Shaykh Ninowy on "Mention Me and I will mention you."

Bismillah.

May Allah forgive me from everything bad I've committed in the moments, days and months that have just passed and protected me and you from fitnah and bala.

I am in need of good counsel more than anyone. May we all benefit from the words of the much-respected Shaykh Ninowy, one whom I'm yet to meet but upon whom I once conveyed my salam, just once, mashaAllah. I hope to be able to sit in his majlis in Singapore on 21st and 22nd December at an event organized by the Sout Ilaahi Group called 'Sacred Path of Love'. InshaAllah. 

Been listening to a video of his tausiyah at Masjid Quds in Cape Town during one Ramadhan. You can watch the video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCaL61f3GWc but I decided to jot some points down so that it's easier and quicker to refer to. Below are my sketchy notes of his valuable speech.

He elucidated the meaning of remembrance of Allah from the ayah:

fazkuruni azkur kum

wash kuruli wala takfurun

"Mention Me, I will mention you

and be thankful to Me and do not deny My bounties." 

When you make a zikir, it means to bring back something to the memory or the mind after it's absent i.e. mentioning Allah after you are absent from His zikir, and bring it back to your mind. We fall short of understanding the human mind/intellect. Our society as a whole is driven by limited intellectual thinking. The track of the mind is limited by materialistic objective. Our mind is not a memory stick. Not just a center of emotions or love. Its capacities are unbelievable. We should explore the capacities of the mind. Our studies are about to restrict the human mind rather than to free the human mind. The Quran tells us to do exercise, to walk on earth that is to exercise, not just of the body but also the mind. It is not a one-track thing. However, fazkuruni -- this meaning i.e. bringing back to the mind after it's absent, is not applicable to Allah because Allah never forgets us. He is not subject to forgetting.

Al Islam wants to build a human being, a perfect human being which is the most difficult task in life. It's easy to build buildings and empires but it's hard to build a human. Anbiya (the prophets) came to build human beings. They came to perfect the human being from its building per se.

The mind that lacks a spiritual component does not lead to a compassionate human being. Compassion is the center of our religion. Bismillahirahmanirahim - Ar Rahman, Ar Rahim. Our Nabi is Raufun Rahim. The Quran is Rahim. But unfortunately, we see different groups in Islam not having compassion. We have a passion for no compassion. 

Look at yourself from a bigger perspective, from the sun, the moon, the galaxy. You are part of this big creation with all doing tasbih (glorification to Allah). All witnessing the glory of Allah and submit to His majesty. The anbiya came to revive that, by giving life to the heart and soul. By mentioning Allah, your heart will be tranquil. Revive the zikir of Allah.

Fazkuruni az kurkum according to Al Qurtubi means 'mention Me when you are at ease, I will mention you when you are in difficulty'. Use your health to remember Allah so that when you don't have the health you will be remembered. If you have money use it now, don't say tomorrow because you don't know what happens tomorrow.

There is a hadith about three people being stuck in a cave when a rock blocks its entrance due to heavy rain and thus death was imminent for them. Nabi salallah alaihi wasalam tells us to seek Allah's help by our good deeds. So one of them pleaded to Allah saying: "O Allah you know that I had hired a man but before I could give him the wage he left. I kept his wage for many years and invested until it yielded many cattle that could fill a valley. When I saw him, I told him about the result of his wage. The man said: 'Are you mocking me?' I said, 'it's yours'. If You knew that I did that only for You, then move this rock from the door of this cave." Nabi said, the rock actually moved.

And there was another man who came home late and his parents had slept before he was able to bring home some milk for them. He waited by the side of his old parents so that he could offer them milk the moment they wake up. The man pleaded to Allah: "If you know that I did that for You, then remove the stone from this door."

Fazkuruni may also mean "remember Me when you are on the face of this earth. I will remember you when you are under the face of this earth." Shaykh Ninowy said, you think you are powerful and mighty, you know this person, that person and you have many contacts, you have a big bank account, you know some politicians, policeman, etc. and you think you can imbibe strength from these things. But know that they are makhluk, they are weak. They are like you. They can't do anything. You delusionally think they have strength so you can take strength from them. You rely on that strength. But under the earth, you realize nothing can help you. No banker, no police, nobody is there to help you. You see them helpless. Then you realize. But you should realize when you are walking on that soil. Allah says, 'Remember Me when you are walking.' Don't see things, but you should see Allah's qudrah. When you enter the grave, people will leave you. Can you convince your friend to stay a couple of nights with you? What kind of friend is that? Your best friend is good deeds and your connection to Allah. 

The people who are busy in dunya with the zikir of Allah, they are automatically taken care by Allah under the soil. You will not see a zakir of Allah whose tongue or heart is filthy because zikir has a purifying effect.

Fazkuruni - Allah wants us to do zikir in actuality and in action, with deed and obedience. Some people do zikir with the tongue but they act like monsters. Remember Allah with what you say and do. He will remember you with His mercy. Remember Him with a true remembrance. A zakir is in total absorption of the mentioned; in He who he is mentioning until he is no longer there and becomes a remnant. He loses himself in the zikir of Allah. He is not in the absorption of his zikir of Allah. Rather in the absorption of his zikir of Allah of him. Are you worried about your zikir? Allah's zikir of you is better than your zikir of Him. Zikir of Allah is greater, not your zikir. You worship Him as if you see Him, not see everything else. If you no longer see yourself, you will see Him. Anyway, He sees you. Don't see yourself. You yourself becomes a veil of yourself. How can you see Him if all you see is yourself and your deeds?

A man comes to the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam. "O Nabi, there's just so much thing to do. What is the one thing I should do?" The Prophet answered: "Your tongue must be always in zikir of Allah." Al Quran is zikir. Prayer is zikir.

'Be thankful to me and don't deny my bounties' - what does that mean? Allah does not need our thankfulness. Shukur is to spend from the nikmah Allah gives us. Shukur is not just to say Alhamdulillah with the tongue. We must shukur with the hand, feet, ears, eyes, and thought. Hands do shukur through deeds so that He doesn't find us where He doesn't want to find us. Don't use the hand for the things Allah does not ask us to so that shukur becomes a comprehensive thing. 

Allah gives good health, spend it for His sake. Put your hand on an orphan. Comfort a weak heart. Comfort a sad heart. Take care of widows and people in need. Otherwise, you only give a lip service alhamdulillah.   

Some people spend their wealth. Some people spend their time. Some people spend on what Allah gives them in their health. Some go higher than that. Some spend his soul on His path. Some give money fisabilillah. Some give their soul fisabilillah.

At the end of his tausiyah, Shaykh Ninowy made a du'a so that Allah makes him and the audience among the zakirin. And he emphasized the point that Allah mentions everything once i.e. solah, zakat, hajj, siyam but when it comes to zikir, He says kathiran meaning a lot. Therefore, mention Allah plenty.

Shaykh Ninowy will be one of four guest speakers at the Sacred Path of Love event taking place in Singapore on 21st and 22nd December 2013, InshaAllah.

www.sacredpath.sg