Summary of Maulana Shaykh Nazim’s Daily Suhbah

17th March 2010, Wednesday

Have Yaqeen, Over it are Nineteen

A’uzubillah himinsh shaitan nirrajeem

Bismillahir Rahman-nir Raheem

Assalamu’alaikum wrh wbkt

• Maulana said that the honour bestowed by Allah upon Angels is completely different from that bestowed upon Man. He then recited A’uzubillah, and asked for support in preaching against the false ideologies and false beliefs of those who had gone astray, so as to guide them back onto the Straight path. He then requested for Divine support, without which he would be unable to teach, and we would be unable to learn.

• Maulana urges us to take hold of the heavenly sword, which is Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, it contains Divine strength against shaitanic ideas and principles, its power is able to penetrate every organ in our bodies when we recite it, purging shaitan from every one of those organs. Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem contains secret powers and secret knowledge, in the hands of a one endued with Yaqeen, it can even raise the dead!

• Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem contains holy words, made up of 19 holy letters, 19 letters containing holy light.

عَلَيۡهَا تِسۡعَةَ عَشَر‏

Over it are Nineteen. (Quran 74:30)

• To illustate the amazing powers of Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, Maulana related a tale concerning Hassan Al-Basri, a renowned Scholar in Islam, who was one of the students of the Companions. These students of the Companions, are called Tabi’een, they are among the chosen lights of the Nations of Muhammad (saw), having had the honour of studying from the Companions of the Prophet (saw), whom the Prophet (saw) honoured by saying, Ashaabika Annujum Bi Ayyika Iqtadaytum Ihtadaytum, “My Companions are like the stars in the sky, whomseover you follow, you are on the right Way, he will lead you to Paradise!”

• Before starting on this story, Maulana asked those who ascribe to the Wahhabi/Salafi school of thought, if they understood the implications of claiming that they were followers of the Salafus Soliheen, the pious people of the past? This group consisted of the Companions, the Tabi’een (which includes Hassan Al-Basri, Sufyan Ath-Thauri and millions of other Saints), as well as the students of the Tabi’een, the Tab’it Tabi’een. This is such a large group of illustrious believers, the cream of the Muslim community! Yet the Wahhabi/Salafi ideology is totally unlike what is practised by these people. Maulana remarked that it is odd that their entire ideology is based on just three personalities – Ibnu Qayyim, Ibnu Taymiyyah, and Muhammad Abdul Wahhab, none of whom are in this group of illustrious Saints. Why aren’t they building their entire study of Islam, on what the Companions had taught? Do they feel the Companions are lacking in their understanding and knowledge? Any architect who intends to build a gigantic building, will certainly build it on a solid and unshakeable foundation. The Prophet (saw) built Islam on the foundation of the Companions, for he knew that the building of Islam must be a structure that is built on rock-solid foundations, as it had to last till Judgement Day. So when Rasulullah (saw) passed on, he left us a base foundation of 124 000 Companions, upon whom Islam’s structure stands today. Rasulullah (saw) fed them heavenly knowledge that was not of this earthly realm, which is why it is such an honour for the Tabi’een to have met and studied from them. Salafi ideology is built on 3 columns of support, Ahli Sunnah wal Jemaah’s, creed is built on 124 000 pillars of strength! Salafis must follow the majority (that is a hadees), and they must realize that they are taking a terrible responsibility upon themselves when they claim to lead Muslims to Paradise, preaching to the Nation to abandon the ways of the Companions and to follow them instead.

• Back to our story, Hassan Al-Basri was seated at a jetty, at a river crossing, awaiting the arrival of a raft to take him across the river. Along came Habeeb Al-Ajami, a non-Arab, who was not from the Tabi’een, he was a simple man, but endowed with faith beyond the ordinary. He spoke to Hassan, “Oh Shaykh, what are you doing here?” Hassan remarked that he was awaiting the raft to ferry him across, to which Habeeb showed surprise. “Why Oh Shaykh, aren’t you just reciting this?” and Habeeb recited Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, and his body began to glow with heavenly lights, and he walked on the surface of the river, across to the other side! Hassan wept bitterly when he saw this and he lamented, “We have not reached the level of Yaqeen, certainty. You, Oh Habeeb, have reached certainty, and because of that, you are able to walk on water!” We are only able to recite it on our tongues,we have not reached certainty in our hearts. The secret heavenly power in Bismillah is such that, when recited by one with Yaqeen in his heart, if he were to command the dead to rise, the dead man would arise!

• To further illustrate this point, Maulana explained it as follows. Look at the staggering array of advanced electronic equipment before us today, that allows this Suhbah to be recorded and transmitted across the world instantaneously. Maulana says that he has no idea how to work such equipment. Why? He has never learnt how to do so. So despite all this equipment having such immensely powerful capabilities, one who does not have knowledge to harness that power, will find such equipment useless. Similarly, one who has not learnt the secrets and powers of Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, would be unable to harness its incredible powers!

• So how would Maulana be able to start using these state-of-the-art equipment? He must learn! From whom? From his parents? From a fish-monger? From a farmer? One cannot learn to do open heart surgery in a grocery shop, and neither can one learn to build a building, at a clinic. We must seek a Master, an expert, in the field that we wish to advance in. Just as the Companions studied from a Master, we must seek out one, in order to learn the secrets of Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, the secrets of faith, and the secrets of Islam. Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem in the hands of a Saint, is so different a weapon/tool, when compared to Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem in our hands! Those authorized ones, who have been given the right to teach and propagate the teaching, those are the ones whom we must seek out. Hassan Al-Basri was not one of the authorized ones (despite his high standing), but Habeeb Al-Ajami was.

• So many of us think that Islam is a ritualistic religion, we only understand the physical aspects of worship – prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage – we have yet to even scratch the surface, of how deeply spiritual all these acts of worship are! There is a secret spiritual power in a every act of worship, we are all given miraculous spiritual powers, only that we have not learnt how to unlock them and to use them! And just as in the example above, when we do not know how to use something, it is of no use/benefit to us or others. Oh people, you must learn to know the secret powers of the heavenly instruments bestowed upon you, to use it for the benefit of Mankind. Just as the Companions sought and took this knowledge from the Prophet (saw), we too, must seek out a Master, and do the same, until we achieve Yaqeen, in our hearts.

Fatihah.