#SohbahSeries: Striving to Be a Good One and Benefitting Others

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Maulana Sheikh Nazimق’s Suhbah

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By the name of Allah, All-Mighty, All-Merciful, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent.

What goal should man try to reach? That is an important question. What should be the purpose of a man during his lifetime, to be what?

And that is an important question. To find the answer, man must know his position in this universe. He must know about himself so that he may reflect and set the right aim for reaching his goal.

Before everything, therefore, we must learn about ourselves, about mankind. Our first meditation must be on that important point. If anyone asks who you are, you must know the answer.

It is not enough to reply with your name only. Do you recognize yourself? Not enough to say, “I am a British subject, living in London, working at the Zoo.” That is not an answer.

Who are you? You must answer about your position in the entire universe, in both the seen and unseen worlds. You must know who you are among creatures in this world and universe.

And when you have learned who you are and why you exist, then you can find the way to your goal. But if not knowing, it is difficult to reach to your goal.

As a simple answer to the question, “For what purpose are you striving, what do you want to be?”

You must say, “I am trying to be a good one.” 

This must be the purpose in life for everyone, to be a good one.

You may say everyone claims to be good. If that is true, then what about the situation of this world? What about sufferings, difficulties, crises, wars, and fighting? For what?

If everyone is claiming to be good ones, what about devils and all evil? Must be something wrong. Either we are not good ones, or this world is Paradise and we do not recognize it. No one agrees this world is Paradise.

Then the second possibility is that we are not good ones. No, mostly people are not good ones, even running, like rivers, with evil. We know that now.

Therefore, we must try to change our badness into goodness, individually and collectively. We must try to change ourselves. And there is a verse in the Holy Qur’an, Allah ﷻ has declared that change will not come until people change themselves.

If we know that we are in difficult conditions, we must understand that these conditions are arranged according to our characteristics. If we know that we are not in good conditions, there is a connection. It means that our characteristics are bad.

Allah ﷻ is saying, “If you are not happy with your conditions, change your characteristics from bad to good, and then I will change your conditions.”

We all ask for a good life, but if we are running to be bad ones, then difficulties will surround us. As members of the family of mankind, we must try to be good ones. We must learn the ways that lead people to goodness.

Throughout our lives we come to crossroads. One way leads to the good, the other to the bad. Each of us has been given enough mind to distinguish between them.

From the beginning of time until today, good ones and bad ones have been working, have been in action, and at every time there is only a handful of good ones but a big majority following bad ones. 

Today, every place is full of advertising for bad ones; everywhere you can find it. Everywhere they are working to make people follow devils and to support the kingdom of shaytan.

Especially in the big cities, it has become very difficult to find the good ones.

We must look at our actions, and before that, at our intentions. Sometimes I am asking young ones, “What do you want to be?” Mostly accountants, because man likes money; some engineers, some pilots, some this and some that. 

Everyone’s intention, in his profession, is to reach an enjoyable life, a high life-standard.  Never have I heard someone say, “I intend to be a good one for the community.”

How is the community going to rise? What is this? It never passes through people’s minds to aim for holiness. Instead, they seek worldly pleasure.

To spend each night in the most important dancing place, where the most important people gather, this is what they are imagining. Not to sit in simple pubs, which for them are the lowest standard. In their minds they are chasing that level, and they are ready to use every means to reach it.

This is the sickness of our century. How can you think that these difficult conditions of our time are going to be changed? Perhaps they will become even more complicated, more complex, more heavy. Everyone’s imagination is to be the first and everyone else his slave or servant. 

Psychologists and sociologists cannot cure it, because they do not know themselves. Even religious people now have no ability because the same illness is with them, also; they are also asking for a high life.

As the Prophet ﷺ warned us, there will come a time when religious activity is used as a means to material benefit.

Every person is like a cell in the body of mankind. If one cell is sick, the whole body suffers. And most cells are sick today. We are asking to give you something to think about.

Allah ﷻ sent His messengers as examples, we must look at them. Look at the life of the one closest to mankind, the Seal of Prophets ﷺ. He ﷺ is the best example for humanity.

All prophets lived to teach people how to be good ones. Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ lived his whole life giving benefit to others, always putting people first and himself last.

Wherever he ﷺ went with his sahabah, they were first and he came last. He ﷺ told them, “I always support you, I always look after you.”

If a person goes in front, he never knows what is behind him. He ﷺ was looking and walking behind them.

And on the Day of Resurrection, when all mankind, even the prophets, will be on their knees asking only for themselves, he ﷺ, the Honor of Mankind, the Honor of the Universes, of Creation, will be the only one in sajdah asking, “O my ummah! I am asking for my ummah!”

The Holy Prophet ﷺ will not enter Paradise until his entire ummah enters with him. He ﷺ will keep asking, “Is there anyone else?” and when the angels reply, “No one remains,” only then will he ﷺ enter.

He ﷺ said, “O people, you must do like me. Keep me as your best example in everything.”

You must try to reach people with benefit, so that you may be counted as a good one. The one who reaches people with goodness, that is a good one.

Each night, judge yourself. Did you reach even one person with goodness today? If you can say, “At least one,” it is all right.

If not, you must be ashamed and say, “I am not a good one.”

Now in markets you see boxes for blind people, for handicapped, for animals. Did you put even something in there?

It is a sign of mercy in the heart to give, even if it is two pennies.

At night you may say, “Yes, I gave something today.” If not, you must be ashamed!

We must try to be a good one in this life, not to have something written on a piece of marble in the graveyard, no.

The true honor is to be written in the Divine Presence as a good one, that is most important.

May Allah Almighty make us among those who follow the footsteps of His beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and live as a benefit to His servants.

May He ﷻ honor us in His Divine Presence as good ones in this world and the Hereafter.

Al-Fatiha.

• Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqaniق

More sohbahs from the Liberating the Soul Series can be found here.

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This series was initiated by the SufiHub Team in honour of the 2nd Urs 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 Liberating the Soul – A Guide for Spiritual Growth by Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqaniق. 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.

Should you have any queries or concerns, you are always welcome to reach us at thesufihubteam@gmail.com.

Wassalam.

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