Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm
Maulana Sheikh Nazimق’s Suhbah
For real faith, we are in need to know about Akhirah, the Hereafter. We must know, because as long as our hearts are occupied with this world, it is difficult for real faith to make room in our hearts.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Kulla yawmin la az-dad fibi ‘ilma yuqaribni il-Allahi ta’ala fa la burika li fi tulu’ shamsi dhalika al-yawm.” If a day comes in which I do not increase in Divine Knowledge that brings me nearer to Allah ﷻ, then that day is not blessed for me.
Yes, when the Prophet ﷺ says that each day must bring more Divine Knowledge than the day before, it is an important rule for everyone.
If we increase in the things of this life, that is nothing. Instead, we must increase each day in ma‘rifah, Divine Knowledge.
It is a part of Divine Knowledge, perhaps even an obligation, for every believer to know about the Hereafter. Just as a person who wants to go for pilgrimage asks about Jiddah, Makkah Mukarramah, and Madinah Munawwarah, because he intends to make Hajj and must know about those places. As much as he can know about Hijaz, he tries to learn.
Then what about us, who believe in eternal life and are coming closer to it with each passing day? Is it not necessary for us to ask about that life and about the Hereafter? It is part of Divine Knowledge to learn and to know, day by day increasing in knowledge.
What is the benefit of increasing in that knowledge? There are two great benefits in increasing our knowledge about the life in the Hereafter. The first is that our hearts, little by little, begin to connect with eternal life and its conditions.
We start to draw our hearts away from the enjoyments of this temporary world and move them toward the joys of eternity. That is important, because the Prophet ﷺ said that the most dangerous condition for a believer is to have in his heart the love of this life.
The love of this life is the root of every sin. “Hubb ad-dunya rasu kulli khatiyah.” Every evil begins with the love of this life. Through that love, devils gain power over our thoughts, putting their hands into our hearts and taking us toward evil.
Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ said that the most dangerous state for a believer is to have his heart attached to the pleasures and love of this life.
We have been ordered to take from this life only what is enough for ourselves, because if it is more and more, it becomes a burden on us, preventing us from moving toward Allah Almighty. It is like a person who ties heavy iron balls and chains to his feet, then he will move with great difficulty.
It begins with small weights, but as our property and our dunya increase, those weights grow heavier and heavier until a person becomes like an ant beside a huge iron ball. If it rolls upon him, it crushes him completely.
Therefore, the advice of all prophets (AS) is that you must take only what you need. Leave the rest for others so that you may be free to walk toward Allah Almighty, for He ﷻ is waiting for you.
The knowledge of the Hereafter is the most necessary knowledge. It frees the heart from the heaviness of dunya and opens it to Divine Love. You must love only your Lord ﷻ.
Do not place a partner with Him, for Allah Almighty never accepts a partner in His love. Dunya becomes a partner when it steals your heart away from Him. You must live only for the Love of your Lord, Allah Almighty!
When you increase in the love of the permanent life, the eternal life, Allah Almighty gives to your heart from His Divine Lights and darkness goes away. The more the love of this world enters your heart, the more darkness grows within it.
In darkness, bad thoughts, fears, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness grow, for darkness feeds them. But when darkness leaves the heart, light spreads everywhere, and no trouble or unhappiness can remain within it.
Lights, Divine Lights, bring satisfaction and peace. The more those Lights grow in your heart, the more peace, happiness and satisfaction will grow in your heart, and hope will grow each day.
This is the meaning of the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, when he asked to increase each day in Divine Knowledge about eternal life and about the Lord, Allah Almighty. Such knowledge brings light to the heart. With each day, more satisfaction, more peace, and more pleasure enter within.
The prophets (AS) and saints become more joyful each day. They find greater pleasure within themselves, knowing they are approaching the Divine Presence of their Lord ﷻ.
Each one of the Prophet’s Companions knew, and every wali, saint, also knows when he is going to leave this life. When they are about to die, they know it. Every person of real faith also knows the day of his death.
Sayyidina Bilalر, a Companion of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, knew that he was going to die the next day. Even days before, he was so happy. People around him were crying but he was very happy, very pleased, and joyful, saying, “Oh-h! Tomorrow I will meet my beloved Muhammad ﷺ and his beloved Companions.”
All saints look forward to the day they will meet their Lord ﷻ, their Prophet ﷺ, and his beloved Companions. One king-sized wali, Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumiق, ordered that the night he passed away should be like a wedding night for him, and he ordered that no one should cry or be sad.
Have you seen a wedding where the groom goes to his wedding night and the people around him cry? No, very happy on that night!
He said, “I am going to meet my beloved Lord, Allah Almighty, whom I love, for whose Divine Love my life has been lived. I am going to meet Him. Why are you sad? I am so happy and joyful, so why are you crying? I do not like this.”
Everyone whose heart is for his Lord ﷻ and filled with Divine Love no longer looks at this life or its enjoyments. They find no taste in anything from this world. They know the reality of this life, and they know the life of the Hereafter in Paradise. They know what it means to be in the Divine Presence.
If you say that there is beauty on earth, it is only that one drop which, if you put a needle in an ocean, the needle takes from that ocean, a little drop. All the beauty that exists here, it is only that drop, that little drop, from the endless Beauty Oceans of our Lord ﷻ.
They know about absolute Divine Oceans, about Mercy Oceans, about Beauty Oceans, about Power Oceans, about Wisdom Oceans, about endless Knowledge Oceans. They know them.
What thirsty person can be satisfied with one drop? They are asking to sink into those Oceans. And Allah Almighty is calling, “O people, come to Me! Give your love to Me, not to anyone else. Nothing is worthy of your love except Me. Give it to Me!”
Therefore, we are in need of more knowledge each day so that we may increase in the knowledge of eternal life. When the pleasures of this life fade away, Allah Almighty grants instead pleasures from among His Divine Pleasures.
Do not think that if you turn away from this world’s pleasures, He ﷻ will leave you without joy. No. He gives another kind of joy, real joy. This is an imitation life, it is not real life, and those who understand this, they are running after real life, real pleasure, real Beauty Oceans, to be there.
This is one benefit for the one who understands the real life and its pleasures. He begins to ask for more and to run after it.
The second benefit is that you will leave every form of badness and turn away from the ways and advice of devils. You will see them as dirty and you will say to yourself, “Do not touch them. Leave them alone!”
If you are asked to leave permitted, halal enjoyment little by little to reach Divine Enjoyment, then what about haram enjoyments, for which all devils are advertising? Yes, advertising! Now all devils are advertising for haram, calling to every forbidden thing, just as shaytan once advertised the Forbidden Tree to Adam (AS) in Paradise.
He said, “Oh, this is very good. You must eat. If you eat from this, you will never leave Paradise.” He was the first advertiser, shaytan, and he cheated Adam and Eve (AS)!
Now shaytan and his armies from mankind and jinn are all advertisers for haram, for forbidden things. How can you be in safety now in our time? It is so difficult.
The Prophet ﷺ said that there will come a time upon his nation, his ummah, when keeping faith will be more difficult than holding fire in one’s hand.
Every place you go is filled with advertisers for forbidden things. If you are not supported by Divine Knowledge that makes clear to you the reality of eternal life and its pleasures, it is too difficult to save yourself from these advertisers, from shaytan and his helpers. Therefore, you must be careful.
May Allah ﷻ grant us hearts that seek His Divine Knowledge each day, drawing nearer to His eternal light and beauty.
May He ﷻ free us from the love of dunya and fill us with the love that leads to His Divine Presence, the Beauty of what awaits.
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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