A Night Determining a Year 

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Al-ḥamdu liLlāh we are here for the love of Allāh ﷻ, love of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam. Al-ḥamdu liLlāh thank you for the imām and for mā shā’a Llāh, the munshid. This nashīd of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam, and for Mawlānā Shaykh is coming from his heart. May Allāh ﷻ bless him.

Al-ḥamdu liLlāh, we are here for gathering once every year. We are here once every year. But, al-ḥamdu liLlāh, it is a blessing for us, all of us, to be gathering for the love of Allāh ﷻ, love of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam. Allāh ﷻ loves this and praises us. He ﷻ orders the angels: put your wings under their feet. And this is a big honor. In some places, Allāh ﷻ is happy that He ﷻ orders the angels to put their wings and you step on them, on the angel’s wings. It is a very high thing for human beings. Many people ask, “How can we be like the angels?” You can be higher than the angels. When you are following Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam, praising him ﷺ and asking shafā’ah from him ﷺ, Allāh ﷻ gives you this.

Al-ḥamdu liLlāh, today is also a very blessed day because we are in Shahr Shā’bān (the month of Shā’bān). And tomorrow night will be the 15th of Shā’bān Sharīf, the month of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam. For this, al-ḥamdu liLlāh, we are here. It is blessed, more blessed for us. Tomorrow night is blessed, and we must do prayers as much as we can. Because this night is mentioned in Qur’ān Aẓīmu sh-Shā’n, “فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ”, “Fīhā Yufraqu Kullu ‘Amrin Ĥakīm”, “On that night is made distinct every precise matter.” (Qur’an 44:04). In Surat ad-Dukhān. It is this night. Allāh Azza wa Jalla made it that for one year – from tomorrow night, Allāh ﷻ writes for each of us what will happen, who will die, who will be born, for rizq, for wedding, for marriage, for illness, for ḥidāyah, for outside of ḥidāyah: to be cheated with people who do not respect this night. Tomorrow night, Allāh Azza wa Jalla writes all of this for each one.

For this, from the beginning of the night – which begins after Maghrib. The Arabic, Islamic day begins from Maghrib to Maghrib. You know Maghrib; there’s no need to explain for you. For this, tomorrow, in shā’a Llāh, between Maghrib and Ishā’, you must read three times Sūrat Yāsīn; with intention for a long healthy life, for īmān and for rizq, in shā’a Llāh. For each one (Yasin) you mention the intention. Maybe some people will do it with jamā’ah. If there’s no jamā’ah or they don’t have jamā’ah, it can be done alone in your house also.

So, this is what the Mashāyikh tell us. Because in this night, Allāh Azza wa-Jalla, ‘يَمْحُو اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَيُثْبِتُ’, ‘Yamhū Allahu mā yashā’u wa yuthbit’, ‘Allah eliminates what He wills or confirms.’ (Qur’ān 13:39). Allāh ﷻ can change and can leave it as it is. For this, we are praying, making du’ā’ to be good for us: īmān, healthy life and rizq, in shā’a Llāh. Rizq ḥalāl, this is important also. The Muslim must ask for this from Allāh Azza wa Jalla. Allāh ﷻ has treasures; not afraid to finish. Here anybody, if he gives too much, even if he’s rich, he thinks he will go bankrupt. But from Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla, ask. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be ashamed to ask from Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla likes people to insist. But people don’t like somebody to come and insist, saying something a hundred times to you. In the end we say “Enough” for him. But Allāh Azza wa-Jalla loves you to insist. Ask, ask, ask. Don’t worry. Don’t be ashamed. Don’t shy from Allāh ﷻ. Ask what you want. Every time you can ask. But tomorrow is very important to ask for the next year to be in health and in life with īmān, Islām and rizq, in shā’a Llāh. This is important. Don’t think it is not good, not adab for you to ask from Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ is saying, ‘ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ’, ‘Id’ūnī ‘Astajib lakum’, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you.’ (Qur’ān 40:60). It is an order. “You must ask from Me ﷻ.” Anything – health also. Many people have an illness or they are afraid from illnesses. Nowadays, illness is everywhere. There are many kinds, countless kinds of illnesses that we haven’t heard of before. Now there are.

For this, tomorrow night between Maghrib and Ishā’, we must do this waẓīfah (duty). After that, in shā’a Llāh, tomorrow we also have dhikr and khatm, normally for Thursday night. And for this night also, there is a hundred raka’ah that we must pray. This is not obligatory but we mustn’t miss this opportunity to get more reward. It is, of course, not easy; but you can do it. Normally, you must read in each rak’ah: ten times Sūratu l-Ikhlāṣ. In a hundred raka’āt, it becomes a thousand Ikhlāṣ. But Mawlānā Shaykh, al-ḥamdu liLlāh, sees that we are not so patient and we cannot do this. He said, you can read in the first raka’āh two Ikhlāṣ, and the second raka’āh one Ikhlāṣ. So, you can finish three hundred Ikhlāṣ. Don’t be lazy. To put down your ego, your nafs, you must try to finish this.

And there is a thing you must know. One lady, she is from Awliyā’u Llāh, may Allāh ﷻ bless her. These English ladies are all the time asking about ladies, “Why no lady here? Why not making a lady awliyā’, not making Prophet?” There are ladies a hundred times higher. This lady is a million times higher than us. Her name is Rabi’a Al-Adawiyyā. Everybody knows her. This lady was praying every night a thousand raka’āt. Once a year, we are making a hundred raka’āt and we are finished. But you must know this. When you pray and get tired say, “Oh my ego, she is even a lady and she wasn’t eating. She was hungry all the time. She was like skin and bone, and she was doing a thousand raka’āh each night.” Us, we must be ashamed. We are, mā shā’a Llāh, we eat very much, all are overweight. So don’t be lazy. This is an occasion that you must benefit from. We say we cannot do the whole year but accept from us as we are doing this hundred raka’āt all year, in shā’a Llāh.

This is a good time for everyone. Al-ḥamdu liLlāh, today we are here, we visit maqāms. We visit our many murīds, very sincere people, very good people. People who were with us last year, but this year are under ground in mazār, in qabristān. So, in shā’a Llāh, may Allāh ﷻ bless them. May Allāh ﷻ give them rewards from what we are doing also. May Allāh ﷻ reward them, reward Mawlānā, reward all of our ancestors, in shā’a Llāh.

May Allāh ﷻ keep you in this way. Don’t listen to people who are refusing. You give them gold, they say, “No, this is not good. We don’t want gold. We only want stone. We only want iron. We only want glass.” They are not accepting precious things and are cheating people, “Don’t accept this. This is not true.” What is true then? When Allāh Azza wa Jalla is saying something, how can you say it is not true? When Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam is also saying something, how can you say it is not true?

Al-ḥamdu liLlāh, our way, since Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam, more than 1400 years, nearly 1450 years, is the same way; no difference. But others, many people like those who are claiming, come and go, nobody remembers their name, nobody remembers anything from them. If they remember some of them, only remembering to curse them; not to say anything good for them. But those in our way, all Muslims are praising them, praying for them, asking for barakah through them. This is, al-ḥamdu liLlāh, way of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam. Ṭarīqah, ṭarīq. Ṭarīq means way, way of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam. Every ṭarīqah is like this.

As we said the last time, there is no Awliyā’uLlāh, no blessed one outside of this way, way of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam. You cannot find anyone. If they said, “This Awliyā’ is from us”, don’t believe them. He is surely from the way of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam, way of ṭarīqah. This is true; other is not true. You must be connected to Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam. Without connection, you cannot get barakah, you cannot get anything.

For this, they are maybe going quickly and finishing quickly also. May Allāh ﷻ give hidāyah for them also. We are asking goodness for human beings, for Muslims, for non-Muslims; all of them. What is good for human beings, for Muslims or for non-Muslim: is to be with Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam to save themselves, to save their family, in shā’a Llāh, to save humanity. May Allāh ﷻ give them hidāyah. May Allāh ﷻ make people come to the way of Allāh ﷻ, way of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam. The whole benefit, the whole happiness, every good thing is in this way, way of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam.

There is one man, they said he was blind and paralyzed also. He couldn’t even walk; somebody must look after him. He was saying, “Al-ḥamdu liLlāh, Al-ḥamdu liLlāh, Al-ḥamdu liLlāh, Shukran li-Llāh, Shukran li-Llāh.” One of them was asking him, “For what are you saying al-ḥamdu liLlāh, shukr li-Llāh? You are in the worst situation. You cannot walk. You cannot work. You cannot do anything. You are blind, you are paralyzed. You cannot even walk. Why? Which ni’mah are you speaking about?” He said, “No, al-ḥamdu liLlāh, I am Muslim. Allāh ﷻ gave me this tongue to speak, to make thanks for Him ﷻ. It is the biggest ni’mah. Other, I don’t care for this”, he said. We must know what we have from precious things. Jewels, not even gold. Even more precious than gold: jewels. Not like these people, stone, iron and glass.

May Allāh ﷻ send us Sayyidinā Al-Mahdī, ‘alayhi s-salam. We must pray also tomorrow; every night, every day, we must pray for him to save humanity. Because humanity is now coming to an end. There is no humanity any more, only ego and shayṭān. May Allāh ﷻ keep us safe from them, in shā’a Llāh. Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

• Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 

12 February 2025/ 13 Sha’ban 1446

Shah Jahan Mosque – Woking, UK