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.
Today we are in the fifteenth century of Hijrah, which honors the last Prophet of the world and of the universe, Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ, the Seal of the Prophets.
He ﷺ came and carried out his trust. He gave us what he brought from his Lord ﷻ perfectly. Now we are far from his time, fifteen hundred years, and as he said, we are many now, more than one billion people of Islam, Muslims. “Wa lakinnakum ghutha.” “You will be many, but like the foam upon the sea, without weight, strength, or substance.”
We are Muslims, but in our time we have lost something essential in Islam. While I was praying, it came to my heart to say this. Since that has been lost, we have become like a piece of rubbish, useless. What is it? I am listening now to what is coming to my heart.
That most important thing is ikhlas, sincerity. If ikhlas is finished, everything is going to be rubbish.
Allah Almighty says, “Mukhlisina lahu ad-din”, meaning “to worship Him with sincere devotion.” He ﷻ commands us to make our religion pure for Him alone.
And He ﷻ says, “Ala lillahi ad-dinul khalis”, meaning “Behold, to Allah ﷻ belongs the pure and sincere religion.”
Allah Almighty asks for ikhlas, for sincerity.
As we have lost it, we are busy with painting the outside, making a good appearance, designing and decorating the outer part. But where is the place of ikhlas?
Here. Ikhlas, sincerity, is in our hearts. But we are not looking at hearts. We are looking at outward appearances. “Halaka al alimu illa al amilu. Halaka al amilu illa al mukhlisu.” The knowledgeable one perishes unless he acts, and the one who acts perishes unless he is sincere.
Now, as Muslims, we must learn what we have lost and how we can recover that lost treasure. We must return to caring for our hearts.
The Prophet ﷺ gave the greatest care to the hearts of his Companions. His Companions did not concern themselves with outward forms. Their entire concern was for their hearts. They were so careful to acquire ikhlas.
The source of ikhlas was the Prophet ﷺ, and they tried to take from that source as much as they could, drinking deeply from it.
That source is never going to be dry. As long as the ummah of Muhammad ﷺ exists, that source, like a spring, pours without stopping. You cannot find that spring in books or outside yourself; it flows only through hearts.
Even one is enough for billions, because the Prophet ﷺ was only one and he was enough for all his Companions. His ﷺ source is not decreasing. Allah Almighty gives him as much as his nation needs.
Therefore, in our time we are in the greatest need to look for that source, to find in whose heart it is flowing. We must ask. The whole ummah must ask. We must find it in the heart of even one person, and he will be enough to give everyone ikhlas.
Once a Companion asked the Prophet ﷺ, “What is ikhlas?”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Let me ask Jibril.” He asked Jibril (AS). Jibril (AS) said, “Let me ask Mika’il.” He asked Mika’il (AS). Mika’il (AS) said, “Let me ask Israfil.” He asked Israfil (AS). Israfil (AS) said, “Let me ask Allah Almighty.” This is mentioned by Imam ash-Sha‘raniق.
Allah Almighty said, “Ikhlas sirrun min asrari. Sincerity is a secret from among My secrets. I place it in the hearts of those whom I choose and who are worthy of that trust. Whoever asks for ikhlas and is sincere in his asking, I grant it to him from among My hidden treasures.”
We must ask, because without ikhlas we are rubbish, going directly to the dustbin. Allah Almighty asks only for ikhlas, and with ikhlas everything becomes right.
Without ikhlas, everything you send to your Lord ﷻ’s Divine Presence is like plastic fruit! Plastic bananas, plastic grapes, plastic oranges. Who benefits from plastic fruit? Even if I fill this whole place with all kinds of oranges and bananas, but plastic, and leave a person inside saying, “Eat and do not die,” will he live if he eats all that plastic fruit?
Therefore, you must know. If we have ikhlas, sincerity, we will not quarrel. We will respect one another. Every divine attribute that the Prophet ﷺ was given may live in our hearts by means of ikhlas.
There is a pond here. If there is no water, no fish live in it. Ikhlas is like an ocean. The Prophet ﷺ may give us every divine attribute that he was given, but he looks at our hearts to see if there is ikhlas there.
If there is no ikhlas, finished. He ﷺ will not give, because it will die and dry up. Every good characteristic, good attribute, good behavior, good manner, lives with ikhlas. Without ikhlas, nothing lives.
We have lost it, and we are in trouble. The peoples of the Muslim world are fighting one another. In Islam it is not right for two people to quarrel. A mukhlis (sincere) person does not quarrel and does not fight.
He says, “If you are arguing for this, O my brother, take it. You are more valuable than this.” In the sight of Allah Almighty, the value of the whole world is no more than one wing of a mosquito.
How much will you give me if I fill up this whole place with wings of mosquitoes? How much will you pay? Nothing! One wing. Each mosquito has four wings, yet the whole world is worth less than a single wing!
And you quarrel for this low world, while the Shari‘ah teaches that iman (faith) means to honor what Allah Almighty honors and to hold low what Allah Almighty holds low. Dunya is low in the sight of Allah ﷻ, but still you are fighting, you are quarrelling, for this unrespectable thing! Where is iman?
Iman dwells with ikhlas. Iblis prayed in the Seven Heavens, in each one, for forty thousand years, and each year was like forty thousand of our years. You may calculate how much that is. But all his worship was without ikhlas.
Without ikhlas it was rubbish, haba’an manthura. It means scattered dust. Put it in the dustbin. Who among the angels worshipped more than shaytan once did? No one. Yet all was lost and disappeared. No ikhlas. If he had ikhlas he would have kept it. No ikhlas, gone away, haba’an manthura!
Therefore, the most important thing for every Muslim is to look for ikhlas. Then everything will go in the right way, and heavenly doors will open for him.
When you leave this life and the angels take your soul toward Heaven, there comes an order. “See if My servant has ikhlas or not. If he has ikhlas, open for him to enter. If he has no ikhlas, let him fall,” and he falls down.
You must acquire ikhlas during this life. Ikhlas opens for you the doors of eternal Paradise forever. On the Day of Resurrection, you will be asked about ikhlas. It is qalbun salim, a pure and sound heart, full of ikhlas.
A little ikhlas is more beneficial for your worship and your prayers than the value of this whole dunya. Therefore, you must try to do everything with ikhlas, to do everything for the sake of Allah Almighty, for the love of Allah Almighty, not for anything else.
“For You only, O my Lord. You have granted me Your Divine Love, and I am Your obedient servant.” Nothing fills his eyes except his Lord ﷻ. That is ikhlas.
May Allah ﷻ fill our hearts with sincerity and make our actions pure for His sake alone.
May He ﷻ grant us ikhlas that opens the doors of His mercy and leads us to His Divine pleasure.
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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