Keep a Path of Silence

Keep a Path of Silence from Sufi Meditation Center on Vimeo.
From the Teachings of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi
Sufi Meditation Center, Vancouver, BC

InshaAllah Mawlana Shaykh is describing from the ways of perfection, and this is always a reminder that these (teachings) are from the ways of a saintly character; it is not for the common life or if we are choosing to be just a common person, their teachings are from saintly realities that they have achieved from their path and they come back and convey that reality for us to uplift ourselves. And we are asking to be from the husna 'l-rafiqa, those who are like them, loving these saintly people who are inheriting from the prophetic reality. It means the obedience to the Divine Presence is perfectly completed only by the prophets (as), and obedience to the Prophets is in the hands of the hands of the ulul amr, the people of authority. And husna 'l-rafiqa are those who love them and try to keep their company; they like to keep the company of authorized people both from dunya, from the material world and from the spiritual realm, and they are trying their best to follow their examples and from their teachings.

Mawlana Shaykh is teaching that for these characteristics to open, and that reality to open, a very important reality, which is as-samt or silence, and keeping the path of silence, so that it can begin to open its reality for us. There is a silence of the tongue and a silence of the heart. And what they are teaching for us is that, "The ultimate is the silence within the heart," because the heart is always whispering and as this whispering is manifesting, it is the root of all sickness and the root of why we are here on this Earth; it is from a fire of Iblis or Satan and bad characteristics. It means the fiery nature of that reality on Earth, and we are heavenly beings, and as we are sent to Earth this is the understanding of our role in life, that this fire is always chasing us to plant itself within us. So then "the fire" and the root of all bad characteristics is "the fire of ghadab," which is the fire of Iblis and the fire of disbelief. And the Prophet (s) taught that, "Anger is the opposite of faith, and faith is love and obedience to the Divine Presence, and the one who fell from Divine Grace, his fall was due to anger." Iblis thought he was the representative of God, and an Order came and he said, "No," that was from anger and that is the root of (all) anger. And that root of anger comes down to Earth and the Divine said, "Now you are being sent to Earth for your purification and your testing."

So then Awliyaullah begin to open our hearts and teach that understanding, that the secret of bad character, because there is secret of the good and the understanding of the bad; that the root of all bad characteristics is this fire of Iblis. And when we understand (the nature of) fire, that any time you give in to fire, it increases in intensity. So then the fire of anger (leads to us saying) "Why can't I just release it and get angry at people?

If I get jealous and angry at people, then I will feel better afterwards, or why can't I just be jealous or envious, why can't I be violent? And all the root of these characteristic are found in, and lead us back to that fire. Why is somebody jealous? It's because they are angry." Why do you have what I don't have? And, "I want it, why should you have it?" And what causes the jealousy and the enmity and all the defects, is that fire; it becomes anger, so the fire manifests and takes us out of belief and manifests and begins the burning process.

So they teach us that, "If you have made a camp fire, or on an old stove, that lights up and as much as you begin to given oxygen to that fire, it begins to rage, it doesn't go away. So if you think that you can allow yourself to explode every now and then, and that you will feel better, but actually, what they are teaching us is that, "If you give in to this fire, you are fuelling it." You may be able to hide it after two minutes but five minutes later, you are angry again. And that fire begins to rage and begins to make the body sick, as it affects the body, and it begins to make the mind sick because in a state of rage and disbelief you are capable of doing anything crazy. It makes your mind to be sick and so your mind and your body are harmed. And if your mind is harmed, then the Prophet (s) already describes that, "It is disbelief, it is kufr." So the opposite of Iman is ghadab. If your heart is filled with love, it is a heart full of faith, if we are filled with anger and anger keeps coming, and then it is a test for us that the faith is lacking or completely missing depending on how much we give in to that characteristic.

So then their mission in life is to teach us, "If you take that fire and like a candle, put a top on it, and suffocate that fire, don't let any oxygen get to it. It means any bad character defect that you attempt to conquer, and to attack that defect, means you want to suffocate it. As much as you can suffocate it, it lacks oxygen and lacks ferocity and the ability to keep burning and destroying and harming. So then they begin to teach us, "The root of everything is that fire, and that fire must be extinguished. So then all the practises are based on extinguishing and controlling ourselves. And that fire is not going to be found anywhere in the body but in the heart. Because the bad character or Diablo or demons, whatever we want to call it, we call it bad character for people who are more scientific and this bad character is going to root itself upon the throne of Mankind. And the throne, the Divine sits upon the heart of the believer! So then there is always a fight for the heart, not for the head or feet or hands, whoever controls the heart, controls the entire being. If you want to control the kingdom, you go sit on the throne, and from the throne you control everything, why do you want to deal with the feet, constantly battling when the orders are coming from the throne?

So the fire of bad character, as soon as we are born, all sorts of conditioning are coming in our life, and these little flames begin to enter into the heart and it is the only place where it wants to plant itself. And then we lose our purity at age nine or ten or thirteen and we start to do things that are not so nice and that fire begins to take its place and it begins to root itself in the heart of those seeking the Divine Presence.

So then they teach us that, "The root is the fire, and how (we should) control that fire." Then Mawlana Shaykh is saying, "One important reality for controlling that fire is in understanding the link between our mouth and our heart." And what comes from our mouth is only a sign of what exists in the heart, so then there is no hypocrisy. So then if I say, "This is from my mouth and (what is) my heart is different," or "O my heart is (saying) this, but I am saying something different," no, they are directly connected! It means the heart is the container for that fire and what is coming from your mouth is a result of what is in that container; if the container is filled with nectar of sweetness, then how can there be so much difficulty coming out from that mouth? So much fire comes and so much of everything (keeps spilling out of the mouth). So then Mawlana Shaykh is reminding us always that, "The vessel is the heart. It is containing that light or that fire. What is spewing from the mouth is a result of the sickness within the heart." So the stage of as-samt, the stage of silence, that Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (qs) was teaching, and for seven years he put a stone into his mouth and that there was a reality of why he put a stone in his mouth,

1. Because the stone has a tremendous zikr, it has a tremendous reality. That reality of the zikr he put into the mouth, is to control what is happening within the heart. It means that if it is a matter of the fire, and if we don't control the mouth, the fire within the heart is just raging. So then this vessel or vehicle to contain it, they are teaching us to control our mouth, "Hold your tongue, don't speak too much," because the words that are coming out are showing the condition of the heart.
2. So they begin to say, "Take a path of silence," silence your mouth everything is silence. There is no guidance, there is no teaching; everything is a path of silence until you have muffled the mouth and by muffling your mouth and controlling the mouth and not speaking for years, where people say, "You speak very little."

And then the process of tafakkur is that, once you keep silence of your mouth because it keeps spewing out information that is of no need, and even if it is wisdoms and know ledges, unless it has been authorized that you have achieved a level where your heart is purified and now your tongue is authorized to speak. Because the light that the Shaykh is putting within the heart, is a very powerful angelic light, it is meant to go into the heart and stay there, and as much as you keep speaking for no reason, you are pushing that light out! And it is increasing the intensity of the heart and the fire within the heart, and arrogance within the heart, and many different defects begin to grow within the heart.

So then they are teaching that, "Keeping a path of silence means that immediately you keep silent, and from the madad and their support, they begin to send light into the heart." These lights, wa qa ja al haqqa wa zahakal batil is that haqq comes in as "a light" and "an energy" and (opens) many divine realities. And as this begins to flow within the heart then if you don't have control of the tongue, it flows out, and it's just being wasted; and the condition of the heart never changes.

So then Mawlana Shaykh is reminding that, "As soon as you take a path of silence, and say, 'Ya Rabbi I want to control my tongue and stop my tongue. I want the energy and the light to hit my heart and as it hits my heart, I want to close my mouth.'" And now they see that you have sealed your mouth and stopped the process of talking or teaching or guiding or anything that your mouth is doing, then they say, "With your taffakur and contemplation pay attention to your heart, how is your heart whispering? Because what Allah (SWT) wants is the control of your tongue." And the tongue is going to perish and die (and be left) on this earth. The Divine does not care for your tongue but for the people of Gnosticism and reality, they are teaching us that, "What comes from your tongue is a result of your heart, we were interested in the heart." It means that as soon as you are able to control your mouth and you "put a rock in your mouth," then meditate and contemplate at every association and every teaching and interacting, pay attention to the heart.

If the heart cannot be silenced and the mouth is speaking with a non-silenced heart, then all sorts of sicknesses are emanating from that mouth. It means that the mouth is backbiting, it is not giving wisdom, but it is backbiting. Being in the company of the Shaykh is most dangerous because the Shaykh is going to engage you to see if you backbite, to see what type of things are going to come from your mouth. His job is to pull it out from you to show you your sickness. It's not that you sit with the Shaykh and you start backbiting. The Shaykh is the doctor and encourages you that, "Let's see what you are going to do? Pull it out." Eh, once again you start with backbiting, everybody from left to right. It's not because he needs any information from you, no, he doesn't even need to know what type of sohbets you gave to people, especially if you are giving from his wisdoms to other people and then back to him. What for? Mawlana Shaykh taught that as soon as he asks "What did that person say?" Say, "You know best Sayyidi, nothing, what can I tell people?" And not, "This is the sohbet I gave him, this is the knowledge I gave him, and these are the things I conveyed to him," that is from the sickness within the heart that you are a show-off, to whom? Are you trying to convey the faith? To whom? The condition of your heart is still not settled. Your heart is spewing and over-boiling with information, it has to be contained; the volcano has to be stopped.

As soon as you take the path of silence, say, "Ya Rabbi I am going to take a vow of silence." Sayyidina Zakaria (as) took a vow of silence and Sayyida Maryem (as) took a vow of silence and throughout the Holy Qur'an is teaching to, "Take a vow of silence." Just as Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) put a stone in his mouth for seven years saying, "I won't talk," and took a vow for seven years, saying "I want to work on my heart." As soon as we take a path of silence, and condition the mouth to stop, then at every association and every teaching, and every interaction go back and do muhasaba, accounting, meditate and contemplate, "Why is my heart feeling like this? Why am I thinking of this person or of this issue? Why is my heart aggravated with what he just said?" Because they want to teach us how to silence the heart and (show) that the heart is almost in a state of death and annihilation, that no condition may agitate the heart. Because as much as there is activity, it means that fire of bad character is being ignited in the heart; it wants to say something or talk about somebody. It wants to do something and is waiting for you to open this oven, (and you give-in to this), "I am going to say something," and as soon as the mouth opens the fire is now raging again. And then you have to start again from step one. Every time the heart rages, and the mouth opens, and oxygen flowed in, now the heart is again raging of fire and that fire cannot be silenced unless it is through the path of the mouth.

So then Mawlana Shaykh is opening for us a deep reality a reminder for ourselves that, "Meditate and contemplate how much our mouths are opening, and how much this mouth has something to say. And as much as it is saying, that much is being wasted." Think of it in a different way. Think of it this way, "Ya Rabbi I want Your Reservoir of Light like an ocean in my heart," but if this fountain is running all the time, its being emptied, its being wasted and thrown everywhere. And the Divine is looking and saying, "As much as you put into this person's heart, it is flowing (away). Why are you wasting it like that? Why are they not getting it and understanding it?" So then a reminder for us that Mawlana Shaykh is saying, "If you want these lights and you want these realities and you want the uplifting; then silence your mouth. There are enough people who can talk." And if you want that reality to open, and for the heart to open then, "Take a path of silence." And as soon as you silence your mouth then, "Take your path towards taffakur and contemplation." And contemplation without a silent mouth is worthless, because what you are contemplating? All the sohbets you gave, and all the teachings that you are spewing out for no reason? Your condition is not yet purified. If the condition is not purified then the words are wasted; you can't give what you don't have.

So then Mawlana Shaykh is teaching us that, Allah (SWT) is asking from us, the Divine Presence is asking from us that, "You cannot give what you don't have. Although you think you are (qualified) but first you have to achieve, and you have to have that rank." And that light has to shine within the heart; the light of Iman has to shine within the heart, and the light of Ihsan has to shine within the heart and then they sign you off. When you are signed-off, they are saying, "Now your heart is silenced. And you took a path for many years of having a silent mouth.

Once your mouth is silenced to achieve the silencing of the heart, now we give you permission to speak and when you speak, you are speaking on our tongue, not your tongue. Your tongue may cause many different problems, it may say many things that affect people in different ways but when you speak on our tongue, it means our heart is dressing your heart and your tongue is submitting to our tongue. And our tongue is from the Lisan as-Siddiq ." It means that the Awliyaullah's tongues are on the tongue of Sayyidina Muhammad (s), on the Prophetic tongue; Lisan al-Haqq is "on the truthful tongue," and at that time when it speaks, then it is Ilm la-dhuni wa hikmat as-Saliheen, giving from "Heavenly Knowledge" and "wisdoms and understandings." But that cannot be achieved if the mouth is not silenced. And when the mouth is silenced, the boiling of the heart begins and when that begins now it becomes time to meditate. Meditate and contemplate why all these things are aggravating me? And then you take muhasaba, accounting, and write down why you backbite this person, and why you talk about this and why are you angry about this, and why you have to say something about this, why ..why...why?

But it means that you keep writing this accounting, this muhasaba, and then we begin to point out our character defects. At that time we are able to understand what is within us that is making all of these things to come and manifest, and only at that time can we begin the purification and the cleansing process. So then they want us to understand that the tongue and the heart are directly related. And they teach that just like an ice-burg, you see a tip of an ice-burg but there is an entire city that is below. It's not the ice-burg that is frightening, its how much of that mass of ice that is hidden. So then Allah (SWT) was telling the Prophet (s) in the Holy Qur'an and throughout the Holy Qur'an, "What they say is nothing compared to what's in their hearts. If you are bothered by their words, imagine what's in their hearts? It's only manifesting a little bit," because they were trying to control all the words they were trying to say to the Prophet (s). It means for us it is a daleel and an understanding that what is in the heart is far more dangerous and the only way to put that fire out is the direct link with the mouth.

And as soon as we are silent and we begin to meditate and take an accounting of everything that is happening within the heart, at that time that fire goes down, goes down, down and the steadiness of the heart is in that zikrulla; ta'tma inal quloob. Tatma means a state of tranquility, there is no more up or down and there is no more excitement, like the heart beat of a dead person, because our way is a state of death before death. And if your heart is easily excited or easily brought down, you are bi-polar. It means you are in two of these polar opposites; that everything is making you ecstatically happy and the next minute ecstatically sad, very sad, "I am going to jump out of the window because I am sad." These are two very different realities and they are trying to take us to that state that, "Nothing should make you so excited and nothing should make you so sad. This dunya is going. And then the zikrullah, ta'tma inal quloob is what brings us to equilibrium." And the equilibrium to be like the dead, it is a flat line (ECG reading). If things happen and you check the heart, (there is) no excitement and if sad things come, there is no excitement because the heart is a steady rate and is always connected. And Allah (SWT) says, "There is no fear nor (do they) grieve. And their heart is always tranquil." And we are praying to reach their understanding through their dress, and through their realities that they are teaching us, to bring down the ecstatic happiness to a more logical level and to bring back up the excessive sadness, and that way is going to be achieved by the silencing of the tongue, and by taking a path of silence. It means then, "Take an accounting of what is happening within the heart." Subhana Rabbika Rabbil izzati amma yasifoon wa Salaamun alal mursaleen wal hamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.

Sincere People Expose the Jealousy of Others

From the Teachings of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi

Sufi Meditation Center, Vancouver, BC

Sincere People Expose the Jealousy of Others from Sufi Meditation Center on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/34353396

Audhubillahi min ash-Shaytani rajeem, Bismillahi Rahmaani Raheem.

Bismillahi Rahmaani Raheem. In light of benefit for myself, and if anyone else takes benefit, alhamdulillah, we try to take all that we believe or what we want (of adab) and leave that which is of no interest. The days of difficulty are opening into dunya and Mawlana Shaykh is teaching us the love of Sayyidina Muhammad (s), and the love of the Ahlul Bayt, the love of the Companions, and the love of Sayyidina Mahdi (as). And they say to open that love and the nearness which is the Ocean of Safety, and this means we are asking, "Ya Rabbi to be under (opening of) Bismillahi Rahmaani Raheem." But the key to opening that is in the understanding of Audhubillahi min ash-Shaytani rajeem. It means (when saying) Audhubillah this is asking to be in the heavenly association that Allah (SWT) is pleased with, and that is the protection against Shaytan and the dominions of bad character and of the devil. It means for us to find Allah (SWT) it is very difficult. So then Awliyaullah come into our lives and begin to teach us that, "It is not Allah (SWT) that you are going to find. That is very difficult, and this was the quest of the prophets."

Bismillahi Rahmaani Raheem.

Atiullaha wa ati-ur Rasul wa ulul amri min kum. (Obey Allah, obey the prophets and obey authority).

And the obedient ones to Allah (SWT) were the Rasul's (prophets) and Allah (SWT) gave us a way and a means in to reach; it means to obey Allah (SWT) then we must obey the prophets. And the obedience to the prophets is in the hands of the ulul amr (those in authority). The people of authority follow the amr and the guidance and the Will of Allah (SWT) to the best that they can in their darajaat of submission and we find ourselves with the highest of the ulul amr, Sultan al-Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani (q) and in these regions and this area, Qutb al-Mutasarrif Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani. And Allah (SWT) opened for us these blessings for Adabana Rabbi fi ahsanul tahteeb, and that Prophet (s) described to us that, "Allah (SWT) has perfected my adab and my characteristics,"

and that is what dresses us with Divine Mercy. It is the perfection of characteristics, and the perfection of the adab (manners), it is not the amal (deeds), even the donkey has better amal that insaan (humans). The entire natural world that Allah (SWT) has created is in perfect submission; we cannot even compare ourselves to the submission of the animal kingdom, they completely submit. The lamb puts his head out and you come and make zabiha (sacrifice) and nothing happens; the trees, you cut them and burn them, there is no screaming.

It means if it was just the actions and the amal that Allah (SWT) was interested in, then why was there a description of Prophet (s) as the Khuluqul Adheem? Allah (SWT) said, "You are of a magnificent character." The characteristic and the adab, the mannerisms and the tarbiya, the discipline, is the perfection that the Prophet (s) wants to dress us with, and to be perfected so as to be protected because this dunya is now going to clean everyone. And everybody is going to be washed and cleansed through hardship and the degree in which the hardship comes to them cleanses them and perfects them and sends them back towards Divinely Presence. And the Prophet (s) is teaching us that the secret of reaching that mercy and the secret of reaching Allah's satisfaction is the perfection of characteristics, you pray, Alhamdulillah you have to (do that) and you fast so Alhamdulillah you have to, and you read Qur'an, Alhamdulillah you have to. All of that everyone has to do, but that is not where the reward or the prize is.

Allah (SWT) says, "If you don't have good adab, what is all this praying going to do?" If you have bad manners or bad characteristics and you do harsh and awful things, then what is the purpose of praying? What is Allah (SWT) going to do with that prayer? What is the purpose of fasting if the characteristics become bad and evil or rotten? What is the purpose of a Hajj? If all these pillars are not built upon the foundation of good character or good manners and good adab, then Prophet (s) is teaching us, "Be careful, Allah (SWT) will throw them out and you will be out of Divinely Presence."

Allah (SWT) is going to say, "The character was not good, what do I need these deeds for?" The purpose for your Shahada; wa iqamatus s-salaat wa ita az-zakat wa sawmu ramadan was to perfect the character. It was not the actions that Allah (SWT) was interested in.

He said, "I ordered for you salat, so that you would be disciplined and controlling your bad characteristics so that you would reach towards good character and that you would be of service to My Creation with good characteristics. The reason I ordered zakat is to give from what you have, so from that perfection of character, you care for others and you would be your brother's caretaker, you would be the one responsible. This is your family and your community and your responsibility." It is not that the zakat is the prize and we go around thinking, "We did something great." All of that was for the purpose of bringing perfection to the character. The siyam, the fasting that Allah (SWT) has ordered "Don't let them come to Me being proud of their fasting." If that characteristic is not perfected and you have fasted and you are not compassionate or merciful then, are you thinking about other people's ability to eat and to take care of themselves?

In everything you do and before you do anything, Mawlana Shaykh is teaching from the inheritance of Prophet (s), "Do they have the ability to take care of themselves? Are there people who are hungry near me and are there people who are in difficulty around me?" And you will be asked by Allah (SWT) "Why did you not take care of that one? That was the purpose of the fasting." It is not that we get a prize because we fasted. He (SWT) says, "For all those years that you have fasted and still you have no compassion for those who are down or outside or for those who are hungry or people who are less fortunate?"

It means that every action that Prophet (s) brought for us from Shariah was to perfect the character to Maqam al Ihsaan. There is Islam, Iman and Ihsaan. Your Islam brings you into submission, and if that is submitting properly, then the lights of Iman begin to dress us and the light of Iman begins to shine at the station of Ihsaan or perfection that Allah (SWT) says, "These are the best adab, these are the best of characters and that one is Mukhlis, a sincere servant of Mine. He is not only Muslim and he accepted My Way but he became Mukhlis, he became a sincere one in everything he is doing." He realizes that when he is praying it is to tame his animal (self) and it is not the reward of praying. And he fasts so he becomes compassionate and he feels what it is to be hungry and to be down and out. He gives charity and realizes that everybody is in need and that a day may come when he is more in need of it. He goes on his pilgrimage so that he can get closer and return to the Divine Presence, "Ya Rabbi we are always on a pilgrimage to our Akhira," and that at any moment we are going to die, and at any moment somebody is going to go, and at any moment, many people are returning back to Allah and that is their final Hajj.

From that good characteristic Prophet (s) is sending those teachings and Mawlana is inspiring us that in these holy days remember Sayyidina Maryem (as) and remember that a tremendously pious servant of the Divine Presence who was sitting and fasting and praying through all sorts of difficulties and Allah (SWT) was showering her with endless Rahmah and endless Mercies. There was so much sustenance in her niche and also sustenance that was coming from seasons that the prophet was amazed. Sayyidina Zachariah came into the niche and saw there was so much blessing and so much Baraka there. And what Mawlana Shaykh is focusing on in these days of difficulty that are opening, is that Sayyidina Zachariah (as) with his high station saw that miracle because of his humility and he said, "Although I have authority and I am someone (of importance), I do see the miracle," out of humility. "And as a result of seeing this miracle, let me make a dua." And Allah (SWT) opened his heart because he would testify later to a big secret, (regarding Sayyida Maryem)

"You took the benefit of that dua, and you got your child from that dua." It is very important to note here, that we take benefits from Awliyaullah through so many gifts and so many changes in our lives and then later we say, "We had no benefit by accompanying you. We didn't get anything; we don't even know why we are with you or why we are on this path?" But Allah (SWT) says to Sayyidina Zachariah (as), "Look, all your life you prayed and your dua did not come to be, but (it did) when with humility you went into that niche."

But for the perfection of our character, these are eternal stories for us to reach our realities because Sayyidina Isa's (as) message for us is eternal and that at every moment history is repeating itself and insaan copies that exactly, there is no new trick! Nobody can come and say, "Shaykh this is a unique characteristic that is only within me." No, that is incorrect; you will keep copying the same characteristics (as the predecessors). So when we read the Holy Qur'an, Allah (SWT) is describing that it is a guide book for you and me, people do not need a change.

Sayyidina Zachariah (as) saw the miracle and testified to it and then he received a child from that miracle. And as a result, later Allah (SWT) tests the saint whom he got the blessing from. And the saint comes with a mission that she was going to have a child. "When I am in seclusion, isolation and praying, how am I going to have a child when there is no man who has touched me? What will these people say to me?" And Allah (SWT) said, "Yes I know what they are going to say to you and I do not give permission for you to testify." No permission to give daleel (shed light) because she is a wali, she could have opened her mouth and given so many examples and it would have finished the whole debate, as she was an Awliyaullah.

She (as) had so much yaqeen (certainly) that when she gave birth, it is described by Allah (SWT) that the angel came and said, "If you are hungry, shake the palm tree." And she brought the palm to herself. And in the article that we sent out, that many different shuyookh focused on what kind of power did she have, that she could shake the base of a palm tree. Have you seen a palm tree? It's like a truck, its not a twig which you bend down and bring it to eat the dates, but Allah (SWT) describes her yaqeen in that, "She could hit the palm tree and brought the dates to her mouth," could she not have debated? And now people are going to accuse her and curse her. And Allah (SWT) says that, "She is of perfected character that I am not going to give her permission to speak." And Allah (SWT) says, "Let Me show you." Allah (SWT) wants to always show pious people the character of the people around them. So this is a testing for her.

Testing is eternally in our lives so that when we move towards sincerity Allah (SWT) wants to test everybody around sincere people, so that your eyes can open up to the Haqq of dunya. So then she was always in her niche praying all the time, surrounded by men, pious and religious men, thinking all along that they are respecting her, seeing her miracles and benefitting from those miracles and then Allah (SWT) says, "I know what you don't know and what is hidden within their hearts and bring it out in an instant." It means the mastery of the Divine Presence is to bring out the characteristics that we don't know that exist. So then tariqa is a tremendous testing university because it is under the same authority the same nazar. The shaykhs who are authorized, they begin to send a light into everyone's heart and bring out characteristics, so that with tafakkur and contemplation we can begin to realize these characteristics.

So then Sayyida Maryem (as) is inspiring and teaching us that, "On this day other than maximizing your credit card, sit and meditate with me and think about my life. I was given a tremendous test by the Divine Presence then told 'now go out and don't speak.' And then as soon as I went out and instead of the people remembering my miracles and remembering that the food was coming and remembering my piety, and there was no question of my piety, they threw attack after attack," and this is the human nature of people. And Mawlana Shaykh says, "That is the root of the sickness," because they are the masters of good character and adab and say, "

That incident, if you go deep into your meditation, is the root of bad character," because lying dormant within the heart is the hasad, so much so, that Allah (SWT) makes you repeat it and in Surat al-Falak: "Min hasidin idha hasad." Allah (SWT) says, "Seek refuge from that hasad," because it lies dormant and it is so dangerous and it veils us from everything and it makes us begin to make moves that you would never imagine you would make. And people can have hasad of other people, and they can have hasad of places or hasad of things and they may know it or it may be so deep down inside the ego that they just don't know why they don't like to go there. But the ego knows because the ego has hasad. It has hasad with people and things and with everything around it and that ego with that sickness is waiting for one mistake because all those people were watching and witnessing her miracles. And with continuously witnessing, if they had yaqeen, certainty, as soon as they would have seen that event, like the companions of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) they would have said, "Sameena wa atana, we have heard and we obey it Ya Sayyidi, Ya Rasulullah they say you went to al-Aqsa we hear it and we obey, we do not want confusion, we are not looking for bringing you down, we are looking to accompany you whether you are in Heaven or in Hells we are with you all the way." Always saying "Sameena wa atana."

But with hasad and the sickness in our heart, we say, "No, no." And that sickness of the heart sits and waits for a problem and as soon as the problem comes (from others) they say, "Ah! I knew you all along,..We knew you were bad...I knew it!" And that is the root of our downfall into dunya. Because the master of this dunya is Shaytan and he fell from grace from hasad. He thought he was the imam and he thought he was going to be enriched by the Divine Presence and he thought he was going to be the leader of all the angels. And when he realized that Allah (SWT) had appointed a Khalifa and that Khalifa was not him, he said, "I will not bow down, and not only that, Ya Rabbi give me time to attack him." It is not that you can get out of the way; hasad doesn't allow us to get out of the way. In some degrees of hasad , you go your own way, but the danger of hasad (can be extreme) like when they went after Sayyida Maryem (as), Allah (SWT) had to dispatch three Awliyaullah for her.

Who are these Awliyaullah who are shown on the front of every church and they come as three men with turbans? They are dressed as Naqshbandi (smiles). The Nativity scene is on every church, Allah (SWT) despatched Awliyaullah to send her away (to safety) and gave her what she needed because she was in tremendous danger. When they showed that miracle (baby Jesus) instead of people believing stronger and stronger when they saw the miracle, they wanted to kill her!

It means that hasad blinds you from the grace of the Divine. Instead of saying, "O my God there is so much emanation and so much light and so many blessings, everything must be blessed, and everything must be dressed with that blessing because this is miraculous. They said, "No, it's not! And that this lady did something very bad and they began to go after her to kill her." Astagfirullah. And then they wanted to kill the child, and when they could not do that, they went after Sayyidina Zachariah (as).

And Sayyidina Zachariah (as) said that he saw the miracle before, and that he would not deny it now. So they came to Sayyidina Zachariah and asked, "Did you touch her, we put her in your custody?" He said, "Wallahi I had nothing to do with that, Allah (SWT) has done this; this is between Allah and her, how this happened." He could have easily said, "I don't know, I did not see anything." But he would have been accountable as a prophet that, "You knew and you got your gift from her niche that dua was accepted from you and that miracle and dressing came to you. You saw all her provision within her niche." It means Allah (SWT) is saying "If you see that blessing and you see it with yaqeen, you cannot doubt it again, and you (cannot) come into belief and leave belief. So the reason for the first miracle was that Allah (SWT) was going to test him with a second one, that he had seen that and he said, "I know her character is in full submission to Allah (SWT) and this is something from Allah (SWT)," and he ran into a tree and his people cut the tree in half, to kill him.

So then the lesson in these holy days and in this holy month that keeps opening up is that this root of hasad is going to blind us from everything. Anytime we have a dislike, especially towards pious people, dislike of them or their place or their associations, you have to come back to yourself and look at the hasad, meditate and contemplate that there should be nothing from that association aggravating you other than issues rooted in hasad. If you can identify that hasad and work on that characteristic, then you can bring down that sickness, because it is a testing facility. Or then why would Allah (SWT) put that gift there, or the light there, or the blessings in that association and you find it hard to be there, or accompany them, and this is (true) for any center around the world, it doesn't have anything to do with this location. Everything about this (association), Sultan al-Awliya is holding that secret. He is the custodian of these realities and he wants to take everyone to those realities. Everything of ours is going to be tested and this light is emanating from within their hearts and it begins to hit us and all these thoughts come out and they teach us, "Contemplate." And when you contemplate you start to go into your characteristics and ask "Why is it that I don't like this person or this place or this thing?" But don't look for an outside cause, because you are blaming all of humanity, but look within to see why you don't like it.

It means find the sickness within the self and not the sickness in other people. Allah (SWT) doesn't want you to judge His Creation. Muraqaba is the stage of meditation and "Who knows himself knows his Lord," and as he begins to know his Lord, his Lord is going to expose his character. So then Muhasaba is the accounting of the character. Allah (SWT) is saying, "Now I am going to expose your defects, work on them, and don't find the fault in somebody else." Don't say, "I don't like that lady because she talks too much," no, there is something wrong with you; you don't like any lady because you are a jealous person and you can't stand the sight of them. "I don't like to eat this, or I don't want to do that or I don't like this or that..." It has nothing to do with anyone else, this is tariqa and Allah (SWT) is saying that, "The Shaytan and the sickness is within you, don't worry about anyone else."

So then the Muhasaba is (not only) to write all these things and why you don't like them, but find the sickness within yourself and check why you don't like them. "I don't like this guy," maybe because he has so many things. "I don't like this," is it because I am jealous or, "I don't like that," is it because I am envious? Look at the self in everything and the sickness can be identified. If we identify that sickness then that Baraka begins to open and when that Baraka opens and if we had eyes to see with reality, and our hearts were opened with reality, we would realize the tajalli and the emanation that they are sending. Again from the understanding and the inheritance of Sayyidina Isa (as), he (as) was raised in this reality and he prayed for a Table from Heaven, "Ya Rabbi send me a table from Heaven," and Allah (SWT) said, "If We send you a Table from Heaven, We guarantee no one is going to eat from that Table." Because Allah (SWT) knows His Creation and when that Creation sees a miracle, they don't come running towards the light, they don't run towards the blessings and they actually begin to curse it. And they said, "What happened to you? Why did you bring the Table from Heaven? Why does it have to be he who brought the table why not me, why is he always at the Table?" So they ran from the Table and the only ones who ate from that Table were the poor because they were hungry anyways. They would eat from any table.

From that reality Mawlana Shaykh is teaching that all of Naqshbandia secrets are in the food. It's not coming only to your hearts and its not coming where you think it is; "I am absorbing all the secrets of the zikr." They are teaching that with all this hasad and bad characteristic, we are pushing most of the blessings away because we are thinking throughout the zikr of all these thoughts. The ego is locking the heart and blocking the tajalli and they know that nobody is going to receive it, or if they were feeling the zikr and the emanations and what energy and lights that zikr is bringing from the Divinely Presence, they would pass out.

So then the secret of tariqa is that they put that ne'mat and blessing in the food. Because they know and they think of us as children and if this medicine has to reach you, they have to put it inside a candy, and they put that candy in your mouth, and the ego loves to eat, and the ego will take it. So then they begin to teach us that when the ocean of humility opens, and the heart opens, it begins to realize this secret is dressed on everything and out of their tremendous Rahmah they have been given many ways to receive this blessing. If you have belief and you drink zam zam water, Alhamdulillah for you. If you are going to somebody who doesn't have a belief and is not interested in your zam zam water and is not interested in the way that you are going to approach, so they put the secret in a candy for you, they put it a grain of rice for you, or they put it in water for you and say, "Give that to them." If we had belief, we would have seen and understood that, they are creating a fountain of blessings and healing that we can use for all our loved ones because you can't only care for yourself, but you have to care for all those whom you are responsible for.

As these difficulties begin to open it is not about saving yourself. It means if Allah (SWT) does not take you but begins one by one, with all the weaker ones, and the grandchildren and the children that you don't see, if they start to become sick and they fall into an ocean of difficulty, what did you do to reach out to them? Most people will say, "Nothing." But in their infinite mercies and their infinite realities, they are providing in many ways to reach out. Take water and ask for a dua and send the water to them, or take a candy and don't care that you don't eat candy, but get the candy and get the dua and send it to them, to your grandchildren; they are in need of it. Don't ignore everyone and think it's only about you in life. You are going to be very sad with these difficulties. Death is not coming quick.

They say, "Don't worry. O Shaykh I don't care about dying." It's not the death that you have to worry about but it's the time in which this dying is going to take place. That movie on the stoning is horrible. They are asking the lady who is about to be stoned (as punishment) all these people who are falsely religious are saying, "What are you worried about; you will die and go to Allah." She said, "It's not the dying that I am worried about, it's not death, but the process of dying is very difficult." It means that in the days of difficulty, there will be one difficulty after another. We pray that our faith begins to open more and more, and that light begins to open more and more and that ne'mat begins to dress us and we send it everywhere for the people whom we love; to dress them from that blessing, and dress them from that light and from that Baraka so they would be safe here and hereafter. Subhaana Rabbika Rabbil Izzati Amma yasifoon wa illa sharafin Nabi (s) wa sairi sadatina wa siddiqina al-Fatiha.

In old days when people had faith (in this blessing) they came to the zikr with salt and water and olive oil, all the things that they were cooking with at home, they were coming with it from the market and putting that in the zikr. They would take that blessing and go home and cook for their families and then they would invite all their family members to eat from that, because they knew that those family members may not necessarily be coming to the zikr. That is why you still have a tradition of making halva. They don't make kubideh, but they make halva, and it's like candy and everybody eats it. They would take the flour and the sugar and have it blessed at the zikr and they would make it into candy and distribute it to everybody. And they would ask them to eat to be dressed from that ne'mat, and many of these cultures made sweets for the associations; they would bring ingredients for these sweets and they went back home and prepared them and gave to all the relatives so that their relatives would be dressed by these associations, and they are going to put their secrets. And different shaykhs are inheriting different realities based on the locations of where they are (in the world); they are going to throw that secret into that ta'am, into the food, so that we can take from that reality and blessing for what we need for what is coming inshaAllah.    

Time of Mahdiuun

Time of Mahdiuun

From the teachings of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani (Q)
Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi
Sufi Meditation Center ,Vancouver, BC

A`udubillahi min ash-shaytanir rajeem, Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem.

Inshaa-Allah from Mawlana Shaykh's teachings is that the words of  Awliyaullah are not easy to understand. And to take them at face value is one level of knowledge; however their words are limitless (in levels of
understanding). They are taking from heavenly inspirations that are coming  from Allah (SWT) to the heart of Prophet (s), and from Prophet's (s) heart to the Ahlul Bayt, and from them to the Companions of Prophet (s) and then to the heart of Awliyaullah. From the Sultan al-Awliya all the way through the golden chain of the Awliyaullah. And Mawlana Shaykh is teaching that their words are not easy to understand. And to take what they say, just hearing it and say, "Okay I understood it," but, it is very difficult.

Because their words are from Oceans of Reality and from the Oceans of the Divine Presence that have no beginning or end, and it has no shore. It means there is no way to really understand heavenly knowledge and to say, "I have understood it." You got one understanding of it, but it cannot be something that is completely grasped because “Above every knower there is another knower.” Based upon the opening of that knower's heart, there are taking different understandings and different realities from those teachings. It is very important, in these days of difficulty when Sultan al-Awliya (q) and Mawlana Shaykh (q) are teaching; they are teaching
repeatedly about the presence of Sayyidina Mahdi (a). The time is here, and their appearance is coming, and there are signs everywhere and one level of understanding is to be prepared; that we have to be physically prepared in our lives as if we want to be with Sayyidina Mahdi (a). We are asking to be from the companions and the helpers of Sayyidina Mahdi (a), if Allah (SWT) grants us and if Sayyidina Muhammad (s) grants us, and Sayyidina Mahdi (a) will be pleased with us to even grant us such a noble honor; to be companions and helpers and from those who witness the arrival of Sayyidina Mahdi (a).

One level that the shaykh is teaching, *"Be prepared, there are signs and live in preparation that if Sayyidina Mahdi (a) or a representative of Sayyidina Mahdi (a) comes to visit us, that we are prepared,"* our homes
are prepared, and our lives are prepared, and we live a life based on faith. Prophet (s) wanted to take us to the ocean of Iman or faith and it is a very difficult ocean to enter, and once inshaAllah we enter, with their baraka, it is very difficult to sustain (our Iman) in the ocean of faith. The ocean of faith by virtue of the word "faith," means it is something you don't see, but it is something you must believe; something that you cannot touch but you know it's there. It is something emanating, but you may not see it unless your heart is open. They want to take us to that level of belief or faith, that "We are living and waiting for the arrival of holy people and we live a life based on that Iman." And that level of Iman is what we are striving to achieve and everything in this dunya is going to block that; through our eating, our work, or how we earn. Everything we do (is to be) based on this Iman. And they teach us to move into that ocean and the concept of baraka or blessings and the miraculous nature of Allah (SWT) is, "That I will provide for you from ways you never imagined." It means that although we hear these ayahs of the Holy Qur'an, and we hear these teachings of the Prophet (s,) but it is very difficult to live them. It is very difficult to enter into that ocean and to be from the people of faith whose whole lives are under Allah'S (SWT) Mercy, and that they wait every moment for what Allah (SWT) will send of sustenance, of rizk and lights, of mercy and protection.

This is where Mawlana Shaykh wants to take all of us; with this level of teaching. And that if you are asking to enter the oceans of faith, then know that this dunya is collapsing which teaches: *that the heart does not
attach itself to dunya. *And that if you really believe that this dunya is collapsing, then everything about this life would be how to protect yourself against this collapse. Everything and every moment of our life we believe, "Ya Rabbi, this is collapsing very fast, what am I to do to make sure that I am protected, and my family is protected, and my way is protected and also my faith is protected?" It means the most basic level of teaching is that Awliyaullah want to take us to this level of faith and that every moment of our life, we are contemplating that *"Ya Rabbi how am I going to perfect my faith, ya Rabbi how am I going to live through this difficulty?" *

And somebody asked, "What if you are just at peace with dying, what is the big problem?" They say, "It's not a problem, death is not the problem, but the dying (process) is the difficulty." Maraz mar nai tarsan, mordanish
sakhtey (Death is not difficult but the death-bed is difficult) They asked the lady who was going to be stoned in that movie, "Why are you crying? What are you so worried about? Death is death," because people *pretend that they have faith*, but faith is a very difficult ocean. Everybody thinks they have faith, but Allah (SWT) says, "You have to be tested with your life, wealth, your family, all of that just like the people who came before you, the prophets and truthful people." And that level of faith does not open unless many different difficult tests come to you. So then Mawlana Shaykh is teaching, "It is not the death that you have to be worried about, but the process of *dying can become very difficult*." There are all sorts of conditions of difficulty that they are taking us to that level of belief and that level of understanding to open within our hearts.

By believing in the last days and believing in the signs of the coming of Sayyidina Mahdi (a), we become dressed from the lights of the Mahdiuun from those who are living their lives in preparedness because it is from a level of faith that, "Ya Rabbi, I am believing that the signs are here and I am  asking to be with Sayyidina Mahdi (a) to be from the supporters, to be from the helpers and lovers of Sayyidina Mahdi (a) for the love of Prophet (s)." And the love of Prophet (s) is teaching us that, "I am seeing these signs as part of my faith." And the next door they are opening is that: as we believe and live our life based on that preparation, they begin to dress us from the light of the Mahdiuun.
 
Sayyidina Mahdi (a) is saying, "That if you live your life waiting for me, that (can happen) at any time," And Prophet (s) said, *"You will be with whom you love,"* and this was in the time of the Prophet (s) when someone had walked into the association and said, "All these things that you are teaching are very difficult for me Ya Rasulullah, what can you give to me?"And to make that teaching of that hadith short, the Prophet (s) said that, "You will be whom you love." It means they take you to a (deeper) sense of love, the love of Sayyidina Muhammad (s), and the love of the Ahlul Bayt, the love of Sayyidina Mahdi (a). And that your whole life, everything that you are doing, or what you are eating or drinking, everything that you are budgeting for, and everything about our lives, is in that preparation, then *don't you think that Sayyidina Mahdi (a) will be dressing us from his light?*

He is the king of the Awliyaullah, if we are saying that the Awliya are generous and the Ahlul Bayt are generous, then here is the kingdom of Ahlul Bayt that is coming, and that Sayyidina Mahdi (a) is dressing us from that light because (of*) "Your love for me, and that you are preparing for me, and you are waiting for me, then, whatever Allah (SWT) is dressing me with, I am dressing you with it." *And those who live most closely to that preparation, we are not talking about { a kebob and sending it down a hole with a note, and the note comes back and talks to you} [ is a certain country people;e visit a whole and send down items and notes and await an answer} , *but live your life based on real faith of Sayyidina Mahdi (a)*. It is a whole package that whatever you eat or what you drink or what you do and your life in your home, is ready for Sayyidina Mahdi (a).

At every moment of my life, I ask, "Ya Rabbi is my faith correct for the arrival of Sayyidina Mahdi (a) tomorrow?" Is my family correct, are my children correct? If everything that I am doing is correct for the arrival of Sayyidina Mahdi (a), then that becomes an ocean of faith that opens and Sayyidina Mahdi (a) begins to dress us from whatever he is being dressed with, from Divinely Presence, "If you are waiting for me and loving me, then I am dressing you from what Allah (SWT) is dressing me with." And then *those people who are following with that love and with that ishq, they become Mahdiuun*.

*Muhammad al-Hadi*. They are the hadi, the guides, with the meem of  Muhammad and the hadi, it means they are the most noble of guides. Mahdiuun are the ones who are inheriting the light of guidance that Sayyidina Mahdi (a) is going to be sending on earth. But before the destruction of the earth and all the calamities (come) that no one can carry, Sayyidina Mahdi (a) has a tremendous gift for us; you can become from the *Muhammadan Hadi*Allah. These are the ones who are being *given hidayat and guidance* and they guide people to goodness. “Adabana Rabbee fi ahsanul tahdeeb”.

The Prophet (s) was given that by Allah (SWT) and that (hadith), "I was given the best of manners and adab from Allah (SWT)." And Sayyidina Mahdi's (a) gift to us is that, "If you love me and are waiting for me, then I am going to dress you from whatever Allah (SWT) is dressing me from.” And you become Mahdiuun and these big Awliyaullah are the Mahdiuun, they are the owners of the time Sahib az-Zaman. This zamana must always have a Sahib az-Zaman; there must always be an owner on this earth and these are the Awliyaullah, they are the martyrs of dunya. It means they have opened their hearts and they are witnessing in dunya (just)as you witnesses in Paradise. *They have died from all or most of their desires*.

The Prophet (s) describes about the dead, *"Don't think they are dead, no, they are very much alive in their grave. " These big shuhada*, these big martyrs their desires have dropped and their level of faith is like a
mountain [ Awtad} . And that everything they do is based on this faith and Allah (SWT) is granting them like mountains (of knowledge and understanding) and based on that (Iman) the light of Sayyidina Mahdi (a) is
dressing them and they are Mahdiuun. And Allah (SWT) is making them to be the owners of the time, owners of the zaman, owners of the reality. It means that everything about us is to become Mahdiuun. Everything about us (should be) to be dressed from the light of Sayyidina Mahdi (a) that, "Ya Rabbi let me live a life based on the faith that is required for my heart to be opened, and with the opening I want to be with those whom we love." If you are with the bad things and your heart opens, you will be with the bad things.

That is why they make you clarify, *"What is it that you want?"* "I want to be with Sayyidina Muhammad (s). I want to be with the Ahlul Bayt, I want to be with the companions, I want to be with the Awliyaullah, I want to be halal and ready for Sayyidina Mahdi (a)." And Mawlana Shaykh's duty is to teach and take us to that level of belief that, “You must believe with every cell of your body that he is coming.” And if he does not come
tomorrow, he will be coming the day after, or the following day, until the perfection of faith and you will become a *witness that he has come for you.

Allah (SWT) and the reality which is always a reminder for myself*, Allah (SWT) has no time , everything and every story from the Divine Presence has a timeless reality.* We are a "timed" creature, but at the level of Iman, the level of light, the level of reality there is no time. So then the level of faith grows that you are living beyond your physical understanding, *beyond the capacity to think, that this one and one makes two, but no, in Allah's (SWT) world one and one makes whatever Allah (SWT) wants it to be*. But the aql is blocking us.

The brain is saying, "This can't be," because it is very limited. Do you watch those movies on physics? How many dimensions are there? How many parallel universes are there? How do you know that you are seeing a wave or a particle.

This level of understanding is not something that this aql is understanding right now, maybe Allah expands it. They are taking us to *a level of timelessness*. And in *Allah's (SWT) level of light, there is no time*, so
we break through the physical barrier and you are now believing with your light. Your light has no more *(dimension) of time and you witness what you need to witness and you will be with whom you love.* And you don't need the world to collapse and you don't need everyone to die to get there.

But what they are trying to teach us is that, *"As long as you are holding on to this dunya, it is like a monkey holding on to nuts."* Holding on to this dunya has a very broad description; dunya can be people, places and
things. As long as you hold to that dunya, that soul does not come out, and the dunya is blocked and you see only with your eyes and that is it. If I don't see it with my eyes, I don't believe it. They say, "If you haven't
seen a million dollars, you say 'it doesn't exsist.'" Is it just because your eyes did not see it? It means they take you beyond the ability to understand. Your eyes don't have to see it, you are going to see it with your heart, and your ears have never heard it. You are going to hear with your soul, you are going to feel with your soul. You are going to taste and experience with your soul.

We pray that in this year and the opening of Muharam, is the beginning of our journey, and every twelve months we journey all the way to the month of Hajj, and moving towards the marifa of Allah (SWT). And stepping forward with the right foot, moving in Muharam asking, "Ya Rabbi, grant me to be Mahdiuun." Grant me to have the love of Sayyidina Mahdi (a) and live a life based on faith and that open my heart to witness those whom I love. Prophet(s) is teaching that, "You will be with those whom you love."(Our goal is
that) "I want to witness them, I want to be with them, I want them to see them, feel them and want to taste from that light, that ishq and that presence." Subhaana Rabbika Rabbil ama yasifoon wa salaamun mursaleen wal hamdu lillahi Rabbil Alameen.

Jealousy Blocks the Eye of the Heart

Jealousy Blocks the Eye of the Heart from Sufi Meditation Center on Vimeo.
Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi

Time of Mahdiuun

Time of the Mahdiuun from Sufi Meditation Center on Vimeo.
Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi