The Heart of Islām

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Our ṭarīqah, shukr to Allāh ﷻ, is the Naqshbandī Ṭarīqah. It is the heart of sharī’ah. It is the heart of Islām, shukr to Allāh ﷻ.

When you say ṭarīqah people misunderstand now. They think it’s something else. They are being cheated. But ṭarīqah is more connected to Islām. Connected meaning, as we said, it is the heart of Islām. When both ṭarīqah and sharī’ah are not together, a person, the Muslim, has deficiency then. Because Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla says,

“How can a Muslim approach Me? With worships, with nāfilah, with voluntary worships. The more he does of them the closer he gets to Me. Then I will be his hand with which he strikes, his foot with which he walks, and his sight with which he sees with my light.”

To reach that, one must discipline his ego. One must purify his ego. It is necessary to cleanse it from evil, bad habits, bad words. It is necessary to cleanse it from bad deeds. That is the essence of our ṭarīqah.

There are 41 ṭarīqahs. Each of them has a different method. They are all ḥaqq ṭarīqahs. Their masters are aqtāb (poles). They have reached the highest levels in the sight of Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla has given them all unique specialties. Because they are the source, that comes from our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam, and a means to guide people for them to be on the right way, their spiritual power is also very big.

Therefore, they are visited and benefitted from, not as some people deceived by Shayṭān mistakenly believe. They are not dead. The one who calls them dead is spiritually lifeless himself. True life is with them, because they are on the way of our Prophet ﷺ. They are the holy ones who show the way of our Prophet ﷺ.

So all of them — there are hundreds. The greatest are hundreds of mashāyikh; the mashāyikh of these ṭarīqahs. Each of their karāmāt are famous, their words are famous. Their way is the way going to our Prophet ﷺ.

Each person holds onto a way according to his inclination, and that is important. Every Muslim must follow a way. But there are also those who do not follow it. They manage according to their own state. But to go against them is not good. Because to be enemies to the friends of Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla, is to be enemies to Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla.

He ﷻ says in Ḥadīth Qudsi, “مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا فَقَدْ عادَيتُه”, “Man ‘Ādā Lī Waliyyan faqad ‘ādaytuh.” “Whoever shows enmity to my beloved servant, I am his enemy.” Who is an enemy to Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla will never prosper.

Therefore, shayṭān strives to make most Muslims go out of religion. If he cannot, he distances the people of the religion away from virtue. His aim is to turn believers against one another. Those who are outside ṭarīqah may show enmity, but the people of ṭarīqah respond with mercy. They make duʿā’ for others, asking that Allāh ﷻ have mercy on them and improve them. May they be improved. The people of ṭarīqah do not harm others.

People who have been deceived are poor people. Their way is not the way. No matter how far they have gone astray, if the sharī‘ah is the measure, most of them would be considered as having fallen in doubt in Islām and īmān.

But the blessed words of our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam remain, “Whoever says Lā ilāha illā Llāh Muḥammadun Rasūlu Llāh ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam, is a Muslim.” You cannot call such a person a mushrik or a kāfir. Even if someone says words that resemble kufr — and we seek protection from Allāh ﷻ — if he has said Lā ilāha illā Llāh, we do not call him a mushrik or a kāfir. Unfortunately, they say mushrik and kāfir to people on the slightest thing. They accuse them of kufr.

Therefore, in ṭarīqah everyone must certainly discipline their egos, as we said. It is necessary for people and especially Muslims to improve their conditions. A person in ṭarīqah must discipline himself more. He must pay attention to himself saying, “I’m in ṭarīqah. So that others won’t say, what kind of ṭarīqah is this?” Slowly, slowly. It doesn’t happen all at once.

As they say, it’s not a painter’s cube that you can immediately dip it in and take it out looking differently. It will happen slowly, in shā’a Llāh. As much as you can. We are going this way to train our egos. Allāh ﷻ gives according to our intention, in shā’a Llāh. That is also the beautiful side of it ṭarīqah: it is to see everything as good, to see everything as beautiful, in shā’a Llāh. Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

• Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbaniق

5 April 2025/ 7 Shawwal 1446

Lefke, Cyprus

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