Nawaytu ’l-arba‘een, nawaytu ’l-‘itikaaf, nawaytu ’l-khalwah, nawaytu ’l-‘uzla, nawaytu ’s-salook, nawaytu ’r- riyaada lillahi ta‘ala al-‘adheem fee hadha ’l-masjid.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ

Ya ayyuhalladheena aamanoo ati‘ullaha wa ati‘u ’r-Rasula wa uli’l-amri minkum. – “O ye who believe; obey Allah (swt), obey Prophet (s), and obey those in authority among you.” [4:59]

And we hope that we will be obedient to Allah and His Prophet (s), and to our shuyukh, because we don’t want to claim something that we don’t have.

There are people who claim that they know something.  There are people who claim to know too many things.  There are people who know “everything.”  And they have appointed themselves as shaykhs although they are far from being shaykhs.  The level of a shaykh is very difficult to attain.  So we must not claim something that we do not have.  Allah said in Holy Quran,

هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَى

huwa a‘lamu bikum… wa idh antum ajinnatun fee butooni ummahatikum fa laa tuzakkoo anfusakum huwa a‘lamu bi mani ’ttaqa – “He knows you well …কnd when ye are hidden in your mothers’ wombs. Therefore justify not yourselves: He knows best who it is that guards against evil.” [53:32]

Don’t praise yourself, or don’t claim something for yourself that you don’t have.  There are people who if they get a degree from a university, not even a PhD, they think that they control the world.  There are people even who get PhD’s, and they think that they control the world.  And there are people who think, if they follow a saint—a real shaykh—they think that they know everything.  And they begin to spread the contamination of their egos, because their ego is proud, so they spread this sickness around the murids, without knowing.  And there are people, if they enter seclusion, and they come out, they think of themselves that they became saints, and their names must be printed and published in lights to show that they are saints and people must listen to them.

We must know that if we follow a shaykh as a murid, and if we get some advantage of learning from the shaykh, or we enter seclusion, still we are nothing, and still we are in a training process.  We have not yet eliminated our sicknesses and illnesses.  Still we have to be put in quarantine in order that after the quarantine you can be let out to be with people.

Some people, if they are the imam of a masjid, they think that they control all the Muslims.  Some people are responsible for a school or university, and they think that they are controlling everyone.  They don’t feel that they are nothing.  If someone knows how to do zikr, and he sits and begins to do zikr, he thinks of himself that he is going to spread spirituality all over people—he doesn’t know that he is still contaminated with pride and arrogance.

Authorization is important in Islam, in Shari‘ah, in তরিকাহ.  We call this permission –  ijazah – in Arabic.  It means a transmission of authorization of a candidate who has studied with shaykhs, from shaykh to shaykh to shaykh to shaykh, until one of the four imams.  This is in Shari‘ah.  He has to have it—like today they have in universities PhD’s in Islamic Shari‘ah.  THIS HAS NO VALUE compared to the old teachings of Shari‘ah.  Because the old teachings of Shari‘ah has to have a direct transmission from your shaykh to his shaykh to his grandshaykh to his grandshaykh, to Imam Shafi‘i.  He has to be connected like that.  And Imam Shafi‘i—from which one of the Tabi‘een did he take instruction? And that one, from which Companion did he take instruction? It has to have this lineage.

Or this lineage can go to Imam Abu Hanifa or Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.  Or Imam Malik.  It has to have a chain of transmission.  Or else his ijazah is null, does not count.

In তরিকা, it is the same.  In spirituality.  In the reality of the soul, of the ruh; in the learning of ma’rifah, Gnosticism.  This learning has to be through a lineage, a silsilah, a chain of shaykhs.  From one shaykh to his shaykh to his grandshaykh, grand grandshaykh, grand grand grandshaykh and so on, until it reaches either Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra) or Sayyidina ‘Ali (ra), because from them came তরিকাহ, the 41 tariqas.  They all came from either Sayyidina Abu Bakr (ra) or from Sayyidina ‘Ali (ra).  They lead directly to the heart of the Prophet (s).  If that lineage is not there, it means that person who thinks himself authorized—his authorization is null.  No one can say and claim that Prophet (s) came to me in a dream, or Prophet (s) came to me in this, or I went in that and saw myself having authorization, in this or that.  That is not accepted.

There are, today, shaykhs who think of themselves because they had a dream or they slept and woke up, or they saw something, that they have become authorized.  If that is the case, it was better for Prophet Sayyidina Muhammad (s) to be authorized through a dream or a vision.  But it did not happen like that.  He was in need of Sayyidina Jibreel (as).

Sayyidina Muhammad (s), for 40 years, was making seclusion, khalwah, suluk, in Ghaari Hira, and he was in need…  He never said, “I am seeing this, I am praying to Allah, I am making sajda to Allah,” until Jibreel (as) came to him and gave to him, physically.  It cannot be by dreams! It cannot be in a coma! It cannot be by fainting.  It cannot be by any means except physical.  It has to be given.

And we are following the footsteps of the Prophet (s).  It was given to Prophet (s)—from Allah (swt) to Jibreel (as), from Jibreel (as) to Prophet (s).  It has a chain of transmission.

If we think that everything comes by dream, it is okay.  But why did Prophet (s) not take his message by dream? Or why did Prophet (s) not take his message in a coma, haasha? Or why did Prophet (s) not take his message by means of a different way without physical means?

He saw Jibreel (as) physically! Jibreel (as) hugged him.  He said, বিসমিল্লাহি আর-রহমানি আর-রহীম, with the message of Islam, “Iqra’."  Iqra bismi Rabbik alladhee khalaq.”  – “Read in the name of Thy Lord Who Created.”  He came from the horizon, covering the whole horizon – Sayyidina Jibreel (as).  And he was coming to Prophet (s) and saying, “Ya Muhammad (s), Iqra.”  He said, “wa ma ana bi qaari`?” “What am I going to read?” He said, “Iqra bismi Rabbik alladhee khalaq, Khalaq al-insaana min ‘alaq.  Iqra’ wa Rabbuk al-Akram, Alladhee ‘allama bi ’l-qalam, ‘allama ’l-insaana ma lam ya‘lam.”  Read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,- He Who taught (the use of) the pen,- Taught man that which he knew not. [96:5] Physically.  He taught him.

In Ramadan the Prophet (s) used to learn Quran from Jibreel (as).  The hadith of Prophet (s), kaana yatadarras al-Qur’an ma‘ Jibreel.  “He used to study the Qur`an with Jibreel.” So the Prophet (s) needed a physical revelation, wahiyy, from Allah (swt).  Allah (swt) sent him Jibreel (as).

So how do we claim today, some people, all over the world, that they have seen a dream, or were ordered by a dream.  Yes, this is okay.  If you have been ordered to do something, you do it.  But what you are doing is limited.  It does not have a backup.  It does not have someone supporting it from behind.  Without support, at one time it will break, finished.  It is gone.

Even when he came with the message, Jibreel (as) trained the Prophet (s), he brought him up, he sent him the message from Allah (swt).  After two years, he was sent to him physically.  All the time when he came, Jibreel (as) used to come physically from Allah (swt), bringing the revelation.  Prophet (s) never said, “I received the revelation by dream.”  Never did Prophet (s) say, “I got the Qur’an by dream.”  Prophet (s) was getting the Qur’an by revelation through Jibreel (as).  And ঝিকরুল্লাহ is taken out of Qur`an, the Beautiful Names of Allah.  So to do the dhikr, it has to be physically through a teacher.  You cannot say, “I don’t need a teacher! I don’t need a guide!” Allah made Jibreel a guide to Prophet (s).

And within two years after Prophet’s (s) delivering the message, Allah called Prophet (s) to His Presence.  So Jibreel (as) had to bring him physically to Lailatu ’l-Isra’i wa ’l-Mi‘raaj.  Like this month, we are in Lailatu ’l-Isra’i wa ’l-Mi‘raj.  He brought him physically, and He gave him a vehicle, al-buraaq.  Prophet (s) was able to go without a buraaq.  Prophet (s) was able to see the Ascension by dream, without his body going up.  But, the Night of Ascension was with his body.  His soul went to Allah’s Presence.  It means that physically you need a teacher to teach you and guide you as Prophet (s) needed the buraaq, and needed Jibreel (as), to take him to the Divine Presence.

There is real fresh fruit, and there is plastic fruit.  Real fruit has a taste, that when you eat, you feel the sweetness of the fruit.  Plastic fruit, or made from paper—still you can eat the paper, but it has no taste.  Still you can eat the plastic, but it has no taste.  So ঝিকরুল্লাহ with a shaykh that has been authorized through a chain of saints to Prophet (s)—that dhikr has a taste.  That ঝিকরুল্লাহ, every one of Asmullah ul-Husna—The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah—they will be dressed on you from the secret of these Names.  You will get the appearances, and Allah will bestow His mercy on that person when he is reciting, because he is connected, through his heart, through his shaykh, to grandshaykh, and so on until either Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra) or Sayyidina ‘Ali (ra), and then to Prophet (s).

The other shaykh, who considers himself a shaykh but without authorization or without a lineage, who is claiming of himself that he is a shaykh—his dhikr will have no sweetness.  One day he is going to disappear.

Allah (swt) gave a characteristic to Prophet (s) that He didn’t give to anyone else.  Humbleness.  Sayyidina Muhammad (s) was the most humble.  When you are humble, you will get spiritual knowledge.  When you are arrogant and proud of yourself, you will be thrown away like those with degrees who got them by studying Islamic Studies in universities, but with no spirit, no soul—there is no sweetness or taste in it.  They are learning letters that are collected together.  On the other hand, the ‘Arif billah—the Gnostic, he doesn’t learn letters.  But his teacher teaches him what is the interpretation and the secrets behind these letters.  So he will begin to extract meanings that no one can extract.  And all of this is done by humbleness.  Arrogance—you will be like Iblis.  Iblis is arrogant.  So don’t be arrogant.  Be humble.  When you humble yourself, people love you.  When people love you, your shaykh will bring you toward him.  When he brings you closer to him, he takes you through the lineage to reach to Prophet’s (s) love and vision.

There was a king to whom was sent a slave—kings in that time used to have slaves.  People used to buy slaves from different countries around the world.  It was something that was like a trade, in one period of time.  So they gave the king a gift, a slave.  But he was a nice servant, if you don’t want to say slave.  So the king was asking him some questions.  He asked him when they presented that servant to him, “What is your name?” He said, “O my master, a slave doesn’t have a name.  Whatever his master calls him, he has to respond.  Before you I had many masters.  And every master used to call me by a different name.  My job is to answer you.  My job was to answer them.”  If someone calls me this or that or some other thing, I answer.  My job is to answer.  My job is not to have an identity, a name.  I don’t have a name.

Then he asked him, “What clothes do you prefer that I get for you?” He said, “O my master, I don’t have a choice.  In your presence I don’t have a choice, and in the presence of my previous masters, I didn’t have a choice.  The slave answers what the master says.  If my master says to me, ‘Wear these red clothes,’ I will.  If he says, ‘Wear these blue clothes,’ I wear them.  If green, I wear them.  If he says to wear nothing, I won’t wear anything.  It is, what is your choice.  It is not my choice.”

Listen well.

He asked, “What kind of food do you like the most?” He said, “O my master, whatever food they give me to eat, I eat.  If they give me rice, I eat rice.  If they give me bread, I eat bread, if they give me meat, I eat meat.  If they give me grass, I eat grass.  If they give me fruit, I eat fruit.  No choice for me in the presence of the master.”

তারপর শেষে রাজা তাকে বললেন, "হে আমার দাস, আমার দাস, আমি তখন তোমার জন্য কি করতে পারি?" তিনি বললেন, “হে আমার মনিব, একজন গোলামের কি তার মনিবের সামনে উইল থাকে? দাস রাজা, মনিবের ইচ্ছার অধীন। আপনি আমার জন্য যা ভাল তা চয়ন করুন এবং আপনি আমাকে তা দেবেন।”

এবং বললেন, “হে আমার বান্দা, তুমি একজন প্রকৃত মুসলমান। আর আমার চেয়ে দেশ শাসন করা তোমার জন্য ভালো। তুমি রাজা, আমি তোমার সমর্থক।" সেই বান্দা যখন কোনোভাবেই ইচ্ছা না দেখায়, তখন আল্লাহ তাকে বাদশাহ বানিয়ে দেন। তুমি যখন দেখাবে না তখন ইচ্ছা হবে... রাসুল (সঃ) কখনো ইচ্ছা প্রকাশ করেননি। আল্লাহ তাকে রসূলদের সীলমোহর বানিয়েছেন। সাধুগণ, তারা আল্লাহর (সুবহানাহু ওয়া তায়ালার) ইচ্ছার কাছে এবং নবীর (স) ইচ্ছার কাছে আত্মসমর্পণ করেছিল। আল্লাহ তাদেরকে অলী বানিয়েছেন। আপনি যখন আপনার শিক্ষকের ইচ্ছার কাছে নিজেকে সমর্পণ করবেন, তখন শিক্ষক আপনাকে বড় করবেন এবং আপনার শিক্ষার অধীনে থাকা উম্মাহর আস্থা বহন করার জন্য আপনাকে বিশ্বাস করবেন। তাই এটিই গুরুত্বপূর্ণ - জমা দেওয়া। নিজের মত ও মন নিয়ে গর্ব না করা। এটি একটি অভিশাপ, যখন আপনি আপনার মন এবং মতামত নিয়ে গর্ব করেন। আপনি একটি হারান.

আজ, অহংকার থেকে, অহংকার থেকে, বাবা-মা যা বলছে তা শিশুরা মেনে নিচ্ছে না। বৃদ্ধরা যা বলছেন তা মানছেন না অভিভাবকরা। সবাই যার যার মত করে ছুটছে। ইসলাম ও কোরান যা বলছে তা তারা শুনতে চায় না। তারা কেবল শুনতে চায় এই পৃথিবী তাদের যা বলে এবং শয়তান তাদের যা বলে এবং তাদের খারাপ ইচ্ছা কী বলছে।

ছেলেটির দিকে তাকাও, তার নাম কী? হামদান। তিনি কিভাবে আবৃত্তি করেন? তোমার বয়স কত? 12 বছর বয়সী। তিনি এখানে এই ঘরে সবার চেয়ে ভালো আবৃত্তি করেন। তার বয়স 12 বছর, এবং আমরা সবাই 70, 80, 90, 60, 50, 40, 30। এই পৃথিবী তার হৃদয়ে নেই। অন্যরা, আল্লাহ তাদের দিয়েছেন—তার মতো আবৃত্তি করতে শেখার পরিবর্তে, তারা শিখছে কীভাবে গান, এমটিভি, ভিডিও ক্লিপ, ডিস্কো, পাগলা নারী, শিল্পী, অভিনেত্রীদের পিছনে দৌড়াতে হয়—এটি একটি খুব অল্প বয়সী ছেলের জীবনধারা। আল্লাহর আনুগত্য। কিয়ামতের দিন তিনি আল্লাহর আরশের ছায়াতলে থাকবেন।

রাসুল (সঃ) বলেছেন, “কিয়ামতের দিন সাতজন আল্লাহর ছায়ায় থাকবে”, যখন সূর্য সবার মগজ জ্বালিয়ে দেবে। আল্লাহ সাত দলকে ছায়া দেবেন। তাদের মধ্যে একটি হল "ওয়ালাদুন নাশা আলা তাআতিল্লাহ""একটি শিশু যে আল্লাহর আনুগত্যে বেড়ে উঠেছে।" অন্যটি, ওয়ালাদ যিনি কখনো বলেনি উফ তার জীবনে তার মা বা বাবার কাছে। আল্লাহ সুবহানাহু ওয়া তায়ালা তাকে ছায়া দিবেন।

আজ ধনী লোকেরা বা মধ্যম আয়ের লোকেরা নোংরা জিনিসের পিছনে ছুটছে, আর এইরকম ছেলেরা ছুটছে ঈশ্বরের আনুগত্যের পিছনে। বরং বিত্তবানদেরকে আল্লাহর আনুগত্যের পেছনে দৌড়ানোর জন্য দেয়া হলো উল্টো।

কিন্তু তারপরও আমরা বলি, আল্লাহ (সুবহানাহু ওয়া তায়ালা) সর্বদা করুণাময়। আর আল্লাহ সুবহানাহু ওয়া তায়ালা তাঁর নবী (দ:)-কে বলেছেন,

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

ওয়া মা আরসালনাকা ইল্লা রাহমাতান লিল-আলামীন. -  "আমরা আপনাকে মানবতার রহমত স্বরূপ প্রেরণ করিনি।" [21:107]

তাই ইনশা-আল্লাহ আমরা প্রত্যেকেই আল্লাহর রহমতে থাকব। যারা এদিক-ওদিক ছুটছে, আল্লাহ তাদের রহমতের আওতায় আনেন। (আমিন).

ওয়া মিন আল্লাহি তাওফীক, বি হুরমাতি আল-ফাতিহা