Ask for Spiritual Strength

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Mawlānā Shaykh Nāẓim used to always say this – I’m not sure if it’s a ḥadīth or a saying of the elders, “اللَّهُمَّ قَوِّي في رضاكَ ضَعْفي”, “Allahumma Kawwi fi Ridāka Da’fī.” [Ḥadīth]. It means, O Allāh ﷻ strengthen my weakness in what pleases you.

Mankind is weak. People are weak; weak in everything, in every aspect. If you look among all the creatures, they are weak. But those who live for the pleasure of Allāh ﷻ, who are on the way of Allāh ﷻ, Allāh ﷻ has given them strength. Those who run after dunyā are otherwise. There are two types: either those who run after dunyā and do not gain anything, or those who gain nothing but sins.

Spiritual strength is important. Spiritual strength is in seeking the pleasure of Allāh ﷻ. Those who demand it, Allāh ﷻ will surely help them. He ﷻ gives them strength. True strength, as we said, is the spiritual strength. The apparent strength is useless. You may win or be defeated.

But if you have īmān, that’s not important. What’s important is to have īmān. If the winner doesn’t have īmān, that has no value. He may think he is strong as much as he wants, there’s something he can’t defeat. In the end, he will go to the other side and see who is strong and who is weak on the other side.

May Allāh ﷻ give us strength for His ﷻ pleasure, and give us spiritual strength, in shā’a Llāh. May we go on the way of the mashāyikh, may we go on the way of Allāh ﷻ, in shā’a Llāh. May Allāh ﷻ protect our īmān. And may He ﷻ give people īmān.

People have abandoned and forgotten the ākhirah. They are immersed in dunyā. They are going at a very high speed after dunyā. It’s not slowly. They think, “The faster we go, the better it will be for us. The more we satisfy our ego, the happier we will be.” Whereas they are weak.

The person who is defeated by his ego is weak. The victorious one [over his ego] is the strong one. Therefore, we ask Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla to give us strength enough to defeat our egos, in shā’a Llāh.

May Allāh ﷻ protect us. May Allāh ﷻ help us all, in shā’a Llāh. Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

• Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbaniق

22 June 2025/ 26 Dhu l-Hijjah 1446

Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul

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