Islam came to free you from slavery to dunia

Summary of Maulana Shaykh Nazim’s Daily Suhbah

18th�March 2010, Thursday

Islam came to free you from slavery to dunia

A’uzubillah himinsh shaitan nirrajeem

Bismillahir Rahman-nir Raheem

Assalamu’alaikum wrh wbkt

• Maulana prayed for all attendees who valued these humble gatherings (by making time to attend, attentively), to receive unexpected gifts from Allah, in the form of an increase in knowledge, understanding, honour and strength. Maulana also prayed, on this Holy Friday night, the first in this month of Rabi’ul Akhir, for an opening, that would raise the honour of Islam, and diminish that of those who opposed it.

• He then recited A’uzubillahi minasy syaitan nirrajeem, seeking protection against evils and devils, as we are in the Last Days and we are thundering relentlessly towards the Day of Judgement, so every known evil is rearing its ugly head, and shaitan is urging humans to be obedient to him and to pursue these (seemingly pleasureable) evils. Shaitan is seeking to push Mankind into dirtiness, and he is focussing his energies on trapping believers, especially the sincere ones. He whispers, instigating you to reject the truth, and to defy Allah and His Rasul (saw). Maulana prays for heavenly support and protection, to shield us all from shaitan’s poisoned arrows and his destructive whisperings.

And say: “O my Lord! I seek refuge with Thee from the evil suggestions of shaitan; And I seek refuge with Thee O my Lord! lest they should come near me.” (Quran 23:97-98)

• Recite Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, for it results in our prayers being granted. We must have faith in all that is brought by the Prophets, we must have faith in the unseen.

• Maulana says that though he is but a weak servant, he has been tasked to advise and to warn Mankind of the dangers they face, and of the momentous events that lie just ahead. Day by day, as we hurtle forward towards Judgement, Man is growing progressively burdened by difficulties and depression. Slowly but surely, spreading across the globe, is a sense of despondency and desperation, and life is filled with fear and meaninglessness. Man is intoxicated with this worldly life, and in seeking to make sense of all the confusion and chaos in his life, he drinks more and more from the wine of life, dirtying himself and drowning in the drunkeness of temporary pleasure.

• Maulana gives an example of a man running a retail outlet, who has run out of capital. Without capital, he is unable to continue the business, he has reached a dead end, and he doesn’t know how to continue. Man has spent all of himself in the pursuit of this worldly life, and despite all his valiant efforts, he still feels hollow inside and unfulfilled – he has reached a dead end. He doesn’t know what his purpose here is, he doesn’t understand where his destination is -he is simply wandering aimlessly in life, unable to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Man today travels across the globe in search of some happiness in life. He so desperately wants to be happy, to exist in contentment, to bask in satisfaction and to live in pleasure. But, day by day, the fire spreads – Maulana asks, how can anyone be happy, when he is engulfed in flames?

• This sad phenomenon picked up momentum after the second world war, with the advent of technological advances. As Man made great strides in scientific discoveries, more modern inventions were made available, and people’s lives seemed to get better. Ironically though, instead of becoming happier, people began to get more miserable. And as Man invented and created more gadgets and machines, in what has been termed the ‘Golden Age’ of Man’s advancement, people grew more helpless and hopeless. Today, when Man stands at the pinnacle of his existence in terms of his understanding of Science, Man has never been so broken and demoralised a creature. Why?

• Man is today, very dependent on technology. Man is convinced that his happiness comes through technology, without which, he cannot find any source of entertainment and enjoyment. But Man was sent as Khalifa on this earth to rule over the creatures here, to control all as Allah’s Representative. Yet, today, he is ruled by technology, he is under the yoke of technology, and shaitan exerts control on Man through technology, as everything on this planet is controlled by shaitan through technology. So Man, having becomes a slave of technology, is also a slave to dunia and shaitan.

• Let us compare our situation today, to that of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (saw). Do you think they were unaware of the technological advances that humans would develop, after their time? They were fully aware of it, as the Prophet (saw) had informed them of all that was to befall his Nation, up till the Day of Resurrection. But they did not yearn for any of these technological advances at all! Why?

• Maulana says that they had been taught by Rasulullah (saw), that if they wanted to seek spiritual happiness / fulfillment / satisfaction / pleasure / contentment / peace – that they would have to seek it from WITHIN themselves, not from something from this worldly life! Everything worldly that a person depends on, is a burden, a fair-weather friend, an illusion – it weighs you down and is a hindrance that hampers you from attaining true happiness. The Companions did not tie themselves to dunia to find spiritual happiness. Why?

• By building a bond with dunia, you cannot attain spiritual uplifting, because, to have a relationship with dunia – to forge an attachment to any part of it – is to become its slave! Islam came to free Mankind from slavery to dunia, not to teach Man to cling to it! Islam frees us from being a servant to anything, other than Allah. We, in this 21st century, are slaves to our dunia, to our passions, to our egos and to shaitan. The Companions on the other hand, made it their lives’ missions to be Allah’s servant and no other, in every step they sought servanthood to Him, they attached their hearts to Allah, not to dunia. It is that intention/attachment in their hearts, that brought them all the spiritual uplifting and happiness that they sought.

• At times, some of the Companions had nothing to eat, others had just one or two dates a day to survive on, yet they were always in spiritual ecstasy, despite having no material wealth or worldly status. Why? Because their Souls had no attachment to dunia, their Souls were always seeking His Pleasure. In doing so, their souls were bestowed with heavenly refreshments and so they were always happy, they experienced a constant and intense satisfaction, even though they were poor and hungry most of the time. Look at how we eat today! Sumptuous meals are a norm, we pick from a Menu, wolfing down tasty meals at every meal-time. We have tasted gastronomic delights that the Companions could only dream of. But can such worldly things be a real source of pleasure? If so, why are our stomachs always so full, yet we are always so miserable and empty, while the hungry Companions experienced such intense spiritual joy?

• Maulana says that each time the Companions met Rasulullah (saw), they gazed longingly at his holy face, and they couldn’t care less what meal was placed before them. To be sitting and looking at Rasulullah (saw) was such an incomparable pleasure, the Companions were mesmerized by the Divine Light emanating from his holy countenance, they opened their hearts wide to receive his light and his love. That was enough for them, their spiritual happiness was not from the food the Prophet (saw) served them, but from their being in his presence and looking at his holy face. Their souls experienced such boundless joy, because they had a bond with Rasulullah (saw). Compare that, with us working furiously to form a bond with dunia! The Companions had been taught all about dunia, and they discarded it, and never gave it a second look. Their ‘look’, was only for Rasulullah (saw), they could never get enough of him, and they kept asking for more and more. They said, ‘Hal Min Mazeed’? Is there more? Compare that, to us asking more and more of dunia!

• Shaitan brings us misery, affliction and destruction, The Prophets bring us spiritual uplifting, freedom from slavery, satisfaction and pleasure. The Companions knew this, they were taught to never say, “Enough!”�, but they were instructed to ask Allah for more and more of His spiritual bounties, without ceasing.

• In conclusion, Maulana says that none of us knows what tomorrow may bring. The only certainty that lies ahead for us is this – that the door of death, is the door to eternity. So seek the eternal life and eternal happiness, and don’t be amongst those who seek the temporary life with its short-lived enjoyments. Maulana prays for us to die amongst the pious and to be raised amongst the Saints, the Friends of Allah. But he warned us about two collaborating enemies who are determined to foil us. Within us, our egos will work to prevent us from achieving this spiritual honour. And from outside us, shaitan will strive to do the same. Together, ego and shaitan work hand-in-hand to trap and destroy us, to drag us from safety and happiness, into misery and Fire. Build your bond with Allah and His Rasul (saw), and your heart will find the peace that it seeks.

Fatihah.