When Hadhrat Ibrahim علیه السلام constructed the ka'bah, he supplicated to Allah ta'ala asking for a Prophet from his offspring who can teach the book and develop the manners of people. Allah ta'ala fulfilled his dua and the Prophet ﷺ came and reformed the people. The people in his time had pride, arrogance and anger within them and they would bury their daughters alive.
The Bedouins didn't know mannerism and Allah ta'ala chose the Prophet ﷺ for the Arabs and he reformed them. Thereafter, they became known as the Sahabah. He developed such a group of people whose excellence and status no one can compare to. The Prophet ﷺ developed the Sahabah and they developed the Taabi'een and then the Taabi'een developed the Taba'at'taabi'een and the sequence continued. The objective of the Prophet ﷺ was that reformation should take place in such a way until Qiyamah.
There is a Hadith narrated in Mishkat Shareef by Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه mentioning; when Nabi ﷺ migrated to Madinah Shareef, the people from the surrounding areas would come to meet him and accept Islam. From amongst them, was a tribe called Abdul- Qays and the leader of this tribe was called Hadhrat Ashajj رضي الله عنه. He entered Madinah with a unique and beautiful style and he upheld great humility. He took his steps calmly with ease. Then, he dusted down his bags and goods. Thereafter, he took a bath, changed his clothes and made himself neat and tidy. At this point, he was not yet a Muslim.
Hadhrat Jibraeel عليه السلام came down to the Prophet ﷺ with a message from Allah ta'ala. When Hadhrat Ashajj رضي الله عنه presented himself to the Prophet ﷺ, Nabi ﷺ praised him and said, "You possess two qualities that Allah loves. These are clemency and tolerance". [Muslim]
وعن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ لأشج عبد القيس: “إن فيك خصلتين يحبهما الله: الحلم والأناة”. ((رواه مسلم))
Nabi ﷺ told him that he has become beloved to Allah ta'ala and therefore, he is now beloved to the Prophet ﷺ too.
To develop our character, is a part of deen which we fail to give importance to. Until we do not understand the importance of an act, we cannot take benefit from it. Unfortunately, we do not hold regard for good character, which is why we fail to learn about it or practice it.
The first principle of Tazkiyah, is regarding the importance you hold for an action which you are performing. Your intention, desire and your mind-set.
In a gathering where Allah ta'ala's nearness is attained, a person receives benefit depending on his level of passion and desire to learn. We won't benefit from this gathering if we are tired, lazy or inattentive.
A Wali Allah may address thousands of people, but no effect may take place. On the other hand, two people may meet the Sheikh and leave his gathering as Awliyah Allah. Thus, it depends on our intention and desire and the level of our sincerity. We benefit when we make effort and sacrifice in order to learn. This is when Allah ta'ala will grant us and this system is according to Allah ta'ala's Sunnah.
Allah ta'ala doesn't force anyone to practice deen. We ask Allah ta'ala for guidance to the straight path, otherwise our locked hearts do not allow us to arrive to Allah ta'ala's nearness.
When we meet a Wali Allah, we should hold the desire of wanting to improve. He will grant you and benefit you, just as much as you desire, so it all depends on your mind-set.
You must recognise the Wali Allah yourself through your own desire to become closer to Allah ta'ala. That will allow you to recognise his goodness and great company and you will recognise his positive effects. The person who is insincere, will desire to see miracles as his mind-set is difference. The Wali Allah will never confess that he is a pious individual, but, if you have the desire to become closer to Allah ta'ala, then you'll recognise the pious people.
The teacher has become close to Allah ta'ala for the sake of Allah ta'ala and not for the sake of gaining followers. He doesn't like recognition and he keeps his piety hidden with Allah ta'ala.
The Naqshbandi take blessings from the graves of the Awliyah Allah and they engage in Muraqabah at the side of the grave.
My great Sheikh is the source of blessings for the whole world, yet, at the time of his passing, he desired a simple grave and a simple burial. He was extremely simple and always displayed excellent humility throughout his life. He displayed great manners when he would visit Madinah Shareef. He would walk very slowly and calmly in the blessed lands to avoid granting any disturbance or pain to the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
When we visit Madinah Shareef, we should also visit with excellent manners and purification of the heart, for a person gains everything through the good desires of his heart. In the same way, we must have reverence for the city of our Sheikh and wherever our Sheikh resides. One should always hold utmost respect for the city of his Sheikh. In reality, the same rule applies here as the connection orginated from Madinah Shareef.
We should avoid attending the gatherings of the Sheikh without manners otherwise, we will incur loss and we will only realise this in the Hereafter.
Allah ta'ala looks at the heart and with what intention a person has come. We should hold sincere intentions and avoid harbouring doubts and negative thoughts. If we experience such, then we should perform istighfar and ask Allah ta'ala to open up our heart. These are the manners of these gatherings.
Allah ta'ala elevates a person who is humble and sincere. The sign of a pious person is that he lowers himself in front of other people.
My beloved Sheikh wrote to me in his final letter saying that, love for the world and the love for Allah ta'ala can never be combined in a person's heart. If you wish to assess if your dhikr is successful, then the sign is your love for the world does not combine with Allah ta'ala's love. A person who seeks to combine both, is in great deception and he will be degraded in both worlds.
We should not abandon the needs of the world, rather, we should abandon the love for the world. We should leave the fear and greed of the world and give up begging from people and Allah ta'ala promises that He will grant us.
It is not prohibited to earn, make profit and run our business. Rather, one should work and have trust in Allah ta'ala. He should earn with hands and not allow the world to overwhelm him.
The birds leave their nests with an empty stomach in the morning and they fly in the sky searching for sustenance, demonstrating trust in Allah ta'ala. They return with a full stomach at night. We should also develop the same level of trust in Him. If Allah ta'ala can provide for the birds, will He not sustain us?
Unfortunately, we give up everything for the world and we beg for wealth. We forget out Lord and instead we turn to people through begging. We take up unlawful means to acquire more wealth.
In reality, the more you chase the world, the more it will run away from you. The more you abandon the world, the more it chases you.
We must destroy the love and greed for the world in order to attain the love for Allah ta'ala. There is no hard work involved in order to attain Allah ta'ala's love. The only way is to humble yourself and consider yourself insignificant.
The Awliyah Allah were honest and they never considered themselves better than others. How can we gain success if we consider ourselves superior to others?
We do not attain Allah ta'ala's nearness simply by worshipping. Rather, we must humble ourselves and makes sacrifices. We should assign our self to Allah ta'ala, lower our self and then, He will elevate us. Thereafter, we won't have the need to beg or question from anyone. We wont prostrate to anyone. We will reach that level where Allah ta'ala Himself asks us what we desire and He will fulfil our desires from unimaginable avenues.
When Hadhrat Ibrahim علیه السلام constructed the ka'bah, he supplicated to Allah ta'ala asking for a Prophet from his offspring who can teach the book and develop the manners of people. Allah ta'ala fulfilled his dua and the Prophet ﷺ came and reformed the people. The people in his time had pride, arrogance and anger within them and they would bury their daughters alive.
The Bedouins didn't know mannerism and Allah ta'ala chose the Prophet ﷺ for the Arabs and he reformed them. Thereafter, they became known as the Sahabah. He developed such a group of people whose excellence and status no one can compare to. The Prophet ﷺ developed the Sahabah and they developed the Taabi'een and then the Taabi'een developed the Taba'at'taabi'een and the sequence continued. The objective of the Prophet ﷺ was that reformation should take place in such a way until Qiyamah.
There is a Hadith narrated in Mishkat Shareef by Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه mentioning; when Nabi ﷺ migrated to Madinah Shareef, the people from the surrounding areas would come to meet him and accept Islam. From amongst them, was a tribe called Abdul- Qays and the leader of this tribe was called Hadhrat Ashajj رضي الله عنه. He entered Madinah with a unique and beautiful style and he upheld great humility. He took his steps calmly with ease. Then, he dusted down his bags and goods. Thereafter, he took a bath, changed his clothes and made himself neat and tidy. At this point, he was not yet a Muslim.
Hadhrat Jibraeel عليه السلام came down to the Prophet ﷺ with a message from Allah ta'ala. When Hadhrat Ashajj رضي الله عنه presented himself to the Prophet ﷺ, Nabi ﷺ praised him and said, "You possess two qualities that Allah loves. These are clemency and tolerance". [Muslim]
وعن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ لأشج عبد القيس: “إن فيك خصلتين يحبهما الله: الحلم والأناة”. ((رواه مسلم))
Nabi ﷺ told him that he has become beloved to Allah ta'ala and therefore, he is now beloved to the Prophet ﷺ too.
To develop our character, is a part of deen which we fail to give importance to. Until we do not understand the importance of an act, we cannot take benefit from it. Unfortunately, we do not hold regard for good character, which is why we fail to learn about it or practice it.
The first principle of Tazkiyah, is regarding the importance you hold for an action which you are performing. Your intention, desire and your mind-set.
In a gathering where Allah ta'ala's nearness is attained, a person receives benefit depending on his level of passion and desire to learn. We won't benefit from this gathering if we are tired, lazy or inattentive.
A Wali Allah may address thousands of people, but no effect may take place. On the other hand, two people may meet the Sheikh and leave his gathering as Awliyah Allah. Thus, it depends on our intention and desire and the level of our sincerity. We benefit when we make effort and sacrifice in order to learn. This is when Allah ta'ala will grant us and this system is according to Allah ta'ala's Sunnah.
Allah ta'ala doesn't force anyone to practice deen. We ask Allah ta'ala for guidance to the straight path, otherwise our locked hearts do not allow us to arrive to Allah ta'ala's nearness.
When we meet a Wali Allah, we should hold the desire of wanting to improve. He will grant you and benefit you, just as much as you desire, so it all depends on your mind-set.
You must recognise the Wali Allah yourself through your own desire to become closer to Allah ta'ala. That will allow you to recognise his goodness and great company and you will recognise his positive effects. The person who is insincere, will desire to see miracles as his mind-set is difference. The Wali Allah will never confess that he is a pious individual, but, if you have the desire to become closer to Allah ta'ala, then you'll recognise the pious people.
The teacher has become close to Allah ta'ala for the sake of Allah ta'ala and not for the sake of gaining followers. He doesn't like recognition and he keeps his piety hidden with Allah ta'ala.
The Naqshbandi take blessings from the graves of the Awliyah Allah and they engage in Muraqabah at the side of the grave.
My great Sheikh is the source of blessings for the whole world, yet, at the time of his passing, he desired a simple grave and a simple burial. He was extremely simple and always displayed excellent humility throughout his life. He displayed great manners when he would visit Madinah Shareef. He would walk very slowly and calmly in the blessed lands to avoid granting any disturbance or pain to the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
When we visit Madinah Shareef, we should also visit with excellent manners and purification of the heart, for a person gains everything through the good desires of his heart. In the same way, we must have reverence for the city of our Sheikh and wherever our Sheikh resides. One should always hold utmost respect for the city of his Sheikh. In reality, the same rule applies here as the connection orginated from Madinah Shareef.
We should avoid attending the gatherings of the Sheikh without manners otherwise, we will incur loss and we will only realise this in the Hereafter.
Allah ta'ala looks at the heart and with what intention a person has come. We should hold sincere intentions and avoid harbouring doubts and negative thoughts. If we experience such, then we should perform istighfar and ask Allah ta'ala to open up our heart. These are the manners of these gatherings.
Allah ta'ala elevates a person who is humble and sincere. The sign of a pious person is that he lowers himself in front of other people.
My beloved Sheikh wrote to me in his final letter saying that, love for the world and the love for Allah ta'ala can never be combined in a person's heart. If you wish to assess if your dhikr is successful, then the sign is your love for the world does not combine with Allah ta'ala's love. A person who seeks to combine both, is in great deception and he will be degraded in both worlds.
We should not abandon the needs of the world, rather, we should abandon the love for the world. We should leave the fear and greed of the world and give up begging from people and Allah ta'ala promises that He will grant us.
It is not prohibited to earn, make profit and run our business. Rather, one should work and have trust in Allah ta'ala. He should earn with hands and not allow the world to overwhelm him.
The birds leave their nests with an empty stomach in the morning and they fly in the sky searching for sustenance, demonstrating trust in Allah ta'ala. They return with a full stomach at night. We should also develop the same level of trust in Him. If Allah ta'ala can provide for the birds, will He not sustain us?
Unfortunately, we give up everything for the world and we beg for wealth. We forget out Lord and instead we turn to people through begging. We take up unlawful means to acquire more wealth.
In reality, the more you chase the world, the more it will run away from you. The more you abandon the world, the more it chases you.
We must destroy the love and greed for the world in order to attain the love for Allah ta'ala. There is no hard work involved in order to attain Allah ta'ala's love. The only way is to humble yourself and consider yourself insignificant.
The Awliyah Allah were honest and they never considered themselves better than others. How can we gain success if we consider ourselves superior to others?
We do not attain Allah ta'ala's nearness simply by worshipping. Rather, we must humble ourselves and makes sacrifices. We should assign our self to Allah ta'ala, lower our self and then, He will elevate us. Thereafter, we won't have the need to beg or question from anyone. We wont prostrate to anyone. We will reach that level where Allah ta'ala Himself asks us what we desire and He will fulfil our desires from unimaginable avenues.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement. Ameen