This universe and the creation of Allah ta'ala were created for a special purpose. Those who understand the purpose of creation and then act upon it truly benefit from their lives. However, those who do not understand the objective of creation are unable to attain the purpose and benefit of life.
Why Do We Attend the Dhikr Gatherings?
The Mashaikh established these gatherings by following the practice of their teachers. They lived simple lives and sat on straw mats, whereas today we sit on carpets. Despite this difference, we attend these gatherings for the very same objective.
In essence, the practice of assembling for a dhikr gathering has been transmitted through the chain of Mashaikh until it reaches the Prophet ﷺ. This sequence is connected back to the Prophet ﷺ. Imagine the blessings of such a gathering. The Prophet ﷺ initiated this practice, and until the Day of Judgement these gatherings will continue. No one will be able to prevent them, for Allah ta'ala Himself has taken responsibility for preserving these gatherings.
When you sit in these gatherings, you receive the spiritual blessings (faiz) of the Prophet ﷺ. Therefore, we should remain attentive during these great gatherings. These are not minor gatherings, and we should be grateful for them.
We should not complain about these gatherings or say that they are too long. Regarding those who make a fuss over dhikr, Allah ta'ala says:
"But whoever turns away from My Reminder will certainly have a miserable life, then We will raise them up blind on the Day of Judgment.” [20:124]
Allah ta'ala will afflict such people with poverty, hunger, and desperation. They will never experience tranquillity in their lives. The poorest person is the one who possesses everything and sits upon mountains of wealth sufficient for his generations, yet he is unable to enjoy his food or sleep peacefully in his own home. He suffers from anxiety and remains unsatisfied due to greed. He is constantly concerned with earning and accumulating more and never feels content with what he already has.
This is the first punishment for those who complain and run away from dhikr.
The second punishment is that they will be raised blind on the Day of Qiyamah and will be astonished at their condition. They will ask Allah ta'ala why they have been raised blind when they were able to see in the world. Allah ta'ala will inform them that it is because they were blind towards observing His commands and laws.
The truly blind person is not the one who is physically blind, for that is only a temporary restriction. In reality, we are blind when we possess physical sight yet remain blind to practising the Deen and upholding the laws of Allah ta'ala.
By attending these gatherings, we are following the Deen of the P
rst be a noble reason why the Prophet ﷺ established these gatherings. Those who do not value dhikr, fail to attend the gatherings, and do not understand their objective, will be raised blind and face severe punishments.
Our purpose in life and creation is to understand the Deen and practise it. There is no other purpose to life. This is why these gatherings have been established.
Nowadays, many of us understand the Deen and are aware of what is right and wrong. We possess this awareness, yet we fail to practise and claim that it is too difficult.
Despite possessing faith, a person may enter Hellfire due to a lack of deeds and practice. We may desire to become religious and begin practising, but we are unwilling to make sacrifices. We are unwilling to abandon wrongdoing and adopt repentance because we perceive it as difficult, yet in the process we easily embrace Hellfire.
Therefore, these dhikr gatherings have been established to make it easier for us to implement the Deen. Allah ta'ala has placed a special quality within these gatherings which grants a person the ease to practise.
Allah ta'ala has not made practising the Deen difficult for us. For example, the time prescribed for Fajr prayer is a period in which a person is free from occupation, worldly affairs, children, and family responsibilities. He is simply required to leave his bed and stand before Allah ta'ala in prayer.
To make rising for Fajr easier, Allah ta'ala has established these gatherings, to which we must remain attached. Allah ta'ala grants the treasure of dhikr to those who are beloved to Him. He desires to make the dhaakireen His beloved servants and draw them close to Him.
After attending these gatherings, a person begins to enjoy the Deen, and practising becomes easy for him. He develops a dislike for sins, distances himself from them, and begins to adopt righteous deeds.
A mother is able to make tremendous sacrifices for the sake of her child because of the love that Allah ta'ala has placed in her heart. No one can love the child more than the mother, and it is from the favour of Allah ta'ala that He has instilled this love within mothers.
Similarly, it is only through the love of Allah ta'ala that a person is able to practise the Deen with ease. The greater the love for Allah ta'ala, the easier practising the Deen becomes. Thus, the reason we fail to practise the Deen is due to a deficiency in love.
To measure our level of love for Allah ta'ala, we must assess how much we follow the commands of Allah ta'ala and adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
When a person possesses love for Allah ta'ala and His Rasul ﷺ, he does not criticise the laws of Allah ta'ala. He accepts them immediately and implements them. He listens and obeys. He neither questions nor complains. He does not compare his life with that of the disbelievers. Such comparisons are signs of a lack of love for Allah ta'ala and His Deen.
All the Noble Companions displayed the same spirit of sacrifice due to their love for the Prophet ﷺ. They sacrificed their wealth and possessions for the sake of the Deen and the Prophet ﷺ. Just as the Noble Companions received the faiz of the Prophet ﷺ, we too receive the same faiz today through these dhikr gatherings.
Whenever we close our eyes and ask Allah ta'ala for faiz, it reaches our hearts through the chain o
f the Mashaikh. The greater the desire, the greater the faiz that we receive.
If a person attends these gatherings with this intention, then his life will certainly improve and he will attain success. It will become easy for him to abandon wrongdoing and follow the Sunnah. He will find peace and satisfaction in following the Deen.
If practising the Deen is difficult for us and the world is more beloved to us, then we should understand that this is due to our deficiency in love for Allah ta'ala and His Rasul ﷺ. We are required to sit in the company of the AwliyahAllah, for it is there that we acquire the love of Allah ta'ala. We must strive hard and actively seek this love from Allah ta'ala.
To assess whether a gathering is genuine and increases our love for Allah ta'ala, it must provide us with the teachings of the Sunnah and dhikr. Through the company of a true friend of Allah ta'ala, we must acquire these two qualities. Through all three of these means, we acquire the love of Allah ta'ala and find it easier to practise the Deen.
If we neglect these gatherings, then we are contributing towards our own destruction.
May Allah ta'ala grant us the ability to implement these precious pearls of wisdom. Ameen.
This universe and the creation of Allah ta'ala were created for a special purpose. Those who understand the purpose of creation and then act upon it truly benefit from their lives. However, those who do not understand the objective of creation are unable to attain the purpose and benefit of life.
Why Do We Attend the Dhikr Gatherings?
The Mashaikh established these gatherings by following the practice of their teachers. They lived simple lives and sat on straw mats, whereas today we sit on carpets. Despite this difference, we attend these gatherings for the very same objective.
In essence, the practice of assembling for a dhikr gathering has been transmitted through the chain of Mashaikh until it reaches the Prophet ﷺ. This sequence is connected back to the Prophet ﷺ. Imagine the blessings of such a gathering. The Prophet ﷺ initiated this practice, and until the Day of Judgement these gatherings will continue. No one will be able to prevent them, for Allah ta'ala Himself has taken responsibility for preserving these gatherings.
When you sit in these gatherings, you receive the spiritual blessings (faiz) of the Prophet ﷺ. Therefore, we should remain attentive during these great gatherings. These are not minor gatherings, and we should be grateful for them.
We should not complain about these gatherings or say that they are too long. Regarding those who make a fuss over dhikr, Allah ta'ala says:
وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَىٰ
"But whoever turns away from My Reminder will certainly have a miserable life, then We will raise them up blind on the Day of Judgment.” [20:124]
Allah ta'ala will afflict such people with poverty, hunger, and desperation. They will never experience tranquillity in their lives. The poorest person is the one who possesses everything and sits upon mountains of wealth sufficient for his generations, yet he is unable to enjoy his food or sleep peacefully in his own home. He suffers from anxiety and remains unsatisfied due to greed. He is constantly concerned with earning and accumulating more and never feels content with what he already has.
This is the first punishment for those who complain and run away from dhikr.
The second punishment is that they will be raised blind on the Day of Qiyamah and will be astonished at their condition. They will ask Allah ta'ala why they have been raised blind when they were able to see in the world. Allah ta'ala will inform them that it is because they were blind towards observing His commands and laws.
The truly blind person is not the one who is physically blind, for that is only a temporary restriction. In reality, we are blind when we possess physical sight yet remain blind to practising the Deen and upholding the laws of Allah ta'ala.
By attending these gatherings, we are following the Deen of the P
rst be a noble reason why the Prophet ﷺ established these gatherings. Those who do not value dhikr, fail to attend the gatherings, and do not understand their objective, will be raised blind and face severe punishments.
Our purpose in life and creation is to understand the Deen and practise it. There is no other purpose to life. This is why these gatherings have been established.
Nowadays, many of us understand the Deen and are aware of what is right and wrong. We possess this awareness, yet we fail to practise and claim that it is too difficult.
Despite possessing faith, a person may enter Hellfire due to a lack of deeds and practice. We may desire to become religious and begin practising, but we are unwilling to make sacrifices. We are unwilling to abandon wrongdoing and adopt repentance because we perceive it as difficult, yet in the process we easily embrace Hellfire.
Therefore, these dhikr gatherings have been established to make it easier for us to implement the Deen. Allah ta'ala has placed a special quality within these gatherings which grants a person the ease to practise.
Allah ta'ala has not made practising the Deen difficult for us. For example, the time prescribed for Fajr prayer is a period in which a person is free from occupation, worldly affairs, children, and family responsibilities. He is simply required to leave his bed and stand before Allah ta'ala in prayer.
To make rising for Fajr easier, Allah ta'ala has established these gatherings, to which we must remain attached. Allah ta'ala grants the treasure of dhikr to those who are beloved to Him. He desires to make the dhaakireen His beloved servants and draw them close to Him.
After attending these gatherings, a person begins to enjoy the Deen, and practising becomes easy for him. He develops a dislike for sins, distances himself from them, and begins to adopt righteous deeds.
A mother is able to make tremendous sacrifices for the sake of her child because of the love that Allah ta'ala has placed in her heart. No one can love the child more than the mother, and it is from the favour of Allah ta'ala that He has instilled this love within mothers.
Similarly, it is only through the love of Allah ta'ala that a person is able to practise the Deen with ease. The greater the love for Allah ta'ala, the easier practising the Deen becomes. Thus, the reason we fail to practise the Deen is due to a deficiency in love.
To measure our level of love for Allah ta'ala, we must assess how much we follow the commands of Allah ta'ala and adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
When a person possesses love for Allah ta'ala and His Rasul ﷺ, he does not criticise the laws of Allah ta'ala. He accepts them immediately and implements them. He listens and obeys. He neither questions nor complains. He does not compare his life with that of the disbelievers. Such comparisons are signs of a lack of love for Allah ta'ala and His Deen.
All the Noble Companions displayed the same spirit of sacrifice due to their love for the Prophet ﷺ. They sacrificed their wealth and possessions for the sake of the Deen and the Prophet ﷺ. Just as the Noble Companions received the faiz of the Prophet ﷺ, we too receive the same faiz today through these dhikr gatherings.
Whenever we close our eyes and ask Allah ta'ala for faiz, it reaches our hearts through the chain o
f the Mashaikh. The greater the desire, the greater the faiz that we receive.
If a person attends these gatherings with this intention, then his life will certainly improve and he will attain success. It will become easy for him to abandon wrongdoing and follow the Sunnah. He will find peace and satisfaction in following the Deen.
If practising the Deen is difficult for us and the world is more beloved to us, then we should understand that this is due to our deficiency in love for Allah ta'ala and His Rasul ﷺ. We are required to sit in the company of the AwliyahAllah, for it is there that we acquire the love of Allah ta'ala. We must strive hard and actively seek this love from Allah ta'ala.
To assess whether a gathering is genuine and increases our love for Allah ta'ala, it must provide us with the teachings of the Sunnah and dhikr. Through the company of a true friend of Allah ta'ala, we must acquire these two qualities. Through all three of these means, we acquire the love of Allah ta'ala and find it easier to practise the Deen.
If we neglect these gatherings, then we are contributing towards our own destruction.
May Allah ta'ala grant us the ability to implement these precious pearls of wisdom. Ameen.