Safar ul-Khair by Hjh Rukiye Sultan

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Sohbah on 26th August 2023 by Hjh Rukiye Sultan

Bismillahi Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim
Tariqatuna as-sohba wal khayru fil jam’iyya
Madad Ya Sayyidi Ya Rasul Allah ﷺ, wa Mashayikhina Sheikh Nazim Adil Al-Haqqaniق, Sheikh Muhammad Ar-Rabbaniق

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatuLlahi wa barakatuhu

Welcome to all the ladies from Far East; Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Pakistan, India, Russia, Iran, South Africa, Mauritius, welcome to you. Mubarak the new Hijri year, and it is Safar ul-Khair, it is the month of a little bit more tests than the rest of the year. Subhanallah they say, Allah ﷻ is sending more tests in this month than in others.

The Prophet ﷺ used to call it Safar ul-Khair. It is khair, insha’Allah, meaning it is good for us and bad for unbelievers.

The Prophet ﷺ was asked about trials and said:

“أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ بَلَاءً الأَنْبِيَاءُ، ثُمَّ الأَمْثَلُ فَالأَمْثَلُ، يُبْتَلَى الرَّجُلُ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ دِينُهُ صُلْبًا، اشْتَدَّ بَلَاؤُهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ رِقَّةٌ، ابْتُلِيَ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ”

Translation
The most severely tested of people are the prophets, then those most like them, then those most like them. A person is tested according to the strength of his faith. If his faith is strong, his test will be severe. If his faith is weak, he will be tested in proportion to his faith.

SubḥānAllāh, all is from Allah ﷻ, Al-‘Azīz al-Jabbār. This dunya is not a place to relax and enjoy. It is a place of trials and tests.

Hazreti Ādam (AS) and Ḥawwa (AS) were created by Allah ﷻ not only for Jannah but ultimately to be Khalīfah on Earth. Allah ﷻ is Musabbib al-Asbāb (The One who Creates the means). He ﷻ willed the event that led to their descent. Shayṭān went into Paradise and incited Hazreti Ḥawwa (AS), because women often operate with strong emotion and deep feeling.

In the Qur’an al-Karīm, Allah ﷻ addressed Hazreti Ādam (AS) and Ḥawwa (AS), telling them to dwell in Paradise without hardship or need. Everything was easy and good. However, Shayṭān came to Hazreti Ḥawwa (AS) and whispered to her fears of aging and death. He lied, saying that Allah ﷻ forbade them from the tree only because eating from it would make them live forever.

This was not true. Allah ﷻ, Musabbib al-Asbāb, created the cause and allowed the event to occur. The true purpose was for Hazreti Ādam (AS) to be sent to Earth as Khalīfah. His final destination would still be Paradise, but Earth was his place of assignment.

Hazreti Ḥawwa (AS) ate from the tree and offered it to Hazreti Ādam (AS). He brought it to his mouth, but Hazreti Jibrīl (AS) intervened, holding his throat so that he could not swallow. It came out. However, simply bringing it to his mouth was a step in disobedience to the command of Allah ﷻ, so the stage of human trials began from that point.

Allah ﷻ then sent them to Earth for 300 years. Hazreti Ādam (AS) descended to Ceylon, at Adam’s Peak. He stood on one foot crying for forgiveness for 300 years.

After 300 years of crying and repentance, Hazreti Ādam (AS) was forgiven on the blessed Day of ʿĀshūrā’. Hazreti Jibrīl (AS) came to him and conveyed the glad tidings that Allah ﷻ had accepted his repentance.

Upon hearing this, Hazreti Ādam (AS) began to cry even more. He asked, “What have I done?”

Hazreti Jibrīl (AS) replied, “By not listening to the command of Allah ﷻ and going against His will, your children have inherited disobedience from you. However, they will also inherit the opposite quality, forgiveness, from Allah ﷻ.”

If anyone seeks forgiveness, says Astaghfirullāh, makes tawbah, and regrets what they have done, Allah ﷻ will forgive them. Truly, He ﷻ is Al-Ghafūr and Ar-Raḥīm.

Every prophet had different tests in their lives. Some are mentioned in the Qur’an and some are not mentioned. But the test is from Allah ﷻ to see how patient you are.

The Prophet ﷺ was the most beloved person to Allah ﷻ, yet he was the most tortured by his own people, the Quraysh. They opposed him and harmed him greatly. The Prophet ﷺ himself said that no prophet was harmed as much as he was by his people, yet he remained the most beloved to Allah ﷻ.

When we face a small test or something difficult happens, we start to cry and the first thing we do is leave the prayer. I just came from the dergah and there was a lady who complained that her husband was not good to her, so she could no longer pray. When we are upset, first we are upset with Allah ﷻ, and then the first thing we do is abandon prayer and everything that is good for us. Astaghfirullāh.

When we face tests and difficulties, we must come closer to Allah ﷻ, ask more, beg more, make more du‘ā, and pray that Allah ﷻ solves our difficulty whatever it may be.

Wa min al-qadri khairihi wa sharrihi, everything good and everything bad is from Allah ﷻ. We must believe in this. This is the hardest part of īmān. We, the people of the Ṭarīqah, must believe in this even more. We must not question too much, asking “Why did it happen like this? Why this and why that?” This is a matter of īmān.

We must put our mind to understanding, but not question the wisdom behind it. The Qur’an commands us: Sami‘nā wa aṭa‘nā, we hear and we obey. Not sami‘nā wa sa’alnā, we hear and ask why this or that. Allah ﷻ commanded, so it is finished.

We must grow īmān in our hearts. At this time Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh, our īmān is weak. Our only hope is that the Prophet ﷺ intercedes for us.

I wanted to speak about something else, but this came to my heart. May Allah ﷻ strengthen our īmān for all difficulties and for everything He gives us. May Allah ﷻ grant us good and not bad. May He make us ‘abidū iḥsān, servants through His benevolence, and not ‘abidū imtiḥān, servants through tests.

This is the prayer of the Prophet ﷺ that we become servants by Allah’s ﷻ kindness and not by His tests. We hope Allah ﷻ does not test us severely but only with small difficulties that we can carry.

Wa min Allahi at-taufiq.

Al-Fatiha.

• Hjh Rukiye Sultan

26 August 2023/ 09 Safar 1445 AH

To learn more about the month of Safar, please click here.

Google Drive to the full devotions can be found here.