#MSNSohbah: From the Prophet ﷺ to Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر

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.

In every age Allah Almighty sends a way for the hearts that are searching for Him. In our time that way comes to us through the heart of Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر, which carried the full trust of the Prophet ﷺ.

All the ways of real faith began with the Holy Prophet ﷺ. They were carried by his most trusted Companions, Abu Bakrر and Aliر, and from their hearts these lights flowed to the Saints of Allah. From the Saints they reached us. These are the blessed paths that we call Tariqats.

Shariah teaches us how to worship, but Tariqat teaches us how to come to our Lord ﷻ with adab. It teaches us how to walk with humility and how to keep the heart turned toward His Divine Presence.

There are two kinds of faith. One is real and one is imitation. Real faith gives a light to the heart, and by that light the servant sees the truth of things. Until that light comes, a person is only following with his mind, not yet with his heart.

The signs of real faith are three.
The first is to hear the tasbih of creation, for nothing in existence is silent before its Lord ﷻ.
The second is that Allah ﷻ opens the heart to wisdom and shows the reality, purpose, and position of every created thing.
The third is that the veils of Barzakh are lifted, and the servant may sit with Prophets and Saints without hindrance.

Until these signs appear, a person remains behind the veil. Tariqat trains the seekers step by step. It teaches patience in hardship, trust in difficulty, and gratitude in every state.

The Prophet ﷺ said that in the last days, keeping religion will be harder than holding burning coal. This is why patience becomes a crown on the head of believers. Allah ﷻ gives endless reward to those who carry trials for His sake, for this is the way of Prophets and Awliya. They carry the harm of people and they do not complain.

Many veils lie between us and our heavenly stations, and no one can lift these veils by himself. The Shaykh is placed in front of the seeker to be a lamp, a guide on our journey.

As each test is passed, a veil is lifted and the light of certainty grows. Only a guide who has reached the Divine Presence through the Prophet ﷺ can bring others. Only the one who has arrived knows the way.

To reach the Divine Presence, the seeker takes bayah and follows the instruction of his Shaykh. Through obedience he passes through his tests and gains the trust of his Shaykh. 

When he becomes trustworthy, the Shaykh opens spiritual experiences and gives the oceans of knowledge that belong to that level. With every new unveiling comes certainty, and the heart becomes firm in the Will of Allah Almighty.

All Tariqats lead to the Divine Presence. The Shaykh takes from his Shaykh, who takes from his Shaykh, in an unbroken chain reaching Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر. He is the first Shaykh of the Tariqat, the one in direct heart-to-heart communication with the Prophet ﷺ.

The Shaykh receives secret knowledge in that Presence. He is given perfect guidance for the needs of his time. We are now in darkness and we need lights. The light of Prophethood shows the way for all people. The light of Sainthood shows the way for each person individually and brings him to his destination.

Our destination is Jannah, but the road is hidden. We cannot see it without the permission of Allah ﷻ and His Prophet ﷺ. Reality is a precious thing, not given to many.

In this time, for a real connection with the Prophet ﷺ, the only way open is through the Naqshbandi Tariqat.

The Prophet ﷺ said that in the last times the only open gate would be the gate of Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر. This is the foundation of the Naqshbandi Way.

During the Hijrah, the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakrر took refuge in the cave of Thawr. In that moment, the heart of Abu Bakrر trembled for the future of Islam.

He said, “Our enemies are so many and we are only two.”

The Prophet ﷺ replied, “No, we are three, Allah ﷻ is with us.”

Then countless unseen voices filled the cave with the sound of “Allahu Allahu Allahu Haqq,” the Oath of Allegiance of the Naqshbandi Tariqat.

This was the beginning of the Naqshbandi Way.

Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر called the spirits of all those chosen on the Day of Promises to be the 7007 Imams of the Naqshbandi Tariqat into the cave. They, in turn, called the souls of all those who were chosen to be their mureeds on the Day of Promises.

All those souls were present in the cave. The voices belonged to them, the future followers of the Naqshbandi Way. Only those who were present in that moment were destined to follow this Way until the Day of Judgement.

The Naqshbandi Order began in the heart of the Prophet ﷺ, and its secret was poured into the heart of Abu Bakrر. He alone received the fullness of these teachings directly from the Prophet ﷺ. The Naqshbandi Way carries the deepest and most hidden realities of the Prophetic heart.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Everything that has been poured into my heart I have poured into the heart of Abu Bakr.” He was called as-Siddiq, the Completely Trustworthy One. 

The Station of Siddiq is the highest rank after the Station of Prophethood. Whoever follows the Naqshbandi training may hope to reach the Station of Siddiq, the Station of Absolute Truthfulness.

We thank Allah Almighty for guiding us toward such a path, a brightness like the most shining planet among the stars. We are still beginners, but we ask our Lord ﷻ to overlook our shortcomings and grant us His Divine Help to reach that distant goal.

From that day in the cave until today, the Naqshbandi Way has spread across the world like a sky. Its shade reaches all who are searching. For the seekers of this time, it is the most complete and shortest path.

Whenever a believer loses strength or finds difficulty overtaking him, he may connect his heart to his Shaykh. As soon as he remembers him, the connection is made. A power flows through the Chain and reaches the seeker, protecting and supporting him.

The power is not from the Shaykh himself. It comes from the Saints of the Chain and rises to the Divine Presence. The Shaykh is the last link, like a plug drawing electricity from its source.

The Naqsh is the impression on the heart, the stamp of Allah ﷻ. If we struggle to carry that stamp upon the body, how then upon the heart? Whoever seeks that imprint comes to the Naqshbandi Way, for it is the highest way given to humanity.

Once that mark is placed upon the heart, the servant is always with his Lord ﷻ. His ego falls away and he becomes a representative of his Lord among mankind.

The Prophet ﷺ trained his Companions through sohbah, and their hearts opened in his presence. The real power of this Way comes from association. Shah Naqshbandق said, “Our Way is sohbah, and all good comes from association.”

When believers sit together with sincerity, even for a short time, a light descends that is greater than years of voluntary worship. The Masters of this Way send their support to such a gathering, and one heart among them becomes a fountain for the rest.

Do not imagine that benefit depends on the physical presence of the Shaykh. His spiritual gaze reaches those who remember him, wherever they may be.

The Naqshbandi Way is the path that follows closest to the example of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his Companions. It guides the seeker along their footsteps and carries him with the light of the Siddiqs.

Tonight, on the blessed Urs of Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر, do send gifts of Surah Al-Fatiha and Yasin for his noble soul, and remember him with gratitude and love for the immense light he brought to this Ummah and to all who walk the Naqshbandi Way.

May Allah ﷻ grant us a share of the truthfulness, steadfastness, and purity that He placed in the heart of Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر. May He open our hearts to real faith, strengthen us in obedience, and keep our steps firm on this Way.

May He ﷻ keep us close to the Prophet ﷺ and unite us with the Masters of the Golden Chain in this life and the next. May He protect us through their blessings, guide us through their wisdom, and bind our hearts to them with loyalty and love. Ameen.

Al-Fatiha.

More on Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiqر 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 2000+ Sohbahs of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqaniق 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.

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Wassalam.

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