2021/04 Apr-May | Ramadan 1442H Sohbah: Recent Episodes
SufiHub Naqshbandi
Audhu billahi min ash-shaitan ir-rajeem
🌹Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem🌹
Prophet Sayyidina Muhammad (s) said in a sahih hadith, “ad-deenu naseeha” – “Religion is advice.” Religion is not a lecture for a scholar to give and go. It is advice, and advice doesn’t come except through experience. Advice cannot be theoretical.
Sayyidina Shah Naqshaband said, “tariqatuna as-suhbah wal-khayru fil-jam`iyya” – “Our tariqat is association, it is keeping company, sohbah, association, and the best of the gathering is in coming together.” Or it can be said, “Our way is guidance, and the best is in association.” Without association, without advice, there is no way to benefit.
🌹 KINDLY NOTE: The recordings in this podcast are initiated and personally documented by student attendees of Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Adil Ar Rabbani, the 41st Leader of the Nasqhbandi Aliyyah Sufi Order, in Singapore.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
Our Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said:
إِنَّمَا اْلأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ
Every action is based on its intention. - Hadees Bukhari
Setting an intention at heart is like sowing a seed into soil.
The seed will only grow into what it was intended to become. A tomato plant will not bear sweet durians.
Many began Ramadan with planting seeds of noble intentions, to spend it in constant zikrullah, fasting, charity and searching every night for Lailatul Qadr.
Every favourable harvest had a good beginning.
However, to reap the right harvest of our deeds, we must be careful with our intentions from the start.
Has all the worshipping been a means of worldly gain?
Similarly for our journey in Tariqah, did we begin only to reach certain mystical powers or recognition?
If we are looking to harvest sweet, delicious King of Fruits, we must not have sowed vegetable seeds at the beginning.
Setting the right intention from the start sets the foundation for all situations.
Parents who want to raise filial, pious children with beautiful mannerisms must also have good intentions before marriage, when selecting their spouses.
A strong tree needs nutritious soil to take root in, hence a righteous spouse will nurture righteous children.
As Ramadan is about to leave, wise mureeds are doing their utmost, spending all the precious moments they have left, with Ramadan, swooning over Divine Love and worship. Parting with a loved one is painful.
Seeking Allah’s Pleasure is the best ‘seed of intention’ for anyone to plant.
Check and correct your intentions in these final few days of Ramadan.
Be busy uprooting the evasive, unwanted plants grown from bad seeds we sowed, by asking Allah (ﷻ) for His Endless Oceans of Mercy and Forgiveness.
Keep planting seeds of good intentions now, as we are still in Ramadan.
Seeking Allah’s (ﷻ) Pleasure is our fruition, our destination.
Beg Allah to allow us the strength and ease to perform all these good deeds in Ramadan everyday, for a lifetime, as though we never separated from Ramadan and are always in Allah’s Pleasure (ﷻ).
May Allah (ﷻ) grant us the wisdom to plant the right seeds and a heart yearning only for His Pleasure, nothing else.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
Life, is a journey.
At birth, the road seems uncertain for the newborn traveller. Where and how the baby is nurtured, grows and learns is a mystery.
Life’s only certainty however, is death. A homing arrow which never misses its target.
Beginning with La illaha illallah, every soul came into existence only with Allah’s (ﷻ)Will, brought to earthly life with His (ﷻ) Will, and must return to The Gatherer, as He (ﷻ) has so Lovingly Ordained, to be with Him (ﷻ), for eternity.
The journey of life for mankind is unlike any other creation.
With an ego that defies Allah’s (ﷻ) Lordship, is stubborn and arrogant, mankind has accepted to battle the greatest battle of all, Jihadul Nafs.
”Why did Allah Azza was Jalla send people to this world? This world is a testing place. People don’t understand this. They think when they come to this world, all their wishes will be fulfilled, everything will go as they like. With crying, complaining and by force, the want to turn this world into paradise. No, it doesn’t go according to your wishes. What Allah Wills, happens. Allah sends human beings into this world so they work for their akhirah, make their akhirah prosperous. If heaven was on earth, people would not be tested.” - Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Adil (ق).
How you live is how you will die.
A life ending with La illaha illallah is not merely for the tongue, but most importantly for the heart.
In this short lifetime, the heart must be groomed to lovingly accept every difficulty and surrender to the Will of Allah (ﷻ).
From the smallest of tests like stubbing one’s toes, to the bigger tests in marriage or career, the one striving for servanthood must reject all whispers of the ego to fuel anger and do as it pleases.
Instead, speak to your heart and train it to see all trials and tribulations as La illaha illallah, coming only from Divine Love.
Allah (ﷻ) sends tests to crush the egoistic self, turning the heart to be a source of goodness and service, only for Him (ﷻ).
Keep your eyes on your heart and keep your heart with your Shaykh.
May Allah (ﷻ) make our hearts submit only to His Will and, keep us always in the loving guidance of our shepherd, our Guide, and may He always bring our hearts back to the right way.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
All Thanks be to Allah (ﷻ) for the endless gifts He Bestows upon us.
Not everyone will wake up from sleep, return safely to the comfort of home from work or school, are able to eat, walk or have good health and wealth.
What we take for granted as ordinary in everyday life, are in fact priceless gifts of life.
Every breath is a precious gift.
Certain gifts, Allah (ﷻ) in His Wisdom, keeps hidden in worship, exclusively, for true believers to enjoy.
The chosen few who delight in the exquisite sweetness of worship, are truly blessed.
Acts of i’badah, like fasting and prayer, are in reality, invitations to physical and spiritual salvation, for this world and the hereafter.
Allah Almighty does not need our worshipping. Glorified be He (ﷻ).
His (ﷻ) invitation to prayer calls us to come and stand in His (ﷻ) Presence, to be honoured and dressed with all we need to reach to true happiness and safety.
Our Holy Prophet (ﷺ) says in a Hadith,
“The position of solat (prayer) with respect to all worshipping, is like the position of the head, in a human being.”
Leaving solat is likened to losing one’s head, hence losing precious life itself.
Make time for real life.
Build the day around prayer and build prayer upon cleanliness.
As advised and practiced by our Shuyukh, be ‘prayer-ready’ by being in wudhu (ablution) at all times and hasten to prayer, when the time arrives.
Allah (ﷻ) presents a banquet of all we would love - help, protection, relief, sustenance, wisdom, and more, at every time of prayer.
‘Help from Allah and a near victory.’
ﻭَﺃُﺧْﺮَﻯ ﺗُﺤِﺒُّﻮﻧَﻬَﺎ ﻧَﺼْﺮٌ ﻣِّﻦ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﻭَﻓَﺘْﺢٌ ﻗَﺮِﻳﺐٌ ﻭَﺑَﺸِّﺮِ ﺍﻟْﻤُﺆْﻣِﻨِﻴﻦَ
Wa u’khraa tuhibbuu nahaa, nasrun min Allahi, wa fat'hun qareebun wa bashiril mu’mineen
"And also (He will give you) another (blessing) which you love, Help from Allah, and a near victory. And give glad tidings to the believers"
(Quran Surah Saaf : Verse 13)
May we be more pleasing to Allah (ﷻ) with each passing day and may we be blessed to be beacons of the guiding Light of Muhammad (ﷻ), to the small circle of people around us.