Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm
Maulana Sheikh Nazimق’s (MSN) Suhbah
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By the name of Allah, All-Mighty, All-Merciful, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent.
Grandshaykh Abdullah al-Faiz ad-Dagestaniق once spoke about Ka‘bul Ahbar, the most learned man among the Jews of Hijaz in the time of the Prophet ﷺ. Because of his vast learning, Ka‘b was awaiting the coming of the Last Prophet ﷺ, whose description he had found written in the ancient Scriptures.
His knowledge was vast, yet it carried him only to a certain point. Grandshaykhق said that Ka‘b had reached the Station of Jibril (AS), but not beyond.
According to Grandshaykhق, all knowledge is divided into two great realms. One realm extends from the earth to the Station of Jibril (AS). This knowledge may be reached by the efforts of the human mind.
It includes every skill, science and understanding that mankind can acquire through thought, study and intellect. It is the knowledge that the sons of Adam (AS) may gather by striving.
But above the Station of Jibril (AS) begins another realm entirely. Jibril (AS) is the angel of intelligence, and the mind can ascend no further than his station. Beyond that lie oceans upon oceans of strange, wondrous and heavenly knowledge that the mind cannot grasp or contain.
When the mind reaches the threshold of those oceans, it stands helpless and says, “I can go no further. My limit has been reached.”
Those who rely only on empirical knowledge, who insist that truth must be confined to what can be seen with two eyes and measured with five senses, struggle with chains around their ankles. They deny whatever cannot be taken apart, examined, or proven to their minds.
Whoever says that knowledge is only what the senses perceive is a fool, for knowledge has no walls. Every day, scientists take one more step, and each step reveals a wider horizon. If someone were to say, “This is the final horizon,” he would only reveal his ignorance.
When he reaches that limit, another horizon will open before him, and beyond that yet another. Knowledge is endless. The only boundaries are the ones we impose upon ourselves. When we surpass those limits, new oceans appear. When we think we can go no further, a new horizon rises once again.
A person may gather great learning through effort, yet as long as he remains tied to the boundaries of the mind, he cannot advance beyond them.
Ka‘b reached the Station of Jibril (AS), but not beyond. He knew of the Prophet ﷺ, but delayed accepting Islam until the time of Umarر. Because of that delay, he also delayed in reaching the knowledge that flows only through the heart of the Prophet ﷺ.
Grandshaykhق then spoke about Uthmanر, the third Caliph, who held an exalted rank among the Companions and was the most modest of them all. He served the Prophet ﷺ immensely and compiled the chapters of the Holy Qur’an into a single book.
Yet his spiritual rank did not reach that of Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر or Aliر, because at times his own desires stood between him and complete surrender, and in those moments he could not devote himself entirely to his Prophet ﷺ.
That slight remnant of desire opened the door to trials, for whatever a person withholds from surrender becomes the measure of the tests that come to him.
Man has not been created with the capacity to hold all knowledge in mind and body, yet he asks endlessly for more. This longing is a sign that within him lives something greater than the body and mind, a power that commands them.
Without that unseen power, the mind and body could not function for even a moment. That power urges man to seek knowledge without limit, yet the mind cannot contain it and says again and again, “I cannot carry more.”
But still, man is constantly asking, because above the mind stands the soul, and above the soul stands the Divine Will that created it. Through this we understand the secret of the Divine saying, that Allah ﷻ created mankind so that they may come to know Him.
Every knowledge that appears in this world is a sign pointing to its Creator. Yet still the soul asks, “Who is my Lord? What are His attributes?” The more the soul knows, the more it loves. The more it loves, the closer it draws, and the closer it draws, the more it tastes from a sweetness with no end.
If a spoon of sugar is placed into a glass of water, it will dissolve. A few more spoonfuls may dissolve, but beyond that the water cannot absorb it. The excess will settle at the bottom.
In the same way, our minds can take only a certain amount of knowledge. It reaches its capacity and stops. Boundless Divine Knowledge is as impossible for the mind to contain as all the sugar in the world is for that small glass.
But the soul has no limit. It is always asking, always yearning, always thirsting. Yet as long as the soul is imprisoned in a body governed by its senses, the mind rules it and keeps it dormant.
The soul becomes dormant when a person gives priority to the desires of the body over the desires of his Lord ﷻ. The mind then serves the body, and the soul becomes buried beneath that service.
If, however, a person resists the commands of the ego and follows the commands of the Prophet ﷺ, soul activity appears gently, little by little.
Among the companions, the soul of Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر was the most active, because he never placed his own desires before the Prophet ﷺ and never hesitated in obedience. His surrender was immediate, complete, and without resistance.
After him came Aliر who surrendered himself entirely and was raised to great spiritual power. These two are the perfect examples of those who lived in complete agreement with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
A believer must strive to fulfil as many of their Lord ﷻ’s wishes as possible, and it is a noble Sunnah to fulfil the wishes of the Prophet ﷺ. Whoever follows this path walks in the footsteps of the truthful and the purified, and is dressed with the light of sainthood.
The light of all souls is under the light of Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ. After him ﷺ come the lights of the Prophets (AS), and after them, the light of Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر.
Grandshaykhق said that the reality of his title, as-Siddiq, was that he believed the Prophet ﷺ before understanding, trusted before seeing, and surrendered before questioning.
May Allah ﷻ grant us a share of truthfulness and awaken our souls.
May He ﷻ raise us beyond the prison of the mind, into the oceans of knowledge and divine nearness.
Al-Fatiha.
• Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqaniق
More by Mawlana Shaykh Nazimق can be found here.
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This series was initiated by the SufiHub Team in honour of our beloved Sheikh, the late Sheikh Muhammad Abdul Sattar Khan, who lovingly dedicated himself to transcribing and summarising the daily sohbahs of Mawlana Sheikh Nazimق.
It was through this blessed service that he began his journey on this beautiful Way in 2008, remaining steadfast upon it until his final breath in 2023. Today, his legacy continues at our Zawiyah at A’Posh Bizhub Singapore through his representatives Sidi Shalihin, Ismail, and Syed Muhammad, who humbly carry forward the path he sincerely paved.
We pray that our dear Sheikh Abdul Sattar has been reunited with his beloved Mawlana Sheikh Nazimق and all our Grandshaykhs, and that their light continues to guide us always on the way of Haqq.
The text was originally taken from ‘2,000+ Sohbats of Maulana Sheikh Nazim’ by Sufimus Online. With love and sincere intention, parts of this sohbah have been gently revised by the SufiHub Team for clarity and contextual relevance.
If you wish to share it on your platforms, kindly post it in full and ensure that proper credit is given to all its sources. For this is adab, the very core of our beautiful religion and way.
Should you have any queries or concerns, you are always welcome to reach us at thesufihubteam@gmail.com.
Wassalam.
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