Summary of Maulana Shaykh Nazim’s Daily Suhbah

26th March 2010, Friday

Seek refuge in the fortress of Madinah

A’uzubillah himinsh shaitan nirrajeem

Bismillahir Rahman-nir Raheem

Assalamu’alaikum wrh wbkt

• Maulana said that we are surrounded by many different people, each with a different understanding and ideology. In the midst of this confusion, we must identify which one brings us benefit, because it is easy to get lost in a sea of different ideas and principles. Maulana quoted an example of a Raja, the Prince of an Indian tribe, who brought five blind men to touch and describe an elephant. The one who touched the trunk said that the elephant was like a pipe, the one touching the ears said it was like a fan, the one touching the tail said that it resembled a brush, the one holding the leg, said that it was like a pillar, the one holding the body said it was like a wall. So everyone who is blind, can only give a vague and inaccurate description of anything. You cannot take spiritual instruction from one who is spiritually blind, so beware! A blind one teaches from his assumptions, and forms hardened ideas about something he is uncertain of.

• Maulana recited A’uzubillahi minasy syaitan nirrajeem, seeking protection from shaitan, who likes to instigate quarrels and pour fuel on burning flames. Shaitan suggests to Man, that if he were to constantly stir up trouble for his enemy, then that enemy would be so engrossed tackling these problems, that he would have no time to cause trouble for him. This ideology is firmly entrenched in our hearts today, Man is always finding ways to make things difficult for others. Man always views others with suspicion, he is always jumping to an evil conclusion about the intention of others, and since he feels that everyone else is plotting against him, he pre-empts this by striking first – to make a problem for the party he believes is plotting against him. A suspicious mind always believes that others are constantly conspiring against him, he interprets every action as someone devising a plot to wound him in the present and even in the future. Maulana says that he is bringing a Divine warning for Mankind, to cease such evil behaviour / thoughts / assumptions.

• But there are people who love to exist in harmony, to live in peace with others, but this is but a tiny fraction of humanity. These are blessed ones, safe from destructive traits, safe from an existence that is hurtful to others – they do not spew words that are caustic, or perform actions that are malicious, or have intentions that are spiteful. They do not exist to burden or pain others, they have overcome their loathsome animal-like traits, they have discarded their revolting beast-like characteristics.

• Unlike these blessed ones, the majority of humans are shaitan’s representatives, they have graduated from the Academy of Iblis, and they are always ‘kicking’ people (with words and actions), in order to hurt them.

• In any war, once one party knows that it is the weaker of the two forces in battle, it will retreat, and cease to attack the enemy. In Madinatul Munawwarah, there was a fortress, where the residents took shelter, in the event of a battle. When the enemy saw that the residents had taken fortified positions, they knew it was useless to attack further, and they would withdraw. We are in dire need of such a heavenly fortress too, one in which we can take shelter from trouble-makers – those who stir up disturbances within ourselves, our families, and our communities – as they are everywhere! It is only within such a fortress that we are safe from these vicious people. We must think about how to enter such a fortress!

• People nowadays are growing lazier and lazier, they are too lazy to even think. Being from a push-button generation, where everything is instant, wireless and remote-controlled, Man has submitted himself to enslavement by technology, and hence by shaitan. Whereas a student of long ago, would have had to travel in search of knowledge, today’s students would simply Google for it on the internet, and Maulana says that the internet is crawling with so many devils!

• This question, about how to enter the fortress of protection, is a vital question for any one, who views himself as a leader of his people. A leader who cannot guide his followers into the sacred fortress, will see them all, his entire flock, fall in battle – every one of his followers will perish in the onslaught of evil influences, evil whispers and evil instigation, that is brought by shaitan and his numerous representatives, the Jahannamiyyun. We must ask ourselves, how do we save ourselves from all this?

• Maulana revealed the door to the sacred fortress of safety – it is contained in a single Ayat of the Holy Qur’an. In this All-encompassing Book, a single sentence is enough to solve such a difficult problem:

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَكُونُواْ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ

O ye who believe! Fear Allah and be with those who are true (in word and deed). (Quran 9:119)

• Be with the Sadiqeen, the truthful ones. See how precise Allah’s advice is? The Sadiqeen are the doors to the fortresses of salvation, the heavenly fortresses. There is no other way to attain felicity in dunia and akherat – you must be with true, guided ones. So, Maulana asks, are you with Sadiqeeen now? Are you studying from and taking your illumination from the Sadiqeen, are you able to name a real Sadiqeen from whom you are taking guidance from? Think about that, it is an important advice, for all of Mankind.

Fatihah.