People Love Who Cheat Them

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

[…] One after one they are leaving dunyā and others are taking their place. Like this house, it’s maybe a hundred years old less or more. So, many generations, many people lived here and they left. They cannot take it with them. They were here. But what’s important is to leave a good deed, a good thing for people. They will either praise them or curse them. Many things happen here. Many people cursed [those ones after their passing.]

AlhamduliLlah Muslims have been always praised. Because they are not oppressing anyone. Oppression is forbidden for the Muslim. He mustn’t harm. “المؤمن لا يَظلم ولا يُظلم”, “Mu’min doesn’t harm or get harmed.” The Mu’min cannot oppress anybody. Even dead people, you cannot touch the body of a killed human being. Even in war, you cannot do anything to him; you cannot cut, throw or burn the corpse. It is forbidden. But for non-believers, they can do everything.

For this we are saying, the good ones, praised by people and by Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla are the Muslims alhamduliLlah. There are many maqāms here, many ziyārah places all around Ceylon, Sri Lanka. There are thousands of ‘Awliyā’s maqāms, most of them of course, are not known. But Allāh ﷻ made them known and apparent. He ﷻ showed them to people to come and take blessings from them. Because when Awliyā’u Llāh pass away, their spirituality becomes at least seven times more powerful from when he’s alive.

For this, AlhamduliLlah today also we intend to visit one near the fort. They said they don’t know whom he is, but by miracle he appeared for them. They made him a grave and people visit him. And his miracle is that he has sweet water, just a few meters from the sea. Sweet water cannot be found near the sea side; it is impossible. But by the miracle, Karāmāh of Awliyā’u Llāh, Allāh ﷻ made it there. Many people come and visit. This is for the sake of Allāh ﷻ, he is a beloved one for Allāh ﷻ, for this we are visiting and respecting.

Because Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla says in a ḥadīth qudsi, “I love my good people. And who becomes an enemy for my beloved ones, I declare war against him.” Now many people think some groups are Muslim and good. They are the ones who say, “These people are worshipping them. They are worshipping graves.” No, not worshiping the grave. We are worshiping Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. And Allāh ﷻ loves these people, we love them also.

Ask by their sake from Allāh ﷻ. Not ask from them. They also don’t want you to ask from them. They say, “Ask from Allāh ﷻ. Don’t ask from me, ask for Allāh ﷻ.” But when you make them to ask for you, it’s better. Because they are more acceptable in the Divine Presence of Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. Allāh ﷻ doesn’t refuse Awliyā’u Llāh. We are sinners, we don’t know how to make du’ā’, we ask them to ask Allāh ﷻ for every good thing we want; especially strong īmān and to be in the way of Allāh ﷻ and to be forever with Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. This is our aim.

The Muslims in Sri Lanka are sincere people, but unfortunately, this illness is coming like covid, we’ll say. Because cancer is terrible, but it doesn’t spread (not contagious). Cancer, of course, is a very dangerous illness, but it does not spread to others. Contagion is like covid or a cold or anything that spreads all around the people. Very few people can be saved. So, it spreads because people are cheated. The human being likes the one who cheats him and harms him.

This is what they say in a Turkish proverb: “The camel likes thorns.” What the camel eats, you cannot even touch. If you touch it, it will scratch your hands; it has thorns. The camel likes this very much. And the human being likes the one who cheats him. This is a Turkish saying. So it is true. When they find an honest person, they don’t believe him. When they find a cheater, they all come like sheep, running after him. Unfortunately, this here is due to the ignorance of the people. They don’t know the way of Allāh ﷻ.

Just because somebody is shouting, saying this and that, they run after him: “Oh, this is a big ‘ālim (scholar), he’s shouting so much.” Like last Jummah, the khatīb (who gives the sermon) was shouting so much that we had to close our ears. When someone shouts like that, it pierces right into your brain. We closed our ears so we wouldn’t hear anything.

So these people, unfortunately, are like this; they do not appreciate the value of those who are beloved to Allāh ﷻ. When you respect them, Allāh ﷻ is happy with you. Allāh ﷻ says, “I am happy with you; because you are good to the one I love, I am happy with you.” Because if you like somebody, you like everyone around him, his family and others; you respect them and love them. If you do not respect them, then you too will not be respected or loved by Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla.

Allāh ﷻ will be angry with you, not happy with you. This is what we are trying to do, and what all Prophets tried to teach people: you must love Allāh ﷻ and love what Allāh ﷻ loves. “الْحُبُّ فِي اللَّهِ وَالْبُغْضُ فِي اللَّهِ”, “Al-ḥubbu fi Llāh wa l-bughdu fi Llāh.” Meaning love for the sake of Allāh ﷻ, and hate for the sake of Allāh ﷻ. If someone does not love the ‎Prophet ﷺ and does not love Allāh ﷻ, we are not obligated to love him. Somebody might say this is against humanity. We don’t care about this; we care about Allāh ﷻ. If they don’t like, of course, we don’t love that. But if you say something hateful, we will not be happy with you because Allāh ﷻ is not happy with you.

May Allāh ﷻ keep us safe and keep you safe, in shā’a Llāh, from this illness and from these people. We are not saying anything against them, only asking Allāh ﷻ to give them Hidāyah (guidance). Because the mu’mins here are a minority, they must stay united and also be good with others. Ṭarīqah people are good to everybody: to believers, non-believers, Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, and Jews; no problem with any of them. They live together, because we are not obligated to force anybody.

You cannot force everybody to be Muslim; if they like to be, okay, welcome. If not, you cannot force them. This is not acceptable because you cannot act on your own accord. If you do anything like this, you will be questioned and punished in ākhirah by Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. May Allāh ﷻ keep us safe and keep you safe, in shā’a Llāh.

AlhamduliLlah, we are happy to be here again. Many of our people who were here last time are no longer here this time. May Allāh ﷻ bless them and make their maqām higher and higher, because they are beloved ones to Allāh ﷻ. They served Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla, they loved Mashāyikh, they loved Awliyā’u Llāh. For those who have this love, Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam says, “اَلْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ”, “Al-mar’u ma‘a man aḥabb”, “A man will be with whom he loves.” [Ḥadīth].

A person will be with the one he loves. Because Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam asked one of the ṣaḥābah who was crying, “Why are you crying?” He said, “O Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam, in Jannah you will be in the highest station, and we cannot be on the same level with you; we will not see you in Jannah.” Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam says, “اَلْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ”, “Al-mar’u ma‘a man aḥabb”, “A man will be with whom he loves.” This is Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam and he is the most truthful in speech.

So AlhamduliLlah, those who were with us last time and passed away will be with Mawlānā Shaykh and with the ‘Awliyā in Jannah, in shā’a Llāh. There is no doubt about this. AlhamduliLlah, this is also the beauty of īmān, the beauty of ṭarīqah and sharī’ah: it gives people good things, good guidance, and good news. It does not make them despair, saying, “Oh, all of us are going to Jahannam.” No, AlhamduliLlah, we are not going to Jahannam. Whoever wants to go to Jahannam can go; we don’t want to go to Jahannam.

AlhamduliLlah, Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla says in a Ḥadīth Qudsī: “أنا عند ظنِّ عبدي بي”, “I am as My servant thinks of Me.” So we think well of Him, as He ﷻ says He ﷻ is the Most Merciful, and He ﷻ says we will be in Jannah. This is our thought towards Allāh ﷻ; in shā’a Llāh, there is no doubt about this. May Allāh ﷻ bless you and keep us safe and together, in shā’a Llāh, and give Hidayah to others as well, in shā’a Llāh.

Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

•⁠ ⁠Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbaniق

5 November 2026/ 25 Jumada al-Awwal1448

Galle, Sri Lanka

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