نحمده و نصلى على رسوله الكريم،
قال الله تعالى فى القرآن المجيد،
أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
إنّ الله وملإٍٰکتہ یصلّون على النّبى يا أيها الذين آمنوا صلّوا عليه و سلِّموا تسليما
الّلهم صلى على سيدنا ومولانا محمد معدن الجود والکرم
الّلهم صلى على سيدنا ومولانا محمدو الہ ألف الف مرّة
الّلهم صلى على سيدنا ومولانا محمد وآله وأصحابه وبارك وسلم
أما بعد
أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٞ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ خَلِيفَةٗۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَتَجۡعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفۡسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسۡفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحۡنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَۖ قَالَ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
And (Remember) when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am going to create a deputy on the earth.’ They said, ‘Will You create there one who will spread disorder on the earth and cause bloodshed, while we proclaim Your purity, along with your praise, and sanctify Your Name.’ He said, ‘Certainly, I know that which you know not.’
(Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 30)
When Allah subhana wa ta’ala addressed the Angels, He stated that He is about to send upon the Earth His khalifah. The initial response of the angels has been related in this verse.
The response of the angels was one of surprise and bewilderment. They were not being disrespectful, nor were they envious that Allah had made Hadhrat Adam alayhi salaam His ‘khaleefah’.
Before the physical creation of Adam alayhi salaam, the angels were the highest ranked of Allah’s creatures. They are made from light and loved by Allah. They are free from spiritual diseases such as envy hence they were indeed unable to be disrespectful to Allah.
Angels have been created from pure Noor (light). And their activity is the remembrance of Allah. They are a creation whose existence is completely obedient and subservient to Allah. The dhikr of Allah is their sustenance and there are millions and millions of countless angels.
Allah made the angels from light, the jinn from fire and mankind from dust. So it was impossible for the angels to have any bad feelings such as envy towards mankind. They would never challenge the decisions of their Lord. Envy, which is the mother of sins cannot exist in angels. They are free from such spiritual impurities.
Take note that impurities stem from impure sources. Impure actions and thoughts will breed from impure environments. For example, there are two plots of land side by side, where one plot of land is clean and tidy and the other one is untidy and full of rubbish and waste. Insects and other creatures will gather in that impure plot of land. Whereas the neighbouring land will be pure, clean and tidy with no snakes, spiders or flies etc. An impure environment invites further impurities.
In the same way, spiritual diseases such as anger, malice, hatred, envy and gossip mongering are invited by an impure environment. Another example is of unwashed dishes and utensils with food in them, after some time the food will begin to decay or rot and will emit bad smells.
The human heart reacts to impurities in the same way at a spiritual level. The heart too can become dirty due to the impurities of sin. There is a famous Hadeeth in Muatta Imam Malik which states that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam informed us that sins blacken the heart due to their impurities.
And just as impurities emanate from impure places, an impure heart also attracts other impurities such as envy, pride, arrogance, disrespect and disobedience to Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Questioning and doubting what is right and being attracted to what is wrong are the kinds of things which emanate from an impure heart. This kind of behaviour is a sign of a heart affected by the impurity of sins.
Now, the angels were and are pure from all of this. Envy is an impurity which emanates from a dark heart. This impurity of the heart is a bad disease. Envy is a terrible sin. Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam stated that the envy, hatred and malice of a person devours all his good deeds.
There is a Hadeeth in Abu Dawud narrated by Abu Hurayrah radhiallah anahu who relates that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "إياكم والحسد، فإن الحسد يأكل الحسنات كما تأكل النار الحطب،
"Beware of envy because envy consumes (destroys) the virtues just as the fire consumes the firewood,"
This action of Hasad (envy) is very dangerous indeed. It is an emotion, so impure that it eats away the good deeds of a person.
An example of hasad is when a person looks at another person and is jealous of his possessions such as his house or car and may even spread bad rumours as to how he might have attained such wealth.
To look at people with an evil eye, not being able to bear that someone has nice clothes or looks handsome. Being jealous and envious for not having the worldly things that the other person has are all types of hasad.
People can have a variety of strange thoughts and envies. And envy for different people comes in different forms and over different things. And as mentioned before there was even that malice and envy towards the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam from tribes that thought that they were more deserving that the Prophet should have come from their tribe. And this jealousy continued through the ages, sometimes being directed towards the friends of Allah. Some people will even be jealous and hold envy in their hearts, wondering why they themselves are not waliullah.
My point is that envy has a variety of shapes, forms and appearances. It is this envy that destroys a person’s good deeds as fire burns away dry wood.
There is Hadeeth in Tabarani, it is stated those who keep envy in their hearts are not from us. So this is a sickness and a disease that can arise within us, and this is a warning to us. Envy can eat away at the Iman of a person.
When a person is envious, he can feel that emotion of envy. And it is often the case that the envy of a person is physically noticeable. That burning jealousy from the heart extends to show itself, when a person is talking and his expressions give away his hasad (envy).
My brothers we can recognise when we have this feeling of envy. It stems from an impure heart. The impure heart will affect everything we do, whether it be in your worship or in your deeds, a diseased heart will not affect you in a positive manner.
Only an impure heart will oppose or challenge Allah. So this indeed was not the reason why the angels asked that question. It was a question, not an objection.
Now in Tasawwuf, if a student objects to his Sheikh, in an instant, he will lose all the ranks and statuses that he had. For example, his Sheikh may have an opinion on a matter, and he refutes that and expresses that his own opinion is better, then that becomes pride.
Hadhrat Mujaddid Alf Thani rahmatullah alayhi, the source of the Naqshbandi Mujaddidi silsilah informed us in his writings the etiquettes of a mureed towards his Sheikh. He said the relationship of a mureed to his Sheikh is like that of a deceased person to the person who washes him for ghusl. It is an interesting analogy but it is how it is. The person washing the dead body will lift up the hand and wash it and the leg etc, and the dead body will have no objections to the person washing it.
In the same way the mureed should follow his Sheikh without any objection. He will exact the instructions of his Sheikh, no matter how big a personality that the mureed may be. He must humble to the level zero in front of his Sheikh.
When he does this he will attain fayz from his Sheikh. And this humility and obedience is required in order to attain any fayz (spiritual benefit).
This is a gathering of rectification, so we will often talk on topics related to Tasawwuf. Our aim is Tazkiyah (purification), and Alhamdulillah this was the way of our Mashaaikh. These are all things that are evident from Qur’an and Ahadeeth and are for the rectification of those who seek to purify themselves. And that is why we become mureeds to a Sheikh. Tasawwuf is the purification of the heart and the soul.
The Qur’an is a vast ocean of knowledge and covers a variety of subjects, but the people of Tasawwuf will read the Qur’an with the intention of self-rectification. And if you are fortunate enough to listen to the teachings of Qur’an and Ahadeeth from your Sheikh then it will truly be beneficial in your aim to purify your hearts and souls.
Alhamdulillah, as long as my health permits, we will continue to discuss the topics of the Qur’an in this way. And remember that all of these words and bayans are for our islaah (rectification) and are in no way any demonstration of knowledge, nor is it to try and show we are better than anyone else.
So the question of the angels was no objection, nor any challenge. They did not have any envy, malice, hatred and nor were they jealous of the creation of man.
These spiritual diseases come from impurities. If a person thinks he is better that his own Sheikh or feels that his own opinions are more valid and the Sheikh’s opinions are insignificant then he will not gain any blessing as his heart is still impure. Establish a connection with your Sheikh in the manner which was described by Hadhrat Mujaddid Alf Thani rahmatullah alayhi.
Now how many people actually have a relationship like this with their Sheikh? For example, a person has a business which involves some haram method for earning , and he makes bay’ah at the hand of a Sheikh, now would he leave that business at the instruction of his Sheikh? So many people will not do this, but masha’allah I have also seen mureeds who follow every instruction of their Sheikh. A millionare mureed who closed his business because it involved dealing in usury. Someone who was in love with the Dunya, did taubah and removed all haram from his life. Imagine the fayz that he attained when he closed that business that was based on haram.
The Deen will require some sacrifice and is not just talk. Without this there can be no success. We cannot go to a Sheikh and just ask for tawajjuh and seek some miracles. This is not the Deen. Deen is amal, and tasawwuf has principles to follow with the intention of attaining Allah’s nearness. The path to Allah is pure and clean, it cannot be littered with envy, dislike and objection for the teacher who is taking you along that path.
Remember that an impure heart produces more impurities. We do tasbeehs, do dhikr and fast in Ramadan but we do these things with impurity in our hearts. It is essential to clean and purify this heart of ours.
When we do things such as getting angry for the wrong reasons, become envious, hold grudges and have hatred for other people then we need to recognise that have impurity in our hearts.
What do we do when our clothes are dirty? We wash them. In the same way when our hearts become dirty we need to clean them. Since becoming mureeds of a Sheikh we should be more conscious of this ailment, work even harder and apply more effort to purify ourselves. We need to continuously assess our condition. Do we look at ourselves to see if we have any of these sicknesses within us? Or do we just presume we are fine, pure and clean?
We want Allah’s nearness, yet we do not consider ourselves in need of spiritual purity. We should cross-examine ourselves and address our shortcomings. Let us work and on the wazaaif and actions prescribed to us by our Sheikh.
Make it a habit to reflect on your daily actions at the end of the day, check yourself to see what you said in the day, if you were rude to anyone, or upset anyone, or thought ill of anyone, or backbited, or lied etc.
We need to work hard in eradicating all such sins in an effort to attain Allah’s nearness. We can do this by adhering to the instructions of our Sheikh. If we see we are failing then we can increase the amount of dhikr we do. Increase the amount of duas we make.
Alhamdulillah we can come out of these tangled lives, but we are not willing to make the effort. We cannot just presume that because we do a few acts of worship, it will be enough. It is essential to cleanse ourselves of spiritual diseases.
Now I want to return to the conversation of the angels. They had no objection to Allah creating a Khalifah upon the earth, nor were they envious in any way. So what was that question of the angels? And one could ask why they would mention how man would cause turmoil upon the earth etc.
The mufassireen have stated that their question was not through envy, jealousy or arrogance as the angels are pure from such things. There question to Allah was out of surprise and astonishment. And this surprise was because of what had happened before.
It has been stated that jinn populated the Earth before mankind, and the jinn like mankind are created with free will, and these jinn populated the earth and caused great mischief and turmoil throughout the world including shedding blood and killing one another. There actions filled the world with darkness. So after these events, the angels did not expect Allah to place again on Earth a creation that would be free to choose between good and evil.
There question was due to the element of surprise that a khaleefah of Allah would be placed on this planet where turmoil, bloodshed and corruption would surely follow. They did not understand the wisdom of Allah. And their question was posed with utmost respect. They had seen the jinn cause fitnah and turmoil across the world, and many jinn still continue to do that to this day.
The various creations of Allah have their own properties. For example, the angels who are created from Noor, have the quality that their sustenance is the dhikr of Allah. It is what they love and crave and they do it constantly. The Jinn are made from fire, and the Jinn who are bad (not the good Jinn) make it their mission to spread fasaad throughout the world. And they do this in many ways, by inciting humans against each other and also by indulging in the dark acts of magic etc.
So the angels were aware of the presence of these jinn on the earth, and feared that it would be a dangerous place for mankind and the khaleefah of Allah. The jinn would whisper to the nafs of men and cause turmoil. They were curious how man would survive on earth with this presence, so they asked Allah the question that they did. And Allah subhana wa ta’ala gave them a beautiful answer. Subhanallah.
قَالَ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
He said, ‘Certainly, I know that which you know not.’
Allah subhana wa ta’ala was not to populate the earth with mankind without giving them the tools for survival upon the straight path. And that guidance to the straight path will come in the form of none other the سِرَاجاً مُّنِيراً (Siraaj-um-Muneeraa). As mentioned in the Qur’an:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ إِنَّآ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ شَٰهِدٗا وَمُبَشِّرٗا وَنَذِيرٗا وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ بِإِذۡنِهِۦ وَسِرَاجٗا مُّنِيرٗا وَبَشِّرِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ فَضۡلٗا كَبِيرٗا
O Prophet! Indeed We have sent you as a witness, and as a bearer of good news and as a warner. And as one who invites (the people) to Allah with His permission, and as a light-giving lamp. And announce to the believers the good news that they will have from Allâh a Great Bounty.”
(Surah Al-Ahzaab, verses 45 to 47)
The angels were unaware of this blessed entity who would light up the world with his presence and be a source of guidance for mankind. He would be a powerful light, so powerful which in a world darkened by sin, his example, his ways will light up each patch of the earth that they would reach.
Allah would send His Messenger as a magnificent illuminating light to guide the people out of darkness. And this light will continue to shine through the ages with its fuel being the kalimah:
لآ اِلَهَ اِلّا اللّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُوُل اللّهِ
There is no deity (worthy of worship) except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
This light shines by means of the oneness of Allah. And Allah has spread that light throughout the world by means of the Qur’an. It is Allah who has given us this light. The rays of this blessed lamp are all those things that were brought to us by Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He is the Siraaj-um-Muneerah and the rays of light that come from that lamp are Allah’s Shariah and His Messenger’s Sunnah.
And those who welcome this light into their lives will insha’allah be saved from all kinds of fasaad (turmoil).
Allah said to the angels:
قَالَ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
He said, ‘Certainly, I know that which you know not.’
Indeed they did not know what Allah knew, and the angels did not understand the wisdom behind what He had ordained.
So when that light would come into the world, it would be from a light giving lamp and would spread across the lands. The fasaad that the angels referred to will not be for those who follow the ways and methods of the Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Yes there will be mischief and turmoil upon the earth but at the same time there will be those who embrace the light and will live their lives for Allah. Among them there will be Saadiqeen, Muttaqeen, Shuhadaa, Aabideen, Zahideen and auliya’Allah of great status. And this light will continue to guide mankind through the ages despite the presence of mischief upon the earth. There will continue to be pious people who refrain from sins with caution and will be humble before Allah.
And the mentioning by the angels that they do the tasbeehaat, hamd and dhikr of Allah in their question, suggests that they thought that man would be neglectful of Allah’s dhikr when upon the earth. However, Allah knew that there will be such human beings upon the earth that when they come into the light of this blessed guidance, they will become beloveds of Allah. They will stand each night in the worship of Allah and spend their days and nights in the dhikr of Allah. Such people that will not be proud of their worship, they will be so pure and humble, that after worshipping Allah all night, they will seek Allah’s forgiveness in the morning because they will feel whatever they have done is not worthy.
They may be hungry and thirsty for days on end, yet they will not complain and feel that their lives have been wasted and have not worshipped Allah in the manner that is deserving of His majesty. They will pray to Allah saying, “O Allah, we have done nothing good with our lives, and come before you empty-handed, only Your favour and mercy can save us. Please grant us Your favour, Your mercy and Your forgiveness.”
These are the qualities of those human beings who will come into the guidance of the Siraaj-um-Muneer. Those who obey Allah and adopt the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in their lives. And they will be protected by that light from the fasaad of the world.
And those jinn who roam the earth spreading darkness, are even present in the homes of people. Magic, sorcery and other evil acts emanate from such jinn, and there are people who form alliances with such jinn in order for worldly gain.
These jinn can affect the hearts of men by inciting them to do evil. Domestic arguments, fights, wars and so on. What is the reason that two people could be sat at home in peace and harmony, yet after a little conversation they could become angry and start fighting?
The light that Allah has sent as a form of protection for mankind is ignored. And when it is ignored, those jinn have a field day. Ignoring the light here means to oppose that guidance. To live a life that is in contrast to the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. By doing things that Allah has forbidden and neglecting those things that have been ordained.
Allah sent His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as the best example and told us to follow him. Remember, that if we do not embrace this light then we will only have ourselves to blame for the evil and darkness that comes into our lives. The Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam offers us total protection from the evil jinn.
The jinn normally inhabit the wilderness, the barren lands and keep distant from human settlements. However the bad jinn will invite themselves into the homes of people that will allow them. Homes where there is no existence of the Shariah and Sunnah.
Homes where haraam activities such as alcohol, music, singing, dancing and promiscuity are the norm are the prime targets for those types of jinn. Lying, fraud, immodesty, haram earnings and eating haraam food etc are all actions that invite those jinn.
These are the reasons why we have no harmony in our homes. We are too engrossed in the Dunya and do whatever we can to attain it. And this negligence of good and indulgence in evil makes us the companions to groups of such jinn.
Now for those who believe in Allah, Allah reminds them in the Qur’an that He blessed them with a great favour. In fact the words that Allah uses are ‘fadhl-un-kabeerah’, a massive blessing, a great favour. And that great blessing and favour that Allah has given to the believers is Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
Those homes where the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallah alayhi wa sallam is mocked and ridiculed are not free from those jinn. It is indeed that Sunnah that protects us. For example, when a person enters his home, there are shayaateen that also try to enter with you. These jinn are numerous, and look for such opportunities. And these jinn can be found in all countries of the world. Just as the human race has spread across the world and adopted various faiths and nationalities.
The influence of these jinn, the shayateen can be catastrophic for many people. They incite people to fight and hate and commit murder etc. And this can also result in illnesses and disease.
Now this could also be a punishment for neglecting the Sunnah. However when there is a disease there will be a cure, and the Prophet sallallahua alayhi wa sallam taught us duas to recite for all occasions in our daily lives.
There are duas for eating, drinking, putting on shoes, changing clothes, entering the home, leaving the home, going to the toilet and leaving it etc.
Now the toilets are full of such shayateen, toilets that we have in our own homes in this day and age. Some people will even have toilets en-suite in their bedrooms where they sleep. These toilets are the abode of such shayateen but have become a fashion because we lack an understanding of how such jinn behave.
This should not be the case. The problem is we do not listen to the Qur’an and Ahadeeth with the intention to implement what we learn into our lives. Remember that more impure a place, such as the toilet, the more likely it is to be a place for shayateen to gather. People have several toilets in their homes these days including in their bedrooms where they sleep. And Muslims are also copying this idea out of imitation.
Now as I was saying there are duas for daily actions, so we should at least begin to memorise these duas and apply them on a daily basis. And if you have not learnt all these duas, then we can at least recite ‘a’oodhu billah’ or ‘bismillah’ before certain actions.
What I would suggest is that we learn these important duas in Arabic first and then also learn what they mean in our own languages.
There are duas for all occasions, for changing clothes and even for when a husband and wife sleep together at night. These duas offer protection and ward off any evil. But we ignore these duas.
Now back to the conversation of the angels, the angels said they worship Allah and do His dhikr. Allah subhana wa ta’ala told the angels the He knows what they know not. He knew that mankind would receive protection in the form of His Habeeb sallallahu alayhi wa sallam by following his Sunnah and that is a fadhal of Allah.
And then Allah will send the angels each morning and evening to roam the earth in search of those men and women busy in worship. And to bear witness to their piety. Subhanallah. And the difference between the angels and these pious people is that the angels do tasbeeh out of the hukm (command) of Allah, whereas these people are doing it out of choice. And not only are they doing it out of choice, they are doing it while being surrounded in societies that are full of darkness and sin.
And then Allah will send congregations of angels to the earth just to see these people. When a gathering of dhikr takes place, so many angels surround that gathering and they fill the space between the earth and the skies.
Yes, men will cause turmoil on the earth, but there will also be such men of goodness. In fact the effect of Allah’s Nabi upon this earth is such that so many centuries have passed and still there are people on the earth that continue to follow his ways in detail. Subhanallah. Those who follow these ways become the aabideen, the shaakireen and the zaahideen.
Now another point to note is that the angels visit this earth and go to those places and houses where the people are engrossed in dhikr and worship. They do not seek out those homes where there are haram actions and customs. Angels distance themselves from such homes as they see no barakah in them.
Peace cannot exist in a home where the inhabitants are living in direct opposition to Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
It is stated in a Hadeeth, that the angels are allocated times to visit the earth. The night shift angels descend after Asr and that is a very valuable time. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that he loved to do the dhikr of Allah from the time of Asr till the setting of the Sun. It is a time when the angels from the day depart and the angels of the night descend to the earth. And when the morning comes they depart and are replaced by angels allocated the day time.
These angels report back to Allah what they see. They will say, “When we descended to the earth these people were busy in Your dhikr, and when we left them in the morning they were again busy in Your dhikr.”
Allah will then remind the angels that those people had a choice, they could have been in a haraam place, doing haram things, yet they were sat in their homes or in the masaajid doing the dhikr of Allah. These are people who rejected the evils of the world and sought to please Allah with dhikr and worship. And the reason why they did this is because they accepted the light that Allah sent to them. They adopted the ways and habits of Allah’s beloved Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. They followed him in his ways and his appearance. They recognised the difference between halaal and haram and embraced the guidance from Allah. And by doing this they protected themselves from the evil jinns. They live their lives according to the Sunnah whether they are standing, sitting, talking or eating.
So the angels listened to Allah and accepted His answer that He truly knows what they do not know.
When the angels see the pious men of Allah engrossed in dhikr, they will often fall unconscious in rapture.
I will like to conclude that if we wish to be successful in protecting ourselves from evil, then we really should learn the daily duas from the Sunnah. Whether it be the dua for transport or a dua for going to sleep we should learn them all. Otherwise we will be surrounded by such jinn.
If we look at this from a spiritual angle, I will mention a happening from the time of Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddith Dehlawi rahmatullah alayhi who was a great friend of Allah. When he would go from his house to the masjid he would cover his face. Once one of his mureeds asked him, “Hadhrat, what is the reason for your covering of the face? And why do you not look directly at people.” He replied, “Come to me at the time of Jumua and I will answer your question if you insist.” When Friday arrived, Hadhrat asked his mureed to come close to him, and sat him by his side, then the Sheikh took off his own Amaamah and placed it on the head of his mureed. As soon as his Sheikh’s Amaamah was upon his head he could no longer see the people and in fact they had become a variety of animals such as donkeys, dogs and swine. He was petrified and said, “Hadhart what is happening?” His Sheikh replied, “This is the reality of what I have been seeing and the reason I cover the people from my view.”
Now remember that we may all look like human beings but our true spiritual forms are dictated by our deeds. Haraam deeds such as lying, backbiting, consuming haraam, causing harm to others etc will change our spiritual appearance.
The Shariah of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam are the only things that will save us from such spiritual diseases. He who follows the Sunnah has brought light into his life.
Please do make an effort to learn all the daily duas that are evident from the Sunnah and this will provide us with continued protection. We can complain about turmoil in the home and family but it will only go away if we adopt the Sunnah in our homes. The evil jinn are very persistent in trying to cause mischief so protection from them is essential.
Let us remain in the light of the Siraaj-um-Muneerah by making the Sunnah our life. I pray that Allah ta’ala gives the taufeeq to do so. Ameen.
نحمده و نصلى على رسوله الكريم،
قال الله تعالى فى القرآن المجيد،
أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
إنّ الله وملإٍٰکتہ یصلّون على النّبى يا أيها الذين آمنوا صلّوا عليه و سلِّموا تسليما
الّلهم صلى على سيدنا ومولانا محمد معدن الجود والکرم
الّلهم صلى على سيدنا ومولانا محمدو الہ ألف الف مرّة
الّلهم صلى على سيدنا ومولانا محمد وآله وأصحابه وبارك وسلم
أما بعد
أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٞ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ خَلِيفَةٗۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَتَجۡعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفۡسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسۡفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحۡنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَۖ قَالَ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
And (Remember) when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am going to create a deputy on the earth.’ They said, ‘Will You create there one who will spread disorder on the earth and cause bloodshed, while we proclaim Your purity, along with your praise, and sanctify Your Name.’ He said, ‘Certainly, I know that which you know not.’
(Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 30)
When Allah subhana wa ta’ala addressed the Angels, He stated that He is about to send upon the Earth His khalifah. The initial response of the angels has been related in this verse.
The response of the angels was one of surprise and bewilderment. They were not being disrespectful, nor were they envious that Allah had made Hadhrat Adam alayhi salaam His ‘khaleefah’.
Before the physical creation of Adam alayhi salaam, the angels were the highest ranked of Allah’s creatures. They are made from light and loved by Allah. They are free from spiritual diseases such as envy hence they were indeed unable to be disrespectful to Allah.
Angels have been created from pure Noor (light). And their activity is the remembrance of Allah. They are a creation whose existence is completely obedient and subservient to Allah. The dhikr of Allah is their sustenance and there are millions and millions of countless angels.
Allah made the angels from light, the jinn from fire and mankind from dust. So it was impossible for the angels to have any bad feelings such as envy towards mankind. They would never challenge the decisions of their Lord. Envy, which is the mother of sins cannot exist in angels. They are free from such spiritual impurities.
Take note that impurities stem from impure sources. Impure actions and thoughts will breed from impure environments. For example, there are two plots of land side by side, where one plot of land is clean and tidy and the other one is untidy and full of rubbish and waste. Insects and other creatures will gather in that impure plot of land. Whereas the neighbouring land will be pure, clean and tidy with no snakes, spiders or flies etc. An impure environment invites further impurities.
In the same way, spiritual diseases such as anger, malice, hatred, envy and gossip mongering are invited by an impure environment. Another example is of unwashed dishes and utensils with food in them, after some time the food will begin to decay or rot and will emit bad smells.
The human heart reacts to impurities in the same way at a spiritual level. The heart too can become dirty due to the impurities of sin. There is a famous Hadeeth in Muatta Imam Malik which states that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam informed us that sins blacken the heart due to their impurities.
And just as impurities emanate from impure places, an impure heart also attracts other impurities such as envy, pride, arrogance, disrespect and disobedience to Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Questioning and doubting what is right and being attracted to what is wrong are the kinds of things which emanate from an impure heart. This kind of behaviour is a sign of a heart affected by the impurity of sins.
Now, the angels were and are pure from all of this. Envy is an impurity which emanates from a dark heart. This impurity of the heart is a bad disease. Envy is a terrible sin. Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam stated that the envy, hatred and malice of a person devours all his good deeds.
There is a Hadeeth in Abu Dawud narrated by Abu Hurayrah radhiallah anahu who relates that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "إياكم والحسد، فإن الحسد يأكل الحسنات كما تأكل النار الحطب،
"Beware of envy because envy consumes (destroys) the virtues just as the fire consumes the firewood,"
This action of Hasad (envy) is very dangerous indeed. It is an emotion, so impure that it eats away the good deeds of a person.
An example of hasad is when a person looks at another person and is jealous of his possessions such as his house or car and may even spread bad rumours as to how he might have attained such wealth.
To look at people with an evil eye, not being able to bear that someone has nice clothes or looks handsome. Being jealous and envious for not having the worldly things that the other person has are all types of hasad.
People can have a variety of strange thoughts and envies. And envy for different people comes in different forms and over different things. And as mentioned before there was even that malice and envy towards the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam from tribes that thought that they were more deserving that the Prophet should have come from their tribe. And this jealousy continued through the ages, sometimes being directed towards the friends of Allah. Some people will even be jealous and hold envy in their hearts, wondering why they themselves are not waliullah.
My point is that envy has a variety of shapes, forms and appearances. It is this envy that destroys a person’s good deeds as fire burns away dry wood.
There is Hadeeth in Tabarani, it is stated those who keep envy in their hearts are not from us. So this is a sickness and a disease that can arise within us, and this is a warning to us. Envy can eat away at the Iman of a person.
When a person is envious, he can feel that emotion of envy. And it is often the case that the envy of a person is physically noticeable. That burning jealousy from the heart extends to show itself, when a person is talking and his expressions give away his hasad (envy).
My brothers we can recognise when we have this feeling of envy. It stems from an impure heart. The impure heart will affect everything we do, whether it be in your worship or in your deeds, a diseased heart will not affect you in a positive manner.
Only an impure heart will oppose or challenge Allah. So this indeed was not the reason why the angels asked that question. It was a question, not an objection.
Now in Tasawwuf, if a student objects to his Sheikh, in an instant, he will lose all the ranks and statuses that he had. For example, his Sheikh may have an opinion on a matter, and he refutes that and expresses that his own opinion is better, then that becomes pride.
Hadhrat Mujaddid Alf Thani rahmatullah alayhi, the source of the Naqshbandi Mujaddidi silsilah informed us in his writings the etiquettes of a mureed towards his Sheikh. He said the relationship of a mureed to his Sheikh is like that of a deceased person to the person who washes him for ghusl. It is an interesting analogy but it is how it is. The person washing the dead body will lift up the hand and wash it and the leg etc, and the dead body will have no objections to the person washing it.
In the same way the mureed should follow his Sheikh without any objection. He will exact the instructions of his Sheikh, no matter how big a personality that the mureed may be. He must humble to the level zero in front of his Sheikh.
When he does this he will attain fayz from his Sheikh. And this humility and obedience is required in order to attain any fayz (spiritual benefit).
This is a gathering of rectification, so we will often talk on topics related to Tasawwuf. Our aim is Tazkiyah (purification), and Alhamdulillah this was the way of our Mashaaikh. These are all things that are evident from Qur’an and Ahadeeth and are for the rectification of those who seek to purify themselves. And that is why we become mureeds to a Sheikh. Tasawwuf is the purification of the heart and the soul.
The Qur’an is a vast ocean of knowledge and covers a variety of subjects, but the people of Tasawwuf will read the Qur’an with the intention of self-rectification. And if you are fortunate enough to listen to the teachings of Qur’an and Ahadeeth from your Sheikh then it will truly be beneficial in your aim to purify your hearts and souls.
Alhamdulillah, as long as my health permits, we will continue to discuss the topics of the Qur’an in this way. And remember that all of these words and bayans are for our islaah (rectification) and are in no way any demonstration of knowledge, nor is it to try and show we are better than anyone else.
So the question of the angels was no objection, nor any challenge. They did not have any envy, malice, hatred and nor were they jealous of the creation of man.
These spiritual diseases come from impurities. If a person thinks he is better that his own Sheikh or feels that his own opinions are more valid and the Sheikh’s opinions are insignificant then he will not gain any blessing as his heart is still impure. Establish a connection with your Sheikh in the manner which was described by Hadhrat Mujaddid Alf Thani rahmatullah alayhi.
Now how many people actually have a relationship like this with their Sheikh? For example, a person has a business which involves some haram method for earning , and he makes bay’ah at the hand of a Sheikh, now would he leave that business at the instruction of his Sheikh? So many people will not do this, but masha’allah I have also seen mureeds who follow every instruction of their Sheikh. A millionare mureed who closed his business because it involved dealing in usury. Someone who was in love with the Dunya, did taubah and removed all haram from his life. Imagine the fayz that he attained when he closed that business that was based on haram.
The Deen will require some sacrifice and is not just talk. Without this there can be no success. We cannot go to a Sheikh and just ask for tawajjuh and seek some miracles. This is not the Deen. Deen is amal, and tasawwuf has principles to follow with the intention of attaining Allah’s nearness. The path to Allah is pure and clean, it cannot be littered with envy, dislike and objection for the teacher who is taking you along that path.
Remember that an impure heart produces more impurities. We do tasbeehs, do dhikr and fast in Ramadan but we do these things with impurity in our hearts. It is essential to clean and purify this heart of ours.
When we do things such as getting angry for the wrong reasons, become envious, hold grudges and have hatred for other people then we need to recognise that have impurity in our hearts.
What do we do when our clothes are dirty? We wash them. In the same way when our hearts become dirty we need to clean them. Since becoming mureeds of a Sheikh we should be more conscious of this ailment, work even harder and apply more effort to purify ourselves. We need to continuously assess our condition. Do we look at ourselves to see if we have any of these sicknesses within us? Or do we just presume we are fine, pure and clean?
We want Allah’s nearness, yet we do not consider ourselves in need of spiritual purity. We should cross-examine ourselves and address our shortcomings. Let us work and on the wazaaif and actions prescribed to us by our Sheikh.
Make it a habit to reflect on your daily actions at the end of the day, check yourself to see what you said in the day, if you were rude to anyone, or upset anyone, or thought ill of anyone, or backbited, or lied etc.
We need to work hard in eradicating all such sins in an effort to attain Allah’s nearness. We can do this by adhering to the instructions of our Sheikh. If we see we are failing then we can increase the amount of dhikr we do. Increase the amount of duas we make.
Alhamdulillah we can come out of these tangled lives, but we are not willing to make the effort. We cannot just presume that because we do a few acts of worship, it will be enough. It is essential to cleanse ourselves of spiritual diseases.
Now I want to return to the conversation of the angels. They had no objection to Allah creating a Khalifah upon the earth, nor were they envious in any way. So what was that question of the angels? And one could ask why they would mention how man would cause turmoil upon the earth etc.
The mufassireen have stated that their question was not through envy, jealousy or arrogance as the angels are pure from such things. There question to Allah was out of surprise and astonishment. And this surprise was because of what had happened before.
It has been stated that jinn populated the Earth before mankind, and the jinn like mankind are created with free will, and these jinn populated the earth and caused great mischief and turmoil throughout the world including shedding blood and killing one another. There actions filled the world with darkness. So after these events, the angels did not expect Allah to place again on Earth a creation that would be free to choose between good and evil.
There question was due to the element of surprise that a khaleefah of Allah would be placed on this planet where turmoil, bloodshed and corruption would surely follow. They did not understand the wisdom of Allah. And their question was posed with utmost respect. They had seen the jinn cause fitnah and turmoil across the world, and many jinn still continue to do that to this day.
The various creations of Allah have their own properties. For example, the angels who are created from Noor, have the quality that their sustenance is the dhikr of Allah. It is what they love and crave and they do it constantly. The Jinn are made from fire, and the Jinn who are bad (not the good Jinn) make it their mission to spread fasaad throughout the world. And they do this in many ways, by inciting humans against each other and also by indulging in the dark acts of magic etc.
So the angels were aware of the presence of these jinn on the earth, and feared that it would be a dangerous place for mankind and the khaleefah of Allah. The jinn would whisper to the nafs of men and cause turmoil. They were curious how man would survive on earth with this presence, so they asked Allah the question that they did. And Allah subhana wa ta’ala gave them a beautiful answer. Subhanallah.
قَالَ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
He said, ‘Certainly, I know that which you know not.’
Allah subhana wa ta’ala was not to populate the earth with mankind without giving them the tools for survival upon the straight path. And that guidance to the straight path will come in the form of none other the سِرَاجاً مُّنِيراً (Siraaj-um-Muneeraa). As mentioned in the Qur’an:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ إِنَّآ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ شَٰهِدٗا وَمُبَشِّرٗا وَنَذِيرٗا وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ بِإِذۡنِهِۦ وَسِرَاجٗا مُّنِيرٗا وَبَشِّرِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ فَضۡلٗا كَبِيرٗا
O Prophet! Indeed We have sent you as a witness, and as a bearer of good news and as a warner. And as one who invites (the people) to Allah with His permission, and as a light-giving lamp. And announce to the believers the good news that they will have from Allâh a Great Bounty.”
(Surah Al-Ahzaab, verses 45 to 47)
The angels were unaware of this blessed entity who would light up the world with his presence and be a source of guidance for mankind. He would be a powerful light, so powerful which in a world darkened by sin, his example, his ways will light up each patch of the earth that they would reach.
Allah would send His Messenger as a magnificent illuminating light to guide the people out of darkness. And this light will continue to shine through the ages with its fuel being the kalimah:
لآ اِلَهَ اِلّا اللّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُوُل اللّهِ
There is no deity (worthy of worship) except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
This light shines by means of the oneness of Allah. And Allah has spread that light throughout the world by means of the Qur’an. It is Allah who has given us this light. The rays of this blessed lamp are all those things that were brought to us by Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He is the Siraaj-um-Muneerah and the rays of light that come from that lamp are Allah’s Shariah and His Messenger’s Sunnah.
And those who welcome this light into their lives will insha’allah be saved from all kinds of fasaad (turmoil).
Allah said to the angels:
قَالَ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
He said, ‘Certainly, I know that which you know not.’
Indeed they did not know what Allah knew, and the angels did not understand the wisdom behind what He had ordained.
So when that light would come into the world, it would be from a light giving lamp and would spread across the lands. The fasaad that the angels referred to will not be for those who follow the ways and methods of the Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Yes there will be mischief and turmoil upon the earth but at the same time there will be those who embrace the light and will live their lives for Allah. Among them there will be Saadiqeen, Muttaqeen, Shuhadaa, Aabideen, Zahideen and auliya’Allah of great status. And this light will continue to guide mankind through the ages despite the presence of mischief upon the earth. There will continue to be pious people who refrain from sins with caution and will be humble before Allah.
And the mentioning by the angels that they do the tasbeehaat, hamd and dhikr of Allah in their question, suggests that they thought that man would be neglectful of Allah’s dhikr when upon the earth. However, Allah knew that there will be such human beings upon the earth that when they come into the light of this blessed guidance, they will become beloveds of Allah. They will stand each night in the worship of Allah and spend their days and nights in the dhikr of Allah. Such people that will not be proud of their worship, they will be so pure and humble, that after worshipping Allah all night, they will seek Allah’s forgiveness in the morning because they will feel whatever they have done is not worthy.
They may be hungry and thirsty for days on end, yet they will not complain and feel that their lives have been wasted and have not worshipped Allah in the manner that is deserving of His majesty. They will pray to Allah saying, “O Allah, we have done nothing good with our lives, and come before you empty-handed, only Your favour and mercy can save us. Please grant us Your favour, Your mercy and Your forgiveness.”
These are the qualities of those human beings who will come into the guidance of the Siraaj-um-Muneer. Those who obey Allah and adopt the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in their lives. And they will be protected by that light from the fasaad of the world.
And those jinn who roam the earth spreading darkness, are even present in the homes of people. Magic, sorcery and other evil acts emanate from such jinn, and there are people who form alliances with such jinn in order for worldly gain.
These jinn can affect the hearts of men by inciting them to do evil. Domestic arguments, fights, wars and so on. What is the reason that two people could be sat at home in peace and harmony, yet after a little conversation they could become angry and start fighting?
The light that Allah has sent as a form of protection for mankind is ignored. And when it is ignored, those jinn have a field day. Ignoring the light here means to oppose that guidance. To live a life that is in contrast to the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. By doing things that Allah has forbidden and neglecting those things that have been ordained.
Allah sent His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as the best example and told us to follow him. Remember, that if we do not embrace this light then we will only have ourselves to blame for the evil and darkness that comes into our lives. The Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam offers us total protection from the evil jinn.
The jinn normally inhabit the wilderness, the barren lands and keep distant from human settlements. However the bad jinn will invite themselves into the homes of people that will allow them. Homes where there is no existence of the Shariah and Sunnah.
Homes where haraam activities such as alcohol, music, singing, dancing and promiscuity are the norm are the prime targets for those types of jinn. Lying, fraud, immodesty, haram earnings and eating haraam food etc are all actions that invite those jinn.
These are the reasons why we have no harmony in our homes. We are too engrossed in the Dunya and do whatever we can to attain it. And this negligence of good and indulgence in evil makes us the companions to groups of such jinn.
Now for those who believe in Allah, Allah reminds them in the Qur’an that He blessed them with a great favour. In fact the words that Allah uses are ‘fadhl-un-kabeerah’, a massive blessing, a great favour. And that great blessing and favour that Allah has given to the believers is Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
Those homes where the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallah alayhi wa sallam is mocked and ridiculed are not free from those jinn. It is indeed that Sunnah that protects us. For example, when a person enters his home, there are shayaateen that also try to enter with you. These jinn are numerous, and look for such opportunities. And these jinn can be found in all countries of the world. Just as the human race has spread across the world and adopted various faiths and nationalities.
The influence of these jinn, the shayateen can be catastrophic for many people. They incite people to fight and hate and commit murder etc. And this can also result in illnesses and disease.
Now this could also be a punishment for neglecting the Sunnah. However when there is a disease there will be a cure, and the Prophet sallallahua alayhi wa sallam taught us duas to recite for all occasions in our daily lives.
There are duas for eating, drinking, putting on shoes, changing clothes, entering the home, leaving the home, going to the toilet and leaving it etc.
Now the toilets are full of such shayateen, toilets that we have in our own homes in this day and age. Some people will even have toilets en-suite in their bedrooms where they sleep. These toilets are the abode of such shayateen but have become a fashion because we lack an understanding of how such jinn behave.
This should not be the case. The problem is we do not listen to the Qur’an and Ahadeeth with the intention to implement what we learn into our lives. Remember that more impure a place, such as the toilet, the more likely it is to be a place for shayateen to gather. People have several toilets in their homes these days including in their bedrooms where they sleep. And Muslims are also copying this idea out of imitation.
Now as I was saying there are duas for daily actions, so we should at least begin to memorise these duas and apply them on a daily basis. And if you have not learnt all these duas, then we can at least recite ‘a’oodhu billah’ or ‘bismillah’ before certain actions.
What I would suggest is that we learn these important duas in Arabic first and then also learn what they mean in our own languages.
There are duas for all occasions, for changing clothes and even for when a husband and wife sleep together at night. These duas offer protection and ward off any evil. But we ignore these duas.
Now back to the conversation of the angels, the angels said they worship Allah and do His dhikr. Allah subhana wa ta’ala told the angels the He knows what they know not. He knew that mankind would receive protection in the form of His Habeeb sallallahu alayhi wa sallam by following his Sunnah and that is a fadhal of Allah.
And then Allah will send the angels each morning and evening to roam the earth in search of those men and women busy in worship. And to bear witness to their piety. Subhanallah. And the difference between the angels and these pious people is that the angels do tasbeeh out of the hukm (command) of Allah, whereas these people are doing it out of choice. And not only are they doing it out of choice, they are doing it while being surrounded in societies that are full of darkness and sin.
And then Allah will send congregations of angels to the earth just to see these people. When a gathering of dhikr takes place, so many angels surround that gathering and they fill the space between the earth and the skies.
Yes, men will cause turmoil on the earth, but there will also be such men of goodness. In fact the effect of Allah’s Nabi upon this earth is such that so many centuries have passed and still there are people on the earth that continue to follow his ways in detail. Subhanallah. Those who follow these ways become the aabideen, the shaakireen and the zaahideen.
Now another point to note is that the angels visit this earth and go to those places and houses where the people are engrossed in dhikr and worship. They do not seek out those homes where there are haram actions and customs. Angels distance themselves from such homes as they see no barakah in them.
Peace cannot exist in a home where the inhabitants are living in direct opposition to Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
It is stated in a Hadeeth, that the angels are allocated times to visit the earth. The night shift angels descend after Asr and that is a very valuable time. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that he loved to do the dhikr of Allah from the time of Asr till the setting of the Sun. It is a time when the angels from the day depart and the angels of the night descend to the earth. And when the morning comes they depart and are replaced by angels allocated the day time.
These angels report back to Allah what they see. They will say, “When we descended to the earth these people were busy in Your dhikr, and when we left them in the morning they were again busy in Your dhikr.”
Allah will then remind the angels that those people had a choice, they could have been in a haraam place, doing haram things, yet they were sat in their homes or in the masaajid doing the dhikr of Allah. These are people who rejected the evils of the world and sought to please Allah with dhikr and worship. And the reason why they did this is because they accepted the light that Allah sent to them. They adopted the ways and habits of Allah’s beloved Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. They followed him in his ways and his appearance. They recognised the difference between halaal and haram and embraced the guidance from Allah. And by doing this they protected themselves from the evil jinns. They live their lives according to the Sunnah whether they are standing, sitting, talking or eating.
So the angels listened to Allah and accepted His answer that He truly knows what they do not know.
When the angels see the pious men of Allah engrossed in dhikr, they will often fall unconscious in rapture.
I will like to conclude that if we wish to be successful in protecting ourselves from evil, then we really should learn the daily duas from the Sunnah. Whether it be the dua for transport or a dua for going to sleep we should learn them all. Otherwise we will be surrounded by such jinn.
If we look at this from a spiritual angle, I will mention a happening from the time of Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddith Dehlawi rahmatullah alayhi who was a great friend of Allah. When he would go from his house to the masjid he would cover his face. Once one of his mureeds asked him, “Hadhrat, what is the reason for your covering of the face? And why do you not look directly at people.” He replied, “Come to me at the time of Jumua and I will answer your question if you insist.” When Friday arrived, Hadhrat asked his mureed to come close to him, and sat him by his side, then the Sheikh took off his own Amaamah and placed it on the head of his mureed. As soon as his Sheikh’s Amaamah was upon his head he could no longer see the people and in fact they had become a variety of animals such as donkeys, dogs and swine. He was petrified and said, “Hadhart what is happening?” His Sheikh replied, “This is the reality of what I have been seeing and the reason I cover the people from my view.”
Now remember that we may all look like human beings but our true spiritual forms are dictated by our deeds. Haraam deeds such as lying, backbiting, consuming haraam, causing harm to others etc will change our spiritual appearance.
The Shariah of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam are the only things that will save us from such spiritual diseases. He who follows the Sunnah has brought light into his life.
Please do make an effort to learn all the daily duas that are evident from the Sunnah and this will provide us with continued protection. We can complain about turmoil in the home and family but it will only go away if we adopt the Sunnah in our homes. The evil jinn are very persistent in trying to cause mischief so protection from them is essential.
Let us remain in the light of the Siraaj-um-Muneerah by making the Sunnah our life. I pray that Allah ta’ala gives the taufeeq to do so. Ameen.
وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانا اَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ