe and say I am nothing. Ihsa' ya fulan. Shame on me.

Allahuwal aleem. Above every knower, there is a knower. Above every rank, there is someone else in that rank. Yet we are nothing in front of Allah. The only one who can be acknowledged is the Prophet s.a.w. The one who is in the prime position to intercede for all.

Look at yourself in the mirror and say Allahu jamilu khuluki kamal jamalta khalqi. 'As You have perfected my appearance, make perfect my behavior.' Every one to Allah is the best, in the way Allah has created him. You cannot say 'I am the ugliest' because to Allah you are the best. It is haram to say so. You need to look at the mirror and be happy at how Allah has perfected your appearance. Say, 'Ya Rabbi, forgive me, You have perfected me and yet I am making all these sins.' Do you think Allah will not forgive? Allah will forgive. 

A Bedouin came to see the Prophet and asked about the sign of the last days. The Prophet replied, 'What are you doing? What are you doing as a ticket for you to pass to heaven, through the bridge beneath hellfire? What's your passport O Badouin?' We now have so many badges/ID but do we have a badge for the akhira?  

Everything that relates to akhira begins with Alif.
Allah is the Creator. Allah begins with alif.
Our religion is Islam. Islam begins with alif.
Our belief is iman. Iman begins with alif.
The level of perfect excellence is ihsan. Ihsan begins with alif.
Allah gives His mercy to Prophet Muhammad and named him Ahmad. His name in the heavenly realm is Ahmad. It begins with alif. Allah gives to Ahmad, Islam, iman, and ihsan.

Anything that relates to dunya starts with mim. The Prophet's name in dunya is Muhammad.
Islam - Muslim
Iman - Mukmin
Ihsan - Muhsin
The keyword for ubudiyah (servanthood) is mim. It relates to Muhammad.

The Prophet s.a.w asked, 'O Badouin, what have you prepared?' He answered, 'Your love, Rasulullah.' One who has mahabbah for someone is a muhib. But you cannot be a muhib without the power of the Prophet. There is a hadith that says. 'You will be resurrected with those whom you love.'

The badge has to come from the Prophet s.a.w. If you love the Prophet, you will be with him. If you love the ulama, you will be with the ulama. If you love the pious people, you will be with the pious people. If you love the awliya, you will be with the awliya. The word hubb (love) comes from two letters: ha and ba. You say 'Hubbuki ya Rasulullah.' and he says: 'Do your prayers, your obligations and you will be with me.'

Ha stands for hayyat (alive). Ba stands for baqa (everlasting). When you have hayyat, you will have baqa. And the hayyat comes with a secret code, which is mim. That means you have to be a muhhib. You have to have a love for Muhammad. Without mim/Muhammad there is no hayyat and no baqa.

Actually, Allah already give you the authority, the pass. He says in the Qur'an: 'If you love Allah, follow Muhammad.' Therefore, you have to follow Muhammad. Be a sheep. Don't be a shepherd. There is only one shepherd and he is Muhammad s.a.w. Allah makes Muhammad insan kamil, a perfect human being. He didn't say insanun kamilun - a plural, but insan kamil - singular. All the prophets would come to him for intercession. Yet we cannot exalt anyone save Allah - Subhan Allah - glory be to Allah. Allah in his greatness took His servant to Isra Mi'raj. Yet Allah did not call Muhammad khalifah. Allah dressed Muhammad with heavenly dress. Prophet Idris and Isa both were raised to the heavenly realm too but they stayed there. Allah sent Prophet Muhammad back though. 

You have to have hubbun nabi - the love for the Prophet and his family. You should be saying, "that's my way. The love of nabi and his family is my religion." It's your responsibility to have adab for the Prophet and his family. No one can say 'I am a sayyid', unless there is an evidence. Nabi said, 'I left behind for you the Qur'an and my family. I want from my ummah respect for my family.' So follow them. Our duty is to have mahabbah. 'If truly you love Allah, that you have mahabbah to Allah, follow my messenger. Otherwise, don't claim you love Me.' The Prophet's sunnah is not just turban, beard or cane. It is i'tiba. Follow what he has brought. So you have to study and know your religion well.

Everyone must say, 'I am a sinner, forgive me Ya Allah. Support me. Protect me from the devil, the Iblis and its armies.' We have to keep praying until the end of dunya and keep our head on the sajadah. We should not raise our heads. We should not be occupied with eating or drinking but be occupied with sajadah (prostration) and istighfar (repentance). Allah will save the believers. Should you have any love in your heart, let it be first and foremost for the Prophet s.a.w because everything is based on hubb - hayyat and baqa. We all want to live happily in dunya and ever living in akhira. Everyone loves hayyat and baqa. Keep praising Allah and making salawat - for that is our badge/ticket to akhira and paradise.
_____________________________________
Partial transcript of Shaykh Hisham's sohbet in KL on 8th May 2010. For complete recording of his sohbet please visit sufilive.com.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani's sohbet

Bismillah.

"Whenever you speak, refer to your notes. If you do not do that, you would end up speaking from yourself, from "I" and you would fall into the error of your ego speaking. If you refer to some notes, you would be quoting other people and not yourself. I have some 300 notebooks of Grand Shaykh Abdullah Faiz Daghestani which I carry with me and refer to when I give sohbet," Shaykh Hisham Kabbani spoke to the followers of Naqshbandi Tariqa at Kuala Lumpur Zawiyah on Thursday night.

Before leading the weekly zikr, he talked about the importance of shari'at. "Shari'at is the constitution. It is number one. Then comes tariqaShari'at teaches you what you must do, the rules to follow. Tariqa teaches you the branches; it teaches you how to purify your hearts. If you follow these two properly, you will come to reach makrifatullah."

Shaykh Hisham then stressed the virtues of doing zikr. "When you do zikr, it generates heat because there's so much energy being created from zikr so that the inside is hot while the outside is cold like a condensation of water. The energy from your zikr will make shaytan steer clear from you and the recitations will act like rockets killing shaytan."

Shaykh Hisham began his sohbet on Friday night pointing at a glass in front of him. "Was that glass empty? Have you just fill it?"

"You can only fill water in an empty cup. If you come here with all of your self and ego, then there's nothing much to be filled. Heavenly knowledge cannot be poured over egoistic knowledge. It cannot be given to someone who is self-proclaiming, to a person with an ego that has been mixed with dunya. That person will get attracted to desires of shaytan and he/she will end up being the enemies of Allah."

"Why did you think Iblis refused to prostrate (sujud) to Adam? He had forgotten that it was an order from Allah. Instead, he became overly concerned about the object of prostration i.e. Adam, forgetting that it was Allah who had ordered him. Iblis questioned Allah why he had to sujud to Adam. Iblis was egoistic and Jannah does not accept such sins, so he was thrown out. We are incapacitated without Allah's support. We'll be lost."

Allah is like saying to us, 'Come to me with incapacity. Come to me thanking me. Understand that I am your Creator. Come with complete submission.' The only person who submits himself completely to Allah is none other than Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. No questions asked. Prophet Noah was one Prophet who did not question God's orders too. He was instructed to build a ship on a hill but he did not question the rationale of it. Still, Prophet Noah tried to defend his family member but Allah threatened him for wanting to do that.

Prophet Muhammad's position in relation to Allah is par excellence. Shaykh Hisham said, "Allah always addresses the Prophet as 'Ya Habib'. The supreme title 'Allah Habibur Muhammad' is solely for the Prophet. You know the meaning of huwa? Huwa is the absolute unknown like Qul huwAllah hu ahad. Ahad is unknown. In comparison, wahid refers to many manifestations (known). Ahad refers to 'uniqueness'. Allah refers to the Prophet as 'Huwal Habib'. That in itself shows that the Prophet is a unique lover to Allah. His intercession is requested by all - li kulli - the whole creation. The Prophet can intercede for everyone and all.

Wallahu 'alam.
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Disclaimer:
The above is a summary of my sketchy notes of Shaykh Hisham's sohbet in Kuala Lumpur on 6 & 7 May 2010. May I be forgiven for any mistakes in transmission. Visit sufilive.com for recordings of all of Shaykh Hisham's sohbet.