2021/05 May-Jun | Syawal 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
Stars are like brilliant jewels in the dark blanket of night.
Holy Ones whose hearts are illuminated with constant zikrullah, are like these guiding stars in the midst of the complete darkness on earth.
Darkness comes from the undead walking with perished hearts, neglectful of their Most Benevolent Sustainer (ﷻ).
Hearts come to life with the remembrance of Allah (ﷻ).
These enlightenend friends of Allah (ﷻ) are trained to cleanse darkened hearts and bring people to safety by dispensing a precious flow of advice from their fountain of Divine Knowledge.
“When I [Allah] Love him [a servant of Allah], I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks.
Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him; and were he to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge.’ ” - Hadees, Bukhari
Wise ones seek such sincere servants of Allah (ﷻ) and sit with them, taking their guidance actively, becoming students who accept advice when it is given.
The ego will not accept advice from anyone, yet, Allah (ﷻ) Loves the one who empties himself/herself from prior knowledge and humbly asks Him for guidance in every matter.
Allah (ﷻ) speaks to his servants behind a veil, hence, keep your ears and heart open to advice coming from anyone, be it even from a child.
When our Holy Prophet (ﷺ) was commanded, “Read!”, by Sayyidina Jibril (as), we find the most beautiful of response, “I don’t know.”
Although Rasulullah (ﷺ) is in reality The Source of all knowledge, he examplifies the perfection of humility in the presence of a guide, for anyone pursuing knowledge.
Empty yourself of your limited knowledge and dive into Oceans of Limitless Divine Knowledge.
Seek guidance sincerely, with an open heart, and have at your expense Limitless Divine Knowledge, if one so accepts that only Allah (ﷻ), His Beloved (ﷺ) and the true guides given authority, know better.
The route to safety is in the simplicity of complete obedience and acceptance to advice given.
Just follow. Have yakin you are being guided.
May Allah (ﷻ) grant us guidance to the path pleasing to Him, Guide us to His beloved sincere servants, with lighted hearts who love us, and keep us away from the misguidance and company of those with dead hearts.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
Allah Almighty said that all of mankind are equal except that they are ranked by the state of their hearts.
The heart is the main focus of our Murshid and it also becomes the main focus for us in Tariqah.
Saints gather hearts.
They know the ways to the heart of every mureed and keep our fragile hearts in this way by showering it with feelings of closeness, familiarity, acceptance, love and appreciation.
Sohbah, Companionship, is the Way of our Naqshbandi Shuyukh and advice can only be transmitted when hearts feel connected, at ease, with the heart of a Murshid.
Injured, broken hearts cannot take advice. It is repulsed and darkened with specks of hatred.
Therefore, we must be very careful with the hearts of others and not break them.
Look for praiseworthy characteristics in a person and keep away from degrading their value by recklessly reprimanding or correcting errors immediately.
A believer knows the value of a heart and will look after it by connecting hearts instead of correcting them.
Mawlana reminds mureeds to focus on their own hearts and not pounce on opportunities to correct others as they see fit.
Save your loved ones from hellfire by gathering their hearts with gentleness and unity.
Speak wisely, delay correcting others, be loving and walk 99 steps with someone in badness, so that, he or she, might take the 100th step with you, in love and righteousness.
Remember, all that matters is the ending. We will be raised with those we love on Judgement Day, determining the state of our eternal life.
May Allah grant us beautiful, purified hearts, Qalbun Saleem, and raise us with those beloved to Him.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
Mawlana Shaykh’s sohbahs are easily accessible and enough to remind, and help us in the more difficult times ahead.
Are we listening and willing to follow?
Our Naqshbandi Way is a great favour from Allah (ﷻ).
Since the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate, mankind witnessed many unfortunate events unfold. Today, our lives have changed drastically as a consequence to our own acts of heedlessness.
Performing a simple sunnah of smiling to others is now not even possible with the face mask on.
The sunnah of exchanging handshakes, salam, in public, praying shoulder to shoulder as a jemaah in a jam-packed Masjid, visiting Sacred Lands and maqams of Holy Ones have also been restricted from our practices.
Therefore, we must be foremost and hasten to perform as many sunnah and all other means of worshipping that remains.
The generations to come growing up in these strange conditions, will have nothing left of Islam except for the seed of ‘Laillaha illallah’, that were planted by their parents and caregivers in their hearts.
‘La illaha illallah- There is no God but God.’
The strength of every Muslim family unit is vital, especially so in these times of the second Jahilliya where soon the sanctity of our homes will become our children’s only example of Islam.
Rasulullah (ﷺ) said, “Baiti Jannati”, My Home, My Paradise. Turn your home into a paradise for your spouses and children.
Our Masyaikh (q) advices us to remain in unity, tolerance and love by always looking within to correct our inner faults and not look externally for the faults in others.
Only through united hearts will we be able to reach safety with Sahib ul- Zaman. Disunity, be it within the family or the jemaah will not bring any peace.
Plant into the hearts of your loved ones seeds of love for Sunnah, the Ummah and this Way, through sohbah.
Be an example of seeing Perfection in Allah’s (ﷻ) Plans, to live as Allah (ﷻ) Pleases and Chooses, having faith in any situation that Allah (ﷻ) Knows All.
May Allah (ﷻ) Grant us to be people of ‘Laillaha illallah’, forgive us, and Protect us from the fitnah of these dark times by holding on to the teachings of our Shuyukh.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
The pursuit of Safety and Happiness begins with purification.
Lailatul Jai’za, the Night of Rewards on Eidul Fitri, is a Holy Night where sincere servants of Allah (ﷻ) take from His Generosity, Forgiveness and celebrate their return to the state of purity.
These blessed ones are, like iron attracted to a magnet, attracted to draw closer to Allah (ﷻ) and His Beloved (ﷺ) in Holy Ramadan.
They planted seeds of good intentions and beg to remain spiritually with Ramadan, to be with Allah (ﷻ), seeking to progress in this Way.
Ramadan is the opening to spiritual cleansing.
Like the Holy Kaa’ba, attracting billions of people to it, Ramadan’s magnetic pull draws hearts closer to Allah (ﷻ) and His Beloved (ﷺ).
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (qas) said that a spiritual guide, a true inheritor of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) is in reality, the Spiritual Kaa’ba.
He, like a magnet, has the true ability to pull millions of hearts to connect to Allah, through Rabitah.
Hence, finding your Murshid is a beautiful gift of finding the only one who holds the key to your heart. There is no need to look for another.
This key, bestowed to him by Holy Prophet (ﷺ), allows him to enter, groom and prepare your heart, to reach its true purpose, a place devoted only for its One True Owner (ﷻ).
The attraction to connect the heart with a Guide unlocks the heart to be cleansed from what seems like mankind’s incorrigible nature of self aggrandizement, self-idolation, anger and all the other sewage of Ego’s bad characteristics.
Taking guidance from a Murshid is the only Way for Man to begin returning to purity.
The iron pumping heart needs to be in connection to its magnet in order to become a source of magnetic attraction itself, drawing others to the Guide’s magnetic hold.
The pull is irresistible, a natural attraction that is vital for the sincere seeker to begin the journey of reaching safety and ultimately, reaching to Servanthood. What a great honour and blessing, to be a servant of The Almighty (ﷻ)!
Wise ones who draw near to the Spiritual Kaa’ba in Tawaf, remaining in constant connection, following every sohbah, will slowly see their dirtiness disappear.
Then, they progress to reach a place of true happiness and no worry, inheriting the beautiful characteristics of their Guide, becoming beloved to Allah (ﷻ).
Seek to remain with Ramadan, with your key-holder, your Shaykh, and strive to become a real murid.
May Allah write for us a perfect Ramadan where we remain in constant connection and worshipping with Allah (ﷻ). May our hearts submit to a true Guide and be truly happy with Allah’s (ﷻ) Choices, wanting only His Will, leaving ours.