Be thankful you were created as humans

Summary of Maulana Shaykh Nazim’s Suhbah

14th December 2009, Monday

Be thankful you were created as humans

A’uzubillah himinsh shaitan nirrajeem

Bismillahir Rahman-nir Raheem

Assalamu’alaikum wrh wbkt

• Maulana says that Allah created Man in the BEST FORM, as stated in Surah Teen. A man shorter than 1.5m or taller than 2m appears odd, as would a human with four legs or a woman with wings. So Allah has created Man with the best form, the most perfect of proportions and in the highest of stations.

• Despite all this, Man is busy trying to outdo animals (the lowest of creation) in their achievements. Maulana cited the example of a weightlifter, who trains for years to win a Gold medal for being able to carry the greatest weight. A donkey, says Maulana, deserves the Gold medal even more, as it can carry twice that weight, and unlike Man, its knees do not tremble and buckle under that weight, and it is able to walk comfortably for miles with that weight (as compared to the weightlifter, who can hardly take one step while hoisting such a heavy weight).

• Allah has offered the responsibility (Amanah) to the whole of creation, but none was willing to accept it. Even mountains bowed and trembled and begged for forgiveness when they were offered the Trust, and it was only Man who accepted it. Maulana said that Allah had offered the Trust to one, who was able to fulfill that Trust.

• Hence Man has been created at the pinnacle of creation, he is the one who is with the BEST FORM and the HIGHEST STATIONS. Why is it that Man is always ungrateful and is ALWAYS COMPLAINING? We should be so grateful that we are created as Bani Adam, not as a donkey or an ant. HE could have created us as any other creature, but gave us this priceless and eternal gift of being a son/daughter of Adam. Say Alhamdulillah!

• Maulana asks if the so-called learned ulamaks know what this Trust was? He said that it was knowledge that had to be sought, for not all that attended lessons learnt anything from it. To teach arrogant and insincere people such secrets, would be akin to placing a necklace of precious stones around the neck of the donkey – the donkey doesn’t look any more honoured because of the necklace, and the necklace too doesn’t gain any more beauty or honour by being with the donkey.

• Maulana spoke about the great importance we attach to clothing/dressing of a person, to the point that we value a person based on how well he/she dresses. He told a story of how Sultan Timur, a great King who ruled from Central Asia to the border of Europe, was in a Turkish bath with Mullah Nasruddin, who was a Saint who preached by making funny comments, that got people thinking.

• Sultan Timur, clad only in his bath sarong, asked Mullah, “If I were a slave boy, and you were to bring me to the slave market, how much would you be able to fetch if you offered me for sale?” Mullah answered, “Ten dirhams.” (That was a meagre amount, and a dirham is a silver coin).

• The Sultan replied, “Oh Mullah, my sarong alone is already worth ten dirhams!” To which Mullah replied, “That is why I said that I could have you sold for ten dirhams, as they would be paying ten dirhams for your sarong, as YOU are actually worth nothing.”

• So the moral of this funny story, is that we value a person based on his clothing and that people spend much on clothing and jewellery, as they believe that their honour and status is achieved by that. Man doesn’t realise that honour and status are a result of knowledge, obedience and faith, not clothing.

• Maulana ended by reminding us all, not to delay the performance of the daily prayers from their appointed times ie to pray as soon as Azan is made for that prayer. He said, after one has performed the prayer, then go look for your sustenance (rizqi).

Fatihah.