First it is hardened, then it is locked

Summary of Maulana Shaykh Nazim’s Daily Suhbah

25th�March 2010, Thursday

First it is hardened, then it is locked

A’uzubillah himinsh shaitan nirrajeem

Bismillahir Rahman-nir Raheem

Assalamu’alaikum wrh wbkt

• Maulana said that Allah sends heavenly messages to His chosen servants, and these servants then dispense these teachings to attendees, each according to his own level of understanding. Maulana recited A’uzubillahi minasy syaitan nirrajeem, reminding us that in each sanctified gathering, shaitan hovers around to throw his filth into it. Man is a creature who is honoured because of his understanding, that is precisely why shaitan throws his dirtiness into such associations. This dirtiness is to tarnish the clear understanding that comes from such Suhbahs, and to make that understanding murky and cloudy. So many gatherings end with fighting between its members (due to shaitan stirring up trouble by contaminating the proceedings), whereas such learning sessions are supposed to rouse us to fight our egos, not each other. So maintain the bombardment of shaitan’s fortresses by constant recitation of A’uzubillah.

• He then recited Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, which is a Divine sword against enemies of faith, a Divine weapon in our battle against our egos, and a Divine Key to unlock all that is locked. It is an honour for Man to have been given this Key, so have it with you always. Anything that you want to unlock, the Key is Bismillah. Without it, all Divine treasures, remain locked.

• When the Prophet (saw) was preaching to the Bani Israel, the people of the Book, they said:

And they say, “Our hearts are wrapped (i.e. do not hear or understand Allah’s Word).” Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so little is that which they believe. (Quran 2:88)

• The Bani Israel told Rasulullah (saw) that their hearts were locked (wrapped), that they were unable to accept his preaching. They said, “Do not insist on us listening to you, our hearts cannot accept what you are saying.”� Maulana asks if anyone had the right to speak like that to the Prophet (saw)? How could they say to him, that their hearts were locked, for nothing can be locked, except by Allah’s permission.
• Maulana says that nothing can afflict us, except with Allah’s permission. He gave the example of the recent pig flu outbreak in Saudi Arabia, that left many in fear. Only by Allah’s permission can the virus infect you, and only by His permission can it take your life. Life and death is in Allah’s hands, not in the virus’ hand, the virus is powerless if not empowered by Allah! Maulana was surprised that the Saudi authorities responded by calling for vaccinations against the outbreak, and by limiting the number of visitors to the Holy Land. One should never stop people from visiting the House of the Lord, have they no faith and belief in Allah’s Power, that they tremble before a miniscule virus? Have they no understanding? If they sat for an examination that tested the true-ness of their faith, they would all fail, says Maulana! That is why we must spread true advice, as such advice destroys disbelief, stops the spread of evil acts, and incapacitates shaitan’s helpers.

• Maulana then posed deep, important questions for us all to ponder about: How do we unlock hearts that have been locked? Who locked their hearts? What had their hearts been locked by? Why had they not resisted the one who came to lock their hearts? Who held them back from resisting the one who came to lock their hearts? After all, there was a time, when their hearts were not locked, so something must have happened that caused them to become locked! So what is the key? Did they lock their own hearts, or did they listen to someone who told them to do so?

• Let us explore the different possiblities, says Maulana. Were their hearts locked before the time of Moses (as)? Did Moses (as) lock their hearts? Did Moses (as) ever command that the Bani Israel were not to follow any other Prophet, after him? No! Such a command is not found in the Torah, that Moses (as), or any Prophet or any Angel, came to lock their hearts against accepting the teaching of the Prophets that were to come.

• The Bani Israel rejected so many Prophets that came after Moses (as), despite this not being part of the teachings of the Torah, hence inviting Divine Wrath upon themselves. The Bani Isreal have been punished by Allah, in that they do not have a piece of land to call their home till today. Even the current land (that they term Israel) that they had wrested forcefully from the Arabs, is still in dispute and they do not live peacefully there, unlike many other countries in the world. Where are the massive dominant Kingdoms/Sultanates of Solomon (as) and David (as) that the Jews once had? These were magnificent kingdoms, the like of which, no other Nation has achieved since then, with Solomon (as) commanding even the Jinns and devils! Such an immense and dominant Kingdom on earth! Where are these extensive lands where the Jews had undisputed ownership? It is a Divine Punishment that the Jews are unable to unite and to have an undisputed territory to call their own since then. Despite the Torah being a Divine Mirror reflecting the shining guidance of the Lord till the end of times, the Bani Israel turned their backs on the Torah and ended up losing their glorious Sultanates, leaving them with locked hearts. So once again, Maulana asked, what caused their hearts to be locked?

• In the Holy Qur’an, Allah described the Bani Israel, as people who had hearts of stone:

Then, after that, your hearts were hardened and became as stones or even worse in hardness. (Quran 2:74)

• They questioned Moses (as) at Mount Tursina, demanding to see Allah before they trusted what Moses brought. They accused their Prophet of using black magic on them to delude them, so they wanted proof that Moses (as) was indeed bringing a Divine message. The blessings that had descended on Mount Tursina was unimaginable, says Maulana, even the mountain shook in awe at the revelations, yet the Bani Israel were unconvinced, they doubted and falsely accused their Guide, they fought him and disbelieved his message. In doing so, they fell away from Allah’s mercy, and shaitan was able to lock their hearts, right in the presence of Moses (as)! It is because they had strayed from the protection brought by their Guide (by opposing him), that their hearts could be locked, and shaitan hovered nearby to keep it locked therafter. Not only did they oppose Moses (as) and doubt him, they did that to subsequent Prophets, they even tried to kill Jesus (as).

• Jesus (as) was one of the greatest messengers, how is it that people claim that he came with a message to worship him, instead of his Lord? Today, Jews, Christians and Muslims fight, each upholding their own ideology, and shaitan sits in their midst, watching gleefully as tensions rise, animosity grows, hatred takes root and finally, blood spills between people of these three faiths. Humans do not realize how shaitan has done his worst for them, how he has pitted them against one another, how he has led them to their destruction. We no longer realize who we really are, we should not be fighting one another, we should be fighting our egos, for the Prophet (saw) said, “The biggest jihad, is to fight your own ego!”� Those who do not do so, shall certainly fall into Hell.

Fatihah.