Summary of Maulana Shaykh Nazim’s daily Suhbahs

2nd April 2010, Friday

Be the pearl, not the shell

A’uzubillah himinash shaitan nirrajeem

Bismillah-hir Rahman-nir Raheem

Assalamu’alaikum wrh wbkt

• Mawlana gave salams to attendees, and he prayed that safety and blessings would descend on this small group of dedicated attendees. He then prayed for protection from Shayṭān, the source of all tragedies and disasters that has befallen Man since the beginning of time, right till the end.

• In this worldly life, it would have been easy for Allah to imprison Shayṭān, so that we would be in safety, but the Divine Wisdom in allowing Shayṭān to tempt Man, is that Allah wishes to show the value and honor of Mankind in the Divine presence. Each time Allah bestows any goodness on any of the Children of Adam from His infinite Oceans of Honor, Shayṭān explodes in anger and jealousy, it feels intense suffering, like fire burning its body. Mawlana asked, if it is possible for Shayṭān, who is made from fire, to suffer, if it were burnt in fire? Man is made from the earth, so it can indeed be burnt, but can a creature made of fire be burnt too? Will Shayṭān suffer when it is thrown into Jahannam? (Question was left unanswered)

• Mawlana said that each of the billions of believers is at a different Station of understanding and belief. Hence, the Paradise that each of the billions of humans will inherit, are all different from one another (according to one’s level of understanding and belief), no two are alike. Mawlana gave the example of how there are billions of homes on earth, but no two homes are identical in what they contain, and in what activities take place within them. This is a symbol of Allah’s Greatness, that He never creates two identical creations.

• We must study about Allah’s Attributes, we must study the Qur’an, for the Qur’an is not merely one Ocean, said Mawlana, it is an infinite array of Oceans, and even the Prophets have yet to reach the shores of these Oceans, so wide and deep are they! So we must appreciate the Holy Qur’an, and study it.

• We can learn without technology. We must not be dependent on technology, for technology is from Shayṭān’s dirtiness. He who honors technology, honors Shayṭān. It is true that technology can appear amazing – it is mind-boggling how this Suhbah is transmitted from East to West by technology, but what Allah has given his chosen servants, far exceed the powers of technology – in fact, technology would have no value or standing, when compared to what Allah has given the pious ones.

• Allah said in a Hadith Qudsī, “Oh My Servant, obey Me, and I shall dress you in Rabbaniyyat. And when you say BE, it shall BE!” (Rabbaniyyat means Divine Dressings of Honor)

اِنَّمَاۤ اَمۡرُهٗۤ اِذَاۤ اَرَادَ شَیْـًٔـا اَنۡ يَّقُوۡلَ لَهٗ كُنۡ فَيَكُوۡنُ

Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, “Be!” and it is! (Quran 36:82)

• Who are these chosen servants that have been bestowed such heavenly prowess? They are the servants who have attained the highest Station, they are those who do not seek carnal pleasures of the physical body, they seek only His pleasure. They are servants only to their Lord, they are not servants to anyone other than Him – they are not slaves to Shayṭān, to their egos, to their desires or to dunyā. One who has reached that level, Allah declares him as “Abdi (My servant)!”

• When you have reached that level, you are no longer in need of technology – whatever you say, will occur. Believers must be ashamed that they have yet to attain that level of servanthood.

• Scholars must be ashamed too, that they have not guided their flocks to such levels too. If Scholars are busy quarrelling and debating with other Scholars about what is haram, bida’ah, kufur and shirik, and which hadith are dhaif – how are they to achieve spiritual ascension? If they have sunk to beneath the seven layers of the earth (by useless deeds), how are they to rise and take their followers to the peak of the seven layers of the heavens? Time is of the essence, stop all this futile quarrels and petty finger pointing, Judgment Day is just around the corner, so we must all strive to upgrade our faith and to become servants of value.

• Mawlana gave the example of an oyster containing a pearl, in which only the pearl was kept protected and extracted, but the oyster shell was eventually thrown away. If we do not attain any value (if we do not attain true servanthood), we will also be thrown away, into Jahannam. Only the ones of value, the pearls, will be protected and preserved, in Paradise.

• Mawlana gave another example. A hen may lay many eggs, but not all will hatch. One who is guided, will be like the hatched egg – it will bear results. The unguided one, will be like the unhatched egg – it will not proceed to the next stage of its development.

• Why are we resisting Divine advice that is designed to turn us into pearls? Do you wish be a useless shell (an unguided one), or do you wish to be transformed into a valuable pearl (a guided one)? A pearl cannot be formed by itself, without a ‘seed’. Similarly, a person cannot attain guidance, without a Master.

• Allah sent to Mankind 124 000 Prophets (and today the Saints), to turn us into valuable pearls. If we open our hearts to be guided, Rasulullah (saw) will insert the ‘seed’ that grows into a pearl within our hearts. But, if, like the Children of Israel, we lock our hearts from our Prophet (saw), how is he to insert this ‘seed’ into our closed hearts? We will then remain without value, like the oyster shell that is discarded and forgotten.

Fatihah.