The Biggest Blessing and How to be Grateful for it
Allah subhana wa ta'ala has stated in the Qur’an-e-Hakim:
{وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ }
Allah subhana wa ta'ala has mentioned this matter in various places in the Noble Qur’an, relating to the fact that Allah ta’ala has given us so many favours and gifts. Allah has bestowed so many Ni’mahs that they are infinite – you cannot count them, however many computers or calculating machines you apply to the task. The number of Ni’mahs that Allah ta’ala has given are innumerable, for there are so many blessings and favours that He has given.
Allah ta’ala has given two types of Ni’mahs, and one is the body of a human being that we have been given. If you look at our physical body, you will see that within the body is a collection of Ni’mahs that Allah subhana wa ta'ala has given. And the body of a human being is a blessing so unique that no one other than Allah ta’ala can bestow this gift. You cannot get the body and its functions from anywhere other than from Allah. Can anybody manufacture an eye? Show me who can do this. You might be able to get glasses, but not the eye. What about a nose and what is within it, in terms of veins and arteries and other features? And if we look inside the body of a human being, we can consider the system of breathing, or the kidneys, or the lungs. The body is such that we cannot understand it, even in this day and age when we have advanced levels of research into the body and its functions. Despite this, nobody can fully understand what Allah ta’ala has given to us, and that is what makes clear how great a Ni’mah it is.
As I said, we cannot count the Ni’mahs that Allah ta’ala has given to us. Let us look at the head; can anyone count the number of hairs you have on your head? Nobody can do so – it is not possible. This is another Ni’mah of Allah, the hair on the head. Allah ta’ala made a challenge to mankind until the Day of Judgement that nobody can compete with Allah. Even those who don’t believe in Allah can test themselves against this challenge, SubhanAllah, and if they cannot succeed in the challenge, then they should believe in Allah. Why should a person not believe in Allah if they fail to show that something can compete with Allah, and cannot live up to this challenge and create something on a par with the human body. It is a clear proof in Allah that this cannot be done.
So the body is one Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala has given – and it contains so many Ni’mahs itself – and secondly, consider the world that we are living in. Allah ta’ala tells us to look around at the world. There are two types of Ni’mah: one is the physical body of the human being, and the second is the world that we are living in. Allah ta’ala declares that this is a Ni’mah; it is also a gift – a beautiful gift. And you can see these two things physically. One thing is the physical body and what is within it, and the other is external – the wind, water, food, drinks and so on. Let’s consider the honeybee. Can anybody manufacture a honeybee, whose honey Allah ta’ala has declared to be Shifa? Show me a factory where you can manufacture the honey yourself. There are factories all over the world that make fake honey, but if you buy it, after a few days it separates out. So see if you can make real honey and compete with Allah. This comes from a small bee, while we make aeroplanes and do research into each one. This is fine – Allah says ‘Fine, but can you manufacture a honeybee that can make honey for you in these factories of yours?’ Has anyone manufactured honey until today? Tell me. Nobody is able to. And the challenge that Allah ta’ala gives is that you cannot even count the Ni’mahs.
Count how many chickens there are in the world today, or we could move on from that for now. In the morning, we have two eggs for breakfast, two fried eggs with bread and cheese. We eat food in the morning, don’t we? We have toast with different spreads on top and two fried eggs. So Allah ta’ala is saying ‘How many eggs are there in the world today?’ Imagine trying to count how many eggs Allah ta’ala gives us on a daily basis.
This verse that Allah ta’ala has mentioned in the Qur’an lays down this challenge for mankind, so what is the reason for this challenge? There is a reason, but Allah ta’ala has not mentioned it Himself – He is just mentioning His Ni’mahs here. However, there is a great point here that I would like to explain to you. When a person favours someone with something, like giving him a house, or a car, or some money, or giving him a loan or some cash, then there are natural tendencies inside a human being – and Allah ta’ala has made us this way. One such tendency is to forget, and another is to appreciate. This is my experience, and if you like it, fine, and if not, then leave it – I will just explain to you what I understand. Now it is one thing for you to forget something in your mind – that is different, and that is something that happens to everyone from time to time. However, not to appreciate and value what has been given to us is something else altogether. When appreciation and the sense of gratefulness comes out of a person, that is different.
So when a person favours another human being by giving something - a house perhaps - or assists him in some way, then it is a common to find that a human being not only forgets, but rather he goes beyond that and stops appreciating the favour altogether. It can even get to the point that he turns his face away from the person who has favoured him, saying ‘Who are you? I don’t know you – you haven’t done anything for me. No, I did this myself, it was not due to you.’ He effectively takes a U-turn, not only forgetting but not even appreciating what was done for him. We see this commonly in the world today.
So the human being may forget from his mind, but even worse is when he forgets and stops appreciating the favour entirely. It stands to reason that if you remind someone about the person who helped you and favoured you and he says ‘No, he didn’t help me’, then you should go into detail and say ‘What about this car? Where did you get it?’ Remind him about what he was given. Say ‘Who gave this car to you then? Don’t you remember where you got it from? Don’t you realise what a big favour he gave you?’ Then he will say ‘Oh yes, that’s right, he did give me the car, yes.’ He will remember the person who favoured him when the product that he was given is mentioned. If you ask him generally, then he won’t remember, but if you highlight the item that he was given, then that person will wake up immediately. He will realise that he is using and benefitting from the item that he was given, and then he will feel ashamed, and his conscience will be awoken.
This is a deep point that I am explaining to you here. This is Allah’s Kitab, the Qur’an, and Allah ta’ala is alerting us and waking us up through this message. Allah is not mentioning His Name, or saying ‘It is Me, Allah, who has given you all of this.’ Rather, Allah ta’ala is mentioning the Ni’mahs that He has given to us. The same meaning applies here, for by means of the reference to the Ni’mahs, Allah ta’ala is calling us to Himself. He is inviting us to Himself, saying, ‘You know this eye through which you are looking? Who gave it to you?’ When you hear this question, who will you remember? You will remember Allah. So Allah ta’ala is mentioning His gifts and favours here so that when you remember what has been given to you, who will you remember? You will remember your Rabb, your Lord and Creator. So the point that Allah ta’ala is making by mentioning His gifts and favours, is that a human being is prone to forgetting Allah.
Now we should understand a heavy point here, which is that when a human being forgets Allah, it is obvious that he will be disobedient to Allah because he becomes detached from his Lord and free of His guidance – he is finished at that time. There are two types of recognition in a human being – remember this. One is that when a person stops recognising and realising, then he loses so much that he stops believing in Allah. He says ‘There is no God – this is me who is doing this. I created this, technology created this; this is our science and is due to our advancement and progression. We have done this through our science.’ This is a person who forgets Allah and His favours so much that he stops believing in Allah, losing out to that point that he actually says that there is no God. He does Shirk with Allah – that is how far from recognition he has gone and how completely his appreciation has disappeared. He say ‘Oh no, this is not a Ni’mah of Allah.’
But there is a second category of forgetful human beings, and these benefit from the Barakah of the Kalimah. They have received and accepted this Kalimah, but they too have stopped appreciating Allah – however they are not so dead that they have forgotten Allah altogether. It is from the Barakah of the Kalimah that a person who has this Kalimah will never reject Allah. What will he do? He will only remember Allah at certain times, like when Ramadhan comes around, or at the time of Hajj, or maybe when some issue arises, or some day of celebration occurs. Only at those times will he sometimes remember Allah, but otherwise, he too has no connection with Allah. His lights have become dim, and he has forgotten, and his recognition has diminished.
So how will such a person remember the favours of Allah if he is so distant from Allah? He will utilise the favours that Allah ta’ala has given to him in the wrong way; he will go in the wrong direction with the Ni’mahs of Allah - and this is Allah’s punishment. Allah ta’ala makes the person who has forgotten Allah forget His Ni’mahs, so that he utilises them in the wrong way; he can’t use them in the right way – this is the punishment that Allah ta’ala gives a person who forgets Allah. So Allah subhana wa ta'ala makes clear that the real way is to remember Allah. That is the proper way - don’t forget Allah. That is why Allah ta’ala said to us {وَٱذۡڪُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ ڪَثِيرً۬ا لَّعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ} – SubhanAllah. Say SubhanAllah. Allah is saying that Dhikr of Allah is such a fantastic method, and Allah ta’ala has said in the Qur’an time and time again that we should remember Allah, and remember Him abundantly, in high quantity.
And Allah is saying ‘I have no need for you to remember Me’ – it is not to benefit Allah that we sit down together and say ‘Allah, Allah’ and do Tasbeehs. Allah says ‘I have no desire for this’, and there are forms of creation that remember Allah so many times over. The walls remember Allah, the doors remember Allah, the air remembers Allah, the soil remembers Allah, the water remembers Allah; everything that we see in creation all remembers Allah, all of it, yet forgetful is he for whom Allah ta’ala made this world! The human being has forgotten, but the things that were made for that human being all do the Dhikr of Allah. Yes? Is this not an amazing contrast? The human being should be the Dhakir, but the resources in the world that were made for him are remembering Allah, while the person who should be remembering Allah has forgotten! Everything in the universe is doing Allah ta’ala’s Dhikr right now - atoms and particles are all doing Dhikr of Allah. There is nothing that forgets Allah.
The Qur’an has mentioned this. Yes? {سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ} – everything in the heavens and the earth is calling out to its Lord. But who is the Ghafil? The human being is negligent by forgetting Allah, and then he is disconnected; he has forgotten everything. That is why Allah ta’ala says in the Qur’an, time and time again, ‘Oh human being, remember Me! Remember Me, and when you keep on remembering Me, then I will remember you. And when I remember you, then you will also remember My Ni’mahs, and the connection between Me and you will remain steadfast – and you will never be disobedient to Me.’ That is why Allah ta’ala says ‘Tuflihoon – you will be successful.’ The Dhakir never forgets Allah – there is no other meaning or purpose of doing Dhikr.
The Sufis who do Dhikr and the Sheikhs who host Dhikr do not do so for piety or to do weird things and engender weird feelings – no. The purpose being doing Dhikr Allah is based on the fact that if he was to forget Allah, he would be finished. Hence Allah ta’ala has prescribed a Tariqa in order that a person will not forget Him, which is to do Allah’s Dhikr continuously. Allah has given a time for this, saying ‘Continue to remember Me each morning and evening – { بُكۡرَةً۬ وَأَصِيلاً۬}.’ Allah ta’ala has given a schedule, saying ‘Remember Me in the morning, when the day starts, then do what you need to do during the day, and then in the evening, after Isha or after Maghrib, sit and remember Me again.’ That’s it. That’s the definition of Dhikrullah – nothing else.
But what is our situation? Why have we forgotten Allah? Our situation is upside down, and for that reason, we have forgotten Allah. So it is absolutely essential that we do Dhikr today. Let’s look at our condition, at our lifestyles and our circumstances, and think ‘What is my connection with my Rabb today? Am I doing those things which Allah ta’ala has told me not to do? Do I lie?’ Allah tells us not to lie, but we lie. Allah ta’ala tells us not to oppress people, but we do oppress people; Allah ta’ala tells us not to cause hardship to people, but we do cause hardship to people. Whatever Allah ta’ala has told us not to do, we do those things. And as for the things which Allah ta’ala has instructed us to do, we don’t do those things. So where is the connection between us and Allah? Is it just about eating Halal food? Is eating Halal the extent of the connection between us and Allah? Is some small deed that we do sufficient to make the connection? No. The full connection with Allah ta’ala is this, that we live our lives in full obedience to Allah’s commands.
This is Deen, and the person who follows Deen will never be a misguided person, and he will never do wrong to anyone or oppress anyone; he will never do bad actions and evil actions; he will be Sadiq and Amin, righteous and trustworthy; the Qur’an-e-Hakim will always be in front of him, and he will live his life in accordance with the Qur’an. So the cure and the way to follow the right path is to understand and identify Allah’s Ni’mahs. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘I am mentioning and identifying these Ni’mahs to you so that you can wake up and remember My Ni’mahs, so that you appreciate and value My Ni’mahs, because if you value My Ni’mahs, then you will certainly come to appreciate your Lord.’ So what is the purpose? Allah ta’ala is saying ‘Don’t forget Me – keep remembering Me! Keep remembering Me.’ SubhanAllah.
And then at the end of this verse, Allah ta’ala says { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬}. So when Allah ta’ala has mentioned His Ni’mahs and favours, why is Allah ta’ala concluding with { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ}? There is nothing about sin here, is there? SubhanAllah – say SubhanAllah. Allah ta’ala is not mentioning an event about sin, so why is Allah ta’ala saying ‘I am Forgiving, Merciful’? Allah is saying ‘Remember My Ni’mahs because you have forgotten them. I have given you untold Ni’mahs, so many Ni’mahs.’ Breathing, walking, travelling – everything is a Ni’mah of Allah. Allah is saying ‘You are wandering around the world, but you have not identified who has given you all these things, and you are not utilizing My Ni’mahs in the way that I have told you to. You are using your eyes, but what are you watching and looking at? You are watching things that I have told you are prohibited for you; they are sinful, so I do not like the fact that you are doing this with the eyes that I have given to you. By doing this action with your eyes, what are doing to My Ni’mahs? You are not appreciating this Ni’mah, for I gave you this eye for other purposes. I gave you this tongue for a particular purpose also. Every organ and every part of your body should be used according to My Hukm because I have given this to you – I am the Owner of your body. If you live your life and use your body according to My Commands, then you are valuing the body that I have given to you; you are appreciating it and are fulfilling the rights of the body. But if you use that same Ni’mah according to your Nafs and your desires, then in reality, you are disobeying Me and are ungrateful for the Ni’mah of your body that I have given to you.’ So we have these Ni’mahs, and we are using our eyes to look with, but are we using those eyes in the way that Allah ta’ala wants? If not, then that means we don’t value these eyes that Allah ta’ala has given us, and Allah ta’ala is alerting us to this fact in this verse.
And Allah ta’ala concludes this verse with { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬} even though there is no event or story relating to sin here. Yes, that is true, but Allah ta’ala is saying ‘The Ni’mahs and the body and the rights that I have given to you in this world are infinite, and if you fulfil the rights of those Ni’mahs by using them for the purpose for which they were given, then you have used them correctly and I will forgive all of your sins due to this.’ If you utilize the Ni’mahs correctly, then Allah will forgive all of your sins, and that is why Allah ta’ala is saying { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬}. Yes? This is the condition that Allah ta’ala is giving. So in other words, if we utilize the Ni’mahs that Allah ta’ala has given us according to His preference and His decree, then Allah ta’ala promises that He will eliminate all of our sins. This is because even if we do use the Ni’mahs correctly, a person will sin because we are human beings, aren’t we? But Allah ta’ala is saying ‘Don’t worry – just keep utilizing My Nimahs correctly and I will keep forgiving the sins that you commit. But you must use My Ni’mahs correctly.’
Allah says { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬} – SubhanAllah. Allah ta’ala highlights that He is Raheem here, saying ‘I will not only forgive you, but I am also Raheem. I will increase and multiply your Ni’mahs even more through this. If you use your eyesight properly, then I will multiply and strengthen and increase it.’ What does that mean? That you won’t have to wear glasses? No, no, no. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘The increase I will give is that, alhamdulillah, this eye will become such an eye that it won’t be restricted to this world, but rather it starts to experience the sights of My Tajalliyaat, of My Magnificence. It won’t just read the Qur’an, but it will see the Noor and the magnificence of the Qur’an, and it will perceive the meaning of the Qur’an; it will realise and recognize the reality of the Qur’an’ - and this is just by properly valuing one eye! So if we utilize the entire body for the purpose that Allah ta’ala has defined, then Allah ta’ala is saying ‘I am Raheem, so I will multiply and strengthen it for you.’ SubhanAllah.
Do you understand what I am saying, brothers? Do you understand today’s point? There are so many Ni’mahs that Allah ta’ala has given us, so many that we will lose count, and together with this, Allah ta’ala is saying ‘If you utilise these Ni’mahs and favours that I have given you, then you will be counted as being grateful for the Ni’mahs that I have given to you. I am your Rabb, and when you return to Me, I will tell you that you are free from sin, and you will see Barakaat beyond Barakaat for the Ni’mahs that I gave you in your body, because you used it correctly in the world.’
Now look here, there are such sicknesses and problems we have in our bodies these days – sometimes our stomach aches, sometimes we have a problem with the hands or the fingers. Allah has given everything to us, and we have also been given the cure for these ailments, for Allah is saying ‘Don’t do those actions with your body and limbs that I have told you are prohibited. If you follow this guidance, you will see how Ghafur and Raheem I am.’ Allah says ‘{ لَٮِٕن شَڪَرۡتُمۡ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمۡۖ} – Be grateful and then see how I multiply the Ni’mahs; I will increase them.’ This is what Allah ta’ala has told us about His Ni’mahs, His favours – and this is what happens when you are grateful for just one Ni’mah.
So today, I would like to ask you what the reward will be for that Ni’mah about which Allah ta’ala has said one thing – which is itself a Ni’mah. Allah ta’ala has mentioned this Ni’mah once, and He has attached a statement to it that he has not attached to any other Ni’mah. Regarding all the Ni’mahs of the world, Allah ta’ala says { لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ} – that they are infinite and innumerable – but Allah ta’ala has not attached this Ni’mah to these with this statement. What is the one Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala has given? Allah ta’ala says ‘I have given you this Ni’mah and I have favoured you with this.’ Imagine – Allah is saying that he has favoured us with this. What is the Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala has said He has favoured us with? Allah ta’ala has not said that He has favoured us regarding any other Ni’mah. Put the sky and the heavens and the oceans and the seas and water and all the Ni’mahs of the heavens and the earth to one side – there is just one Ni’mah about which Allah ta’ala has said ‘This is My favour upon you.’
{ لَقَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ } – say SubhanAllah! { لَقَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ} Allah ta’ala is saying ‘I have given this Ni’mah purely for the Mu’mineen. This one Ni’mah is solely for the believers, and this a favour of Mine upon you.’ Imagine that Ni’mah about which Allah says it is given as a favour, a gift and a present for you – and only for the Mu’mineen. So let us look at this and think about what level of gratefulness we should have for that Ni’mah, and consider how much we should value and appreciate it, and think how far we should push ourselves in showing appreciation for this Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala has mentioned in the Qur’an. So what is this Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala has said He has favoured us with? What is it? { إِذۡ بَعَثَ فِيہِمۡ رَسُولاً} – SubhanAllah! What is the favour? Allah ta’ala is saying ‘I gave My Habeeb to you - I gave such a great Rasool to you’ – sallallahu alayhi wasallam. SubhanAllah.
So Allah ta’ala sent His Nabi to us, and He has given us belief in that Nabi and has placed on our tongues the statement ‘Muhammad-ar-Rasoolullah’ – Allah enabled us to say this. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘This is a massive favour of Mine upon you, and no other favour in the world can compare to it.’ This is the greatest favour, compared with which the eyes and teeth and stomach and mouth and food and air and wind and bread and flour that Allah ta’ala has given are not favours at all. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘None of these have been given as a favour upon you; the biggest favour that I have granted to you is that I gave you My Rasool – My Rasool!’ SubhanAllah. What a great statement, and what a great point!
Now we are those people mentioned in the Qur’an to whom Allah ta’ala has said ‘I have given you My Rasool’, so tell me, brothers, how much do we value this favour of Rasoolullah? How much do we value and appreciate this favour of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam that Allah ta’ala has given to us? There are all these other functions and Ni’mahs that we have been given – our body and limbs and the infinite list about which Allah ta’ala has said that there is no upper limit, and you will lose count if you try to number them – and we have discussed all of these, so what about this greatest Ni’mah? How will Allah ta’ala put this favour into the accounting, which Allah ta’ala has said is the greatest favour He has given? Allah ta’ala will ask ‘How much did you value and appreciate this special favour I gave you? How grateful were you for this Ni’mah of Rasoolullah?’
{ لَٮِٕن شَڪَرۡتُمۡلَأَزِيدَنَّكُمۡۖ} We understand how to be grateful for the common gifts, for we have learned today how we should be grateful for the eyes and the mouth, namely that we can only be grateful when we use those organs and limbs in accordance with the orders of Allah. Even here, the same point applies. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘Rasoolullah is the greatest favour that I gave you – and you are his Ummatis – so how will you show gratitude for Rasoolullah?’ Yes?
People today are very grateful for this Ni’mah of Rasoolullah, aren’t they? My brothers, shaytan and Nafs are big opponents, very big opponents. They are a very big force, and so to follow the true and right way is very difficult – remember this. Unless you have a guide, then life is very difficult - and I am not delivering my own statement here, I am delivering my Sheikh’s statement. I am presenting my teacher’s statement to you, and you can experience the truth of this statement in your life. Those people who don’t have a guide, a true and honest guide – {كُونُواْ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِين}, as the Qur’an prescribes – if they want to be saved, then they need a true, honest and trustworthy guide. My Hadhrat said that following the path in this world is very difficult, and you will struggle with very severe enemies, for Nafs and shaytan will deviate you from the path; they will take you off the track. But if you have a true and trustworthy guide to guide you, who you follow and whose friendship you value, then the Qur’an guarantees: {كُونُواْ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِين} – sit with him, travel with him, go along that path with him, and Allah has promised that you will become a Muttaqi with this person, a person who is fearful of Allah. Do you understand the point that I am making?
So now, the biggest question arises, which is how much are we grateful for this great favour of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam that Allah gave to us, for this greatest of favours? We say ‘Oh Allah, we are grateful, for I did this and I do that.’ What can I say? You will understand that a person does whatever he can do, but he is doing all of this for himself. He eats food and listens to Naats and Nasheeds, but this is his Nafs which is saying that he is doing so much and that therefore he is grateful for Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. But this is not being grateful to Allah for Allah’s Nabi that He sent to us. Such things do not show that we are being grateful to Allah for this great Ni’mah of Allah – and remember, if we die in a state of ungratefulness to Allah for the gift of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then no way can we be forgiven. Never – remember this point. This is not a minor point, for this Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is the greatest favour that Allah ta’ala has given to us. On the other hand, if, when we depart, we are grateful for this Ni’mah, remember that Allah ta’ala has said regarding being grateful for all the other Nimahs that { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬}.
So what reward and compensation will Allah ta’ala give for being grateful for this Ni’mah? Imagine what a great compensation Allah ta’ala will give. { فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ} - Allah says this in the Qur’an. { فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ} Allah is saying that if you are grateful for this Ni’mah, what is the reward that you will get? You will become Allah’s beloved, and you will attain Allah’s love and nearness.’ In other words, the person who is grateful to Allah for the gracious Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam that Allah ta’ala sent to us, if we are doing Shukr in the right way and are appreciating and valuing him, then Allah ta’ala is saying ‘Who will those people be? They will be My beloved servants when they are raised in the Hereafter – My beloved servants.’ Those will be the people with the greatest rank, because remember, they showed gratitude for the greatest Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala gave in the best way. Do you understand my points, brothers? Yes.
So in this day and age, in this era and for this generation, this is the right and correct message that I am giving to you if you want a right and correct death. The only people who will be successful and on the right path in the Hereafter will be those who understand the rights and duties that go with the Ni’mah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and who fulfil those rights and duties. All the rest is drama. ‘I did this, and I recited that, and I did another thing, and I performed Hajj this many times’ – none of this will succeed, for first and foremost, Allah ta’ala will say ‘How grateful were you for this Ihsan of Rasoolullah that I gave to you?’ They will say ‘Yes, yes, I was grateful, oh Allah – I went to conferences and went on marches, and I did this and that.’ They extoll themselves so loudly that good people are forced to think ‘Am I on the right path or should I be doing something else?’ This happens because too many people are on the wrong way. They have more numbers, and they make a big drama of their fake practice so that even people on the right path start getting doubts and confusion and wondering whether they are on the right path.
I am telling you the truth here. It has got to the point that the right path is barely still in existence today – nowadays, even the people who don’t believe have started to speak out loudly. This is because today, we are in that generation of the internet and the online world. Wherever you are, you can see and experience what someone is saying and doing – the communication is so fast that people’s brains have been overtaken. Beware – this gathering is a special gathering, brothers; this is the gathering of Allah’s Dhikr. Alhamdulillah, here you will hear Haq, truth – this gathering will always communicate the truth. It may seem bitter to you, but it will penetrate your hearts, inshaAllah. You will never leave here confused and wondering whether you are on the right or wrong path, because the Qur’an is telling us what the right path is. It is the Qur’an that is telling you – up to now, we have been reading the Qur’an.
So here, the needle is in the middle. Allah ta’ala is asking us ‘The greatest Ni’mah that I have given to you is My Prophet, Rasoolullah, so how were you grateful for this Ni’mah? What did you give in return for this Ni’mah, for there is no greater Ni’mah than this one that I have given to the believers?’ If we say ‘Oh Allah, I have prayed this much Salah,’ it will be put to the side; if we say ‘Oh Allah, I have prayed this much Qur’an,’ it will be put to the side; ‘I did this many Hajj’- put it to one side. A person will say ‘I went to this many marches and recited this many Nasheeds and did this many actions’, but Allah ta’ala will say ‘You all go to one side.’ All those who call themselves Ashiqs will be asked the same question, and everyone will proclaim ‘Oh Allah, I am a lover of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Oh Allah, I love Your Rasool, and I believe in him, and I did this action, and I held this gathering, and these were my people, and they ran after me and accepted me.’ SubhanAllah – Allah has set out the sketch to show us what success is, and Allah has told us the methodology, saying ‘Whoever adopts this methodology, then he really has given the proper return for this Ni’mah that I have given to him.’
The way to be grateful is a very simple formula for us. If we want to be grateful for the Ni’mah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then just do what Allah ta’ala is prescribing and you will be counted as a grateful person. But we have rejected the Tariqa that Allah ta’ala has given to us. We have shunned it and have totally suppressed it and put it to the side or behind our backs, whereas we have elevated the Tariqa that shaytan has prescribed, as if we were saying ‘Oh, shaytan - yes, yes, we like this method.’ This is how we show our gratitude to Allah. We recite this verse openly, but then we reject it.
So let us read this verse that Allah ta’ala has given to us. Allah is saying ‘I have given you My Rasool. I sent him to you, and this is My greatest favour upon the Mu’mineen.’ Alongside that, what does Allah ta’ala say? Allah says ‘When My Rasool came to you, when I sent him to you, what did he do?’ SubhanAllah. ‘What did he do? Why did I send him? What actions did he do? What did he give to you? What did he bring you that causes me to say that he is the biggest favour I have given to the believers? First and foremost, he gave you the Qur’an.’ What did he bring? The Qur’an – the Kitab of Allah. And then Allah says { وَيُزَڪِّيہِمۡ} – he also brought Tazkiyah. And what does Allah say thereafter? { وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِڪۡمَةَ} Allah did not just say that he was to teach the Qur’an and to read the Qur’an, but alongside the Qur’an he brought Hikmah. Allah says ‘The Hikmah was brought along with My Qur’an – the whole Shari’ah was prescribed to you. Fiqh was given to you, law was given to you.’
A very clear message has come to us here, which is that Allah is saying ‘If you want to repay this favour I have given you and fulfil its rights, then grateful is the one who does this action: regarding the Qur’an that he brought to you and the Shari’ah that he gave you and the Fiqh and the law and the principles that emanate from the Qur’an, a person who goes beyond reading it and practically and physically implements it, step by step, is truly grateful.’ When somebody asked Aisha Siddiqua radhiAllahu anha ‘How was the Akhlaq of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam?’ she said ‘Kana khuluquhu-l-Qur’an.’ So the actions and conduct of Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam was the Qur’an. The Qur’an was explained in the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam – his life was the Tafseer. The order of Allah is in the Qur’an and the life of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is how to do Amal upon it. {وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡۚ} - Allah is saying ‘These are the verses of My Qur’an’, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would recite them, verse by verse, and he demonstrated every single verse of the Qur’an physically to his noble Companions. He explained Fiqh, Shari’ah, Hikmah, Sunnah - and also { وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡ}. This was the third function, that a person cleans himself and washes himself. How? Not with water, nor with perfume or fragrance or soap – what does a Muslim clean himself with? With Tazkiyah – the meaning of Tazkiyah is mentioned in this verse.
{ وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡ} – Tasawwuf is mentioned here, the branch of Islam called Sufism. What is Sufism? What is Tasawwuf? What does it mean and what does it tell us? What does it teach us? Not spiritual dancing or singing or trances - no, no, no. People say ‘Oh, he does this, and the Dervishes do a dance’ - the meaning of Sufism is weird today. But Sufism comes from Tazkiyah, which means to clean yourself – it comes from the Qur’an, from Allah’s Kitab: { وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡ} – Allah’s Rasool sallallahu alayhi wasallam washes them clean and makes them pure. This is the meaning of Tasawwuf. Some people have given it a bad name and engage in wrong practices. This applies to everything in the world today – you can find the right method and the wrong method. So you can find the right Tazkiyah and the wrong Tazkiyah, just as you can find real honey and fake honey, or real milk and fake milk. So I am explaining the correct Tazkiyah to you, the Tazkiyah that Allah has mentioned, and the rest is fake - the rest is a drama. The Qur’an is explaining what the correct Tazkiyah is. If I say that I am a Sheikh or if someone says that he wants to go to a Sheikh to do Tazkiyah, then what will be in people’s minds? They will think ‘Oh, he will start listening to music and dancing and jumping up and down and listening to Qawwalis – that is Tazkiyah.’ Is this what Tazkiyah is? No – let’s leave that. If there is a gathering of Dhikr, will that just be Tazkiyah? No, Dhikr on its own is not what Tazkiyah is.
So what is the meaning of Tazkiyah? What does it mean to go to a Sheikh? How do I know that I am getting purified if I want to get clean? This is what this verse refers to. The meaning of purifying and cleaning that the Qur’an has given to us is that Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam has implemented and demonstrated it, and he has shown us the Hikmah and Fiqh and the Shari’ah, and he has shown us all the Sunnahs related to it and has said ‘Whatever I am doing, you need to do the same. Do whatever I am doing.’ He explained to us how to pray Salah in every detail, whether raising the hands between postures, or saying ‘Ameen’ loudly or softly – these are not matters to dispute. These are different Masa’il of Fiqh, and there is no big issue or cause for quarrelling.
But there is a very big point here. If I want to pray Salah but I deliberately don’t face the Ka’abah but instead face another direction, then I have taken a U-turn in my Deen, and this is what is happening nowadays. We have made a U-turn and have turned our faces away from the Deen – and we have done so very easily. For example, you see marches and demonstrations, and people do this and that at the Rawdha Mubarak, because they think that this will bring Thawab, and they see themselves as Ashiqs and lovers and hold celebrations and so on. I am not criticizing anyone here, but rather I am speaking generally. Does the Qur’an say that we should do this? The Qur’an explains – yes, celebrate, for this a very great favour, so celebrate it. The Qur’an itself explains that Allah says ‘This is such a great favour that was given when I sent My Nabi upon you’, so should we not remember that great day when Allah sent His Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam? Definitely celebrate it - no problem; we should remember it and commemorate it. And what is celebrating it? To remember that day and recollect that day on which Allah’s Nabi came – but how? How should we do this, because we are very far from that generation now.
It is essential for us, and Allah ta’ala reminds us, time and time again, that He has given us so many Ni’mahs; He reminds us that He gave us everything, and the Qur’an is reminding us today that Allah ta’ala gave you all these Ni’mahs. In the same way, we should remember on this day what we have forgotten, and remember why Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam came, in reality. We should remember the reasons that Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam came, and that is the way that you celebrate the day of his birth. Yes, we should remember, and we should recollect that day, alhamdulillah – don’t forget it – but in a real way and not in an artificial way. Just as Allah ta’ala reminds us that He has given us Ni’mahs that we have forgotten about, in the same way, Allah ta’ala is reminding us that we have strayed very far away. How should you celebrate and commemorate the day on which Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam came? Do so in such a way that you awaken yourself and your conscience is reminded of what Allah ta’ala has given us. Ask yourself - what have you done for the Deen? How are you showing your gratefulness for the Ni’mah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam? You should live your life in a way that revives the Deen, so sit down on this day, remember Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam and revive his practice, his Deen and his methods – that is the way to celebrate that day.
Allah ta’ala has not prohibited celebrating it, but we need to do it in the right Tariqa. So how do you remember this day? How do we celebrate that day? SubhanAllah – Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘I came with the Kitab and Fiqh and the Shari’ah and the Sunnah, which is my methodology.’ That is what we call the Sunnah Sharifah, which is every action that Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam demonstrated to us and showed us with the Hukm ‘Do this in the way that I do it.’ We have to do these things in the correct way. So how should we do Tazkiyah? Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is saying ‘What did I say to you about the Qur’an that I brought to you? What are the main things that the Qur’an explains to us? Halal and Haram – lawful and unlawful.’ Allah ta’ala has given us orders regarding what is lawful and unlawful, telling us the things that are permissible and which we can do, and the things that are prohibited and we cannot do. That is the definition of Halal and Haram. So when a human being follows the orders of the Qur’an in his life according to the Sunnah and the Shari’ah, and makes doing so the essential guide to his life, distinguishing carefully between these two categories of Halal and Haram, controlling himself and living his life according to this, then his Tazkiyah is being performed – that is the meaning of Sufism.
That is what Tasawwuf is, and that is why we go to a Sheikh. If you go to a Sheikh for Dhikr, Dhikr is a cure. What is it? It is a cure – it is not the objective. No, Dhikr is a cure, and Allah ta’ala has given Dhikr as a resource, a tool. By means of this tool, you remember Allah; and when you remember Allah, you remember Allah’s Ni’mahs; and when you remember Allah’s Ni’mahs, then you remember the greatest Ni’mah that Allah has given, which is Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam; and when you remember that, then you will do Amal on his Sunnah. This is like a chain effect.
So when you go to the Sheikh and you learn Dhikr and start doing Dhikr, then the next step is to ask yourself ‘Are those feeling being aroused in me so that I understand the difference between Halal and Haram? Do I live my life according to that? If so, alhamdulillah, my Tazkiyah is taking place’ – SubhanAllah. If a person just does Dhikr in public, but really he is not doing the Dhikr he has been prescribed and he puts the brakes on this practice, and if he does not do his Muhasibah, then he needs the Tazkiyah sheets. That is why I give the Tazkiyah sheets. Don’t think ‘I can just tick the Dhikr sheet, and I am doing okay’ – no, absolutely not. I have mentioned many times before that Dhikr is not the endpoint. You have to get to the endpoint, and the endpoint is Tazkiyah. And what is Tazkiyah? It is the laws that Allah ta’ala has prescribed in the Qur’an in respect of Halal and Haram, so live your life completely in accordance with these laws, for only those who do so will be successful in the Hereafter. Those are the people who can be defined as Dhakireen - remember this. This is the definition of Dhakireen, and there will be eight doors through which those people can enter Paradise; the Dhakireen are those who will reach this destination – say SubhanAllah.
Do you understand this, brothers? Go towards the destination by means of Dhikrullah. If you are on the right path, then inshaAllah you will stay on the right path. Keep hold of Dhikr strongly and keep the company of your Sheikh strongly. Keep on travelling in this way with this Niyyah in front of you: ‘I need to bring caution about Halal and Haram into my life. I need to keep fighting and controlling myself’ – and if you do this, then Allah promises that you will rise among the Muflihoon, the successful people. Not today but tomorrow, so don’t leave the path. It is like when you want to get to London and you set out on the right route; even if your car starts going slow or stops or gets a puncture, you still do not leave the route, for inshaAllah that is how you will reach your destination. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, and it doesn’t matter how old your car is, whether it is a run-down, useless car. Everyone’s car is different, and you see all sorts of cars on the road, so don’t worry about the car, just worry about the route that you are taking. Remind yourself ‘I am on the Straight Path, the correct path, and if I don’t reach today, then I will do so tomorrow, and it doesn’t matter if someone overtakes me, for I will get there as well one day.’ But as for the person who doesn’t know the route and is not following the right path, what will become of him? The path that Allah ta’ala has prescribed is a clear path, SubhanAllah – where will it take you?
So bring the criteria of Halal and Haram fully into your life. If something has been forbidden, be clear that it is wrong because Allah has forbidden it and Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam has said ‘Don’t do this.’ Wherever there is Haram, there will be punishment – remember this. All the things that are forbidden have punishments attached to them, so don’t do those actions. By contrast, if you perform Halal actions, then there will be rewards attached – remember this. And if Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam has said ‘Do this action’ and has commanded us to do something, then if we don’t do it, there will also be punishment; but if you perform that action, then there will be Salam and Thawab to go with it, and that action will take you towards Allah.
Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said “من احب سنتى فقد احبنى” – What a big guarantee this is. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is saying ‘If you love my Sunnahs and start doing Amal on my Sunnahs, then that my love is guaranteed for that person’ - SubhanAllah. But shaytan and Nafs say ‘Oh no, no, no – do a U-turn. Sunnah is not important – just look at things that are Fardh and Wajib and the rest you can choose to do or not to do.’ We have made these categories and levels nowadays, but this is not the case in reality. What does the Qur’an say about the Sunnah? I would like to explain an Ajeeb and beautiful point where Allah ta’ala mentions a great reward connected to the Sunnah – and this means Sunnah in general. There is a massive reward for the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
Look at this verse that I read: { فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ}. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘If you obey the Sunnah and follow the Sunnah of My Nabi, then what is the reward? { فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ} – If you follow him, then I make you My beloved.’ So I would like to share a beautiful point with you here in your service, which is that if we attach ourselves to all of the Sunnahs of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam throughout our lives, then we will become the beloved of Allah – say SubhanAllah. This is the thought that comes with { فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ}. Allah is saying clearly here ‘If you do Amal on the Sunnah, I will make you My beloved.’ So how long should I be practicing these Sunnahs? What if I leave this action sometimes, and sometimes do it, and sometimes I discard this or forget that or make some mistake? Astaghfar may be there too, but what does this mean? How will you be counted as one of the beloved people who follows the Sunnah then?
Hadhrat Arifi rahmatullah alayh made a beautiful statement that I would like to share with you, an Ajeeb and unique statement. With his spiritual insight, his Kashf, and his experience, he said ‘This is not the case.’ He explained that the reality is a great piece of news that Allah ta’ala has given here, which shows how beloved Allah’s Rasool sallallahu alayhi wasallam is to Allah. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam is so beloved to Him that every single one of his practices comes with good news for the Mu’mineen. If you do Amal on any Sunnah of Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then you immediately become the Mehboob of Allah at that time when you follow that Sunnah. In other words, when you leave home having put on your shoes in the Sunnah manner practiced by Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then he stated that at the time of doing Amal on that Sunnah, you attain the level of Allah’s love, and if you die while implementing that Sunnah, then Allah will most definitely give you the rank of His beloved. This is what Sunnah is, my brothers – this is Sunnah.
And that is why you should be so proud to be able to follow Sunnah in this generation that we are in now. We should have this Fikr, because Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that a time would come when there would be no-one to be seen who does Amal on the Sunnah. That is how severe the drought will be. You will just hear ‘Qur’an, Qur’an, Qur’an. We don’t know what Shari’ah and Sunnah is – just pick up the Qur’an.’ They will just hold the Qur’an and say ‘Qur’an is enough’, but nobody can understand the Qur’an without the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam – and the Qur’an itself tells us this. {وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡۚ} – he taught the Qur’an, and he brought the Hikmah, and he gave the Tazkiyah, so how can we say we are following the Qur’an? The physical being and practice of the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is the Tafseer of the Qur’an; the explanation of the Qur’an is the Sunnah. What else do we need?
So the Qur’an is the physical Kitab, and the Sunnah is the commentary. The commentary is the Sunnah – there is no difference. The order for Salah is in the Qur’an, but how can you pray Qur’an if you don’t know the way of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam? Will your Salah be accepted? If someone says ‘Today, I feel like praying Fajr after Isha’, will their Salah be accepted? No. ‘What’s wrong with that? Why can’t we pray Fajr when we want?’ No – there are conditions which Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam explained to us. There are set times, and Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam demonstrated them all physically – this is Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib. If you don’t do it in his way, with the right number of Rakahs at the right time, then how will you be able to pray Salah if you only follow the Qur’an? Tell me. There is no Tariqa, no physical explanation in the Qur’an. Allah ta’ala created Fiqh so that the Imams, the jurists and scholars, could explain the details. Imam Bukhari was created for this; what great people Allah ta’ala created – they gave us the Deen.
So this is the situation. The only successful human being is he who imitates the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Wherever we go in the Muslim world today, do we see any difference? As the years have passed by, has the Deen changed? The Deen now is the same that Allah ta’ala made back then, so wherever I go, in whichever country, I will be able to practice my Deen. And wherever I go, I will be able to explain to the people that this is my Deen, and there is no need for arguments about it. There is no cause for disputation, just say ‘This is my Deen and I am practicing it. That’s it. I have not come here to criticize you, and are you suffering any pain or loss due my practice of Deen?’ Say SubhanAllah. ‘If I pray Salah, am I giving any loss to you? If I wear an Imamah, am I giving you any loss? Does my beard give you any loss?’ The reply will be that there is no loss, so I will say ‘Then let me practice then. And if you don’t let me practice, then fine, I’ll leave. If that is the case, then we can’t live in this country.’ We came for this, and wherever we go, in any part of the world, the Hukm is the same. We are Muslims, and what travels with the Muslims? The Qur’an travels with them, SubhanAllah, and the orders of Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam travel with the Muslims as well.
So the Qur’an gives orders, and the orders of Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam say to do this and to do that, how to avoid doing wrong, how to do good. And if our practice is giving those around us pain of any kind, then ask them to please tell us. They will say ‘No, no, don’t worry, there’s no problem, but the only thing is that we don’t like the way you look.’ What can I do if you don’t like the way I look? What can I do about it if you don’t like the way I look? How would you feel if we say that we don’t like the way you look? So you should like us as we like you. We don’t say that you look bad - we don’t mind the way you look, whether you wear shorts or trousers or walk around half-naked; we have no issue with that. And if we have no issue, why should you have an issue with how we look? What a great Deen Islam is – is it not? { لَكُمۡ دِينُكُمۡ وَلِىَ دِينِ} – your Deen is for you, and our Deen is for us; our Deen is with us. { لَكُمۡ دِينُكُمۡ وَلِىَ دِينِ} If you like our Deen, we will explain it to you – Allah is One, His Rasool is one, and there is no god apart from Allah, for He has no partners and the rest is Shirk. Many Nabis came and we believe in Hadhrat Isa alayhi salam and Hadhrat Moosa alayhi salam – they are all great Prophets, and they have the rank of Prophethood. If we do not believe in them as Prophets, then we are not Muslims ourselves. We respect everyone and follow Allah’s orders and so on. Yes? We should explain this to people, and if they like our Da’wah, then we should invite them to accept our faith. And if they don’t like it - { لَكُمۡ دِينُكُمۡ وَلِىَ دِينِ} – your Deen is with you, and our Deen is with us. We will sit in our Masjids, and you can do what you want – carry on; it’s fine, no problem. Will there ever be a quarrel or argument in this case?
So who creates quarrels and arguments? Those who don’t follow Deen are the ones who create the arguments. They are so-called Muslims, not real Muslims. The true Muslim will never create argumentation and disputes – never. He will never quarrel with another religion – why? Because this is the Sunnah of our Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam never quarreled with a Jew or a Christian – no way. Rather, he presented his Deen physically. { لَآ إِكۡرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ} There is no compulsion in Deen, so who are these people who create these differences and arguments? Who are these people who create these problems? This is not the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam and this is not Shari’ah – this is not Islam. This is undoubtedly other people who get involved, calling themselves Muslims, but they are not Muslims for they are not practicing the Qur’an. They are not practicing the Deen and they don’t practice the Sunnah and the Qur’an, and hence they cause quarrels and disputes between us and other communities. It is they who are doing this. They are not people who wear Imamahs and have beards and Sunnah clothing; they are not those people who, if you speak to them, you think ‘There is no one better than this person.’
Our Deen teaches honesty and balance and justice, and that you should follow the laws of whatever country you go to. We are not told ‘Go to those countries and break their laws’ – no. Rather, we are supposed to adhere to the laws and principles of those countries if they are not in opposition to our Deen. If they are not, then follow their laws in business and society and taxation and VAT. Do everything correctly, for that is what Islam teaches us. Does our Deen teach fighting and quarrelling, disputes and Fasaad, disorder and trampling on people’s rights and taking their money? No, which is why the true Sufi, the Sadiq, honest, upright Muslim who has good Sohbat would never teach his Mureeds wrong actions – never ever. No, you will learn Deen from the true Sheikh, and it is your choice as to whether you like that Deen or not. It is up to you, but that is the Deen of Islam.
Allah has said ‘The greatest favour that I gave to the world was that I sent Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam.’ Allah gave two favours, and Allah addresses the Mu’mineen in particular, saying ‘I have given a Kitab to you, and you have accepted it and believed it, and you have also said the Kalimah Muhammad-ar-Rasoolullah, so why don’t you follow his Sunnah? Why don’t you follow his Shari’ah? Why don’t you wake up and understand? What day are you celebrating? You will undergo a severe reckoning - beware!’
So, my brothers, alhamdulillah, this is the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, so let us remember this message. Come, let us celebrate the day of the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal – we should definitely remember it and celebrate it, but let’s revive it correctly. What is the right way? Let us refine and revive ourselves and refresh our Deen. Let us turn to Allah and say ‘Oh Allah, we have certainly fallen down in many things, but whatever we do in our lives henceforth will be according to Sunnah and Shari’ah. We will do whatever Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam brought to us, because this is a very great favour of Yours, and you will ask us about this greatest favour on the Day of Judgement.’ We will be asked ‘Why did you not imitate the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam while you were walking and talking and standing and sitting, outside and inside, externally and internally?’ Everything, from A to Z, should be in accordance with the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. That is when we can say that we are grateful for this favour of Allah. Apart from that, you can make functions, dramas, and let your Nafs do its own Hisab, but this is not repaying this favour from Allah. The Qur’an says that the greatest favour is that we have been made Ummatis, members of the Ummah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and the way to repay that favour is to spend your whole life in following the Sunnah and Shari’ah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. That’s it – end of story.
May Allah ta’ala give us all the ability to practice this path. Ameen. Come, let us do the Dhikr of Allah.
Allah subhana wa ta'ala has stated in the Qur’an-e-Hakim:
{وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ }
Allah subhana wa ta'ala has mentioned this matter in various places in the Noble Qur’an, relating to the fact that Allah ta’ala has given us so many favours and gifts. Allah has bestowed so many Ni’mahs that they are infinite – you cannot count them, however many computers or calculating machines you apply to the task. The number of Ni’mahs that Allah ta’ala has given are innumerable, for there are so many blessings and favours that He has given.
Allah ta’ala has given two types of Ni’mahs, and one is the body of a human being that we have been given. If you look at our physical body, you will see that within the body is a collection of Ni’mahs that Allah subhana wa ta'ala has given. And the body of a human being is a blessing so unique that no one other than Allah ta’ala can bestow this gift. You cannot get the body and its functions from anywhere other than from Allah. Can anybody manufacture an eye? Show me who can do this. You might be able to get glasses, but not the eye. What about a nose and what is within it, in terms of veins and arteries and other features? And if we look inside the body of a human being, we can consider the system of breathing, or the kidneys, or the lungs. The body is such that we cannot understand it, even in this day and age when we have advanced levels of research into the body and its functions. Despite this, nobody can fully understand what Allah ta’ala has given to us, and that is what makes clear how great a Ni’mah it is.
As I said, we cannot count the Ni’mahs that Allah ta’ala has given to us. Let us look at the head; can anyone count the number of hairs you have on your head? Nobody can do so – it is not possible. This is another Ni’mah of Allah, the hair on the head. Allah ta’ala made a challenge to mankind until the Day of Judgement that nobody can compete with Allah. Even those who don’t believe in Allah can test themselves against this challenge, SubhanAllah, and if they cannot succeed in the challenge, then they should believe in Allah. Why should a person not believe in Allah if they fail to show that something can compete with Allah, and cannot live up to this challenge and create something on a par with the human body. It is a clear proof in Allah that this cannot be done.
So the body is one Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala has given – and it contains so many Ni’mahs itself – and secondly, consider the world that we are living in. Allah ta’ala tells us to look around at the world. There are two types of Ni’mah: one is the physical body of the human being, and the second is the world that we are living in. Allah ta’ala declares that this is a Ni’mah; it is also a gift – a beautiful gift. And you can see these two things physically. One thing is the physical body and what is within it, and the other is external – the wind, water, food, drinks and so on. Let’s consider the honeybee. Can anybody manufacture a honeybee, whose honey Allah ta’ala has declared to be Shifa? Show me a factory where you can manufacture the honey yourself. There are factories all over the world that make fake honey, but if you buy it, after a few days it separates out. So see if you can make real honey and compete with Allah. This comes from a small bee, while we make aeroplanes and do research into each one. This is fine – Allah says ‘Fine, but can you manufacture a honeybee that can make honey for you in these factories of yours?’ Has anyone manufactured honey until today? Tell me. Nobody is able to. And the challenge that Allah ta’ala gives is that you cannot even count the Ni’mahs.
Count how many chickens there are in the world today, or we could move on from that for now. In the morning, we have two eggs for breakfast, two fried eggs with bread and cheese. We eat food in the morning, don’t we? We have toast with different spreads on top and two fried eggs. So Allah ta’ala is saying ‘How many eggs are there in the world today?’ Imagine trying to count how many eggs Allah ta’ala gives us on a daily basis.
This verse that Allah ta’ala has mentioned in the Qur’an lays down this challenge for mankind, so what is the reason for this challenge? There is a reason, but Allah ta’ala has not mentioned it Himself – He is just mentioning His Ni’mahs here. However, there is a great point here that I would like to explain to you. When a person favours someone with something, like giving him a house, or a car, or some money, or giving him a loan or some cash, then there are natural tendencies inside a human being – and Allah ta’ala has made us this way. One such tendency is to forget, and another is to appreciate. This is my experience, and if you like it, fine, and if not, then leave it – I will just explain to you what I understand. Now it is one thing for you to forget something in your mind – that is different, and that is something that happens to everyone from time to time. However, not to appreciate and value what has been given to us is something else altogether. When appreciation and the sense of gratefulness comes out of a person, that is different.
So when a person favours another human being by giving something - a house perhaps - or assists him in some way, then it is a common to find that a human being not only forgets, but rather he goes beyond that and stops appreciating the favour altogether. It can even get to the point that he turns his face away from the person who has favoured him, saying ‘Who are you? I don’t know you – you haven’t done anything for me. No, I did this myself, it was not due to you.’ He effectively takes a U-turn, not only forgetting but not even appreciating what was done for him. We see this commonly in the world today.
So the human being may forget from his mind, but even worse is when he forgets and stops appreciating the favour entirely. It stands to reason that if you remind someone about the person who helped you and favoured you and he says ‘No, he didn’t help me’, then you should go into detail and say ‘What about this car? Where did you get it?’ Remind him about what he was given. Say ‘Who gave this car to you then? Don’t you remember where you got it from? Don’t you realise what a big favour he gave you?’ Then he will say ‘Oh yes, that’s right, he did give me the car, yes.’ He will remember the person who favoured him when the product that he was given is mentioned. If you ask him generally, then he won’t remember, but if you highlight the item that he was given, then that person will wake up immediately. He will realise that he is using and benefitting from the item that he was given, and then he will feel ashamed, and his conscience will be awoken.
This is a deep point that I am explaining to you here. This is Allah’s Kitab, the Qur’an, and Allah ta’ala is alerting us and waking us up through this message. Allah is not mentioning His Name, or saying ‘It is Me, Allah, who has given you all of this.’ Rather, Allah ta’ala is mentioning the Ni’mahs that He has given to us. The same meaning applies here, for by means of the reference to the Ni’mahs, Allah ta’ala is calling us to Himself. He is inviting us to Himself, saying, ‘You know this eye through which you are looking? Who gave it to you?’ When you hear this question, who will you remember? You will remember Allah. So Allah ta’ala is mentioning His gifts and favours here so that when you remember what has been given to you, who will you remember? You will remember your Rabb, your Lord and Creator. So the point that Allah ta’ala is making by mentioning His gifts and favours, is that a human being is prone to forgetting Allah.
Now we should understand a heavy point here, which is that when a human being forgets Allah, it is obvious that he will be disobedient to Allah because he becomes detached from his Lord and free of His guidance – he is finished at that time. There are two types of recognition in a human being – remember this. One is that when a person stops recognising and realising, then he loses so much that he stops believing in Allah. He says ‘There is no God – this is me who is doing this. I created this, technology created this; this is our science and is due to our advancement and progression. We have done this through our science.’ This is a person who forgets Allah and His favours so much that he stops believing in Allah, losing out to that point that he actually says that there is no God. He does Shirk with Allah – that is how far from recognition he has gone and how completely his appreciation has disappeared. He say ‘Oh no, this is not a Ni’mah of Allah.’
But there is a second category of forgetful human beings, and these benefit from the Barakah of the Kalimah. They have received and accepted this Kalimah, but they too have stopped appreciating Allah – however they are not so dead that they have forgotten Allah altogether. It is from the Barakah of the Kalimah that a person who has this Kalimah will never reject Allah. What will he do? He will only remember Allah at certain times, like when Ramadhan comes around, or at the time of Hajj, or maybe when some issue arises, or some day of celebration occurs. Only at those times will he sometimes remember Allah, but otherwise, he too has no connection with Allah. His lights have become dim, and he has forgotten, and his recognition has diminished.
So how will such a person remember the favours of Allah if he is so distant from Allah? He will utilise the favours that Allah ta’ala has given to him in the wrong way; he will go in the wrong direction with the Ni’mahs of Allah - and this is Allah’s punishment. Allah ta’ala makes the person who has forgotten Allah forget His Ni’mahs, so that he utilises them in the wrong way; he can’t use them in the right way – this is the punishment that Allah ta’ala gives a person who forgets Allah. So Allah subhana wa ta'ala makes clear that the real way is to remember Allah. That is the proper way - don’t forget Allah. That is why Allah ta’ala said to us {وَٱذۡڪُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ ڪَثِيرً۬ا لَّعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ} – SubhanAllah. Say SubhanAllah. Allah is saying that Dhikr of Allah is such a fantastic method, and Allah ta’ala has said in the Qur’an time and time again that we should remember Allah, and remember Him abundantly, in high quantity.
And Allah is saying ‘I have no need for you to remember Me’ – it is not to benefit Allah that we sit down together and say ‘Allah, Allah’ and do Tasbeehs. Allah says ‘I have no desire for this’, and there are forms of creation that remember Allah so many times over. The walls remember Allah, the doors remember Allah, the air remembers Allah, the soil remembers Allah, the water remembers Allah; everything that we see in creation all remembers Allah, all of it, yet forgetful is he for whom Allah ta’ala made this world! The human being has forgotten, but the things that were made for that human being all do the Dhikr of Allah. Yes? Is this not an amazing contrast? The human being should be the Dhakir, but the resources in the world that were made for him are remembering Allah, while the person who should be remembering Allah has forgotten! Everything in the universe is doing Allah ta’ala’s Dhikr right now - atoms and particles are all doing Dhikr of Allah. There is nothing that forgets Allah.
The Qur’an has mentioned this. Yes? {سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ} – everything in the heavens and the earth is calling out to its Lord. But who is the Ghafil? The human being is negligent by forgetting Allah, and then he is disconnected; he has forgotten everything. That is why Allah ta’ala says in the Qur’an, time and time again, ‘Oh human being, remember Me! Remember Me, and when you keep on remembering Me, then I will remember you. And when I remember you, then you will also remember My Ni’mahs, and the connection between Me and you will remain steadfast – and you will never be disobedient to Me.’ That is why Allah ta’ala says ‘Tuflihoon – you will be successful.’ The Dhakir never forgets Allah – there is no other meaning or purpose of doing Dhikr.
The Sufis who do Dhikr and the Sheikhs who host Dhikr do not do so for piety or to do weird things and engender weird feelings – no. The purpose being doing Dhikr Allah is based on the fact that if he was to forget Allah, he would be finished. Hence Allah ta’ala has prescribed a Tariqa in order that a person will not forget Him, which is to do Allah’s Dhikr continuously. Allah has given a time for this, saying ‘Continue to remember Me each morning and evening – { بُكۡرَةً۬ وَأَصِيلاً۬}.’ Allah ta’ala has given a schedule, saying ‘Remember Me in the morning, when the day starts, then do what you need to do during the day, and then in the evening, after Isha or after Maghrib, sit and remember Me again.’ That’s it. That’s the definition of Dhikrullah – nothing else.
But what is our situation? Why have we forgotten Allah? Our situation is upside down, and for that reason, we have forgotten Allah. So it is absolutely essential that we do Dhikr today. Let’s look at our condition, at our lifestyles and our circumstances, and think ‘What is my connection with my Rabb today? Am I doing those things which Allah ta’ala has told me not to do? Do I lie?’ Allah tells us not to lie, but we lie. Allah ta’ala tells us not to oppress people, but we do oppress people; Allah ta’ala tells us not to cause hardship to people, but we do cause hardship to people. Whatever Allah ta’ala has told us not to do, we do those things. And as for the things which Allah ta’ala has instructed us to do, we don’t do those things. So where is the connection between us and Allah? Is it just about eating Halal food? Is eating Halal the extent of the connection between us and Allah? Is some small deed that we do sufficient to make the connection? No. The full connection with Allah ta’ala is this, that we live our lives in full obedience to Allah’s commands.
This is Deen, and the person who follows Deen will never be a misguided person, and he will never do wrong to anyone or oppress anyone; he will never do bad actions and evil actions; he will be Sadiq and Amin, righteous and trustworthy; the Qur’an-e-Hakim will always be in front of him, and he will live his life in accordance with the Qur’an. So the cure and the way to follow the right path is to understand and identify Allah’s Ni’mahs. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘I am mentioning and identifying these Ni’mahs to you so that you can wake up and remember My Ni’mahs, so that you appreciate and value My Ni’mahs, because if you value My Ni’mahs, then you will certainly come to appreciate your Lord.’ So what is the purpose? Allah ta’ala is saying ‘Don’t forget Me – keep remembering Me! Keep remembering Me.’ SubhanAllah.
And then at the end of this verse, Allah ta’ala says { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬}. So when Allah ta’ala has mentioned His Ni’mahs and favours, why is Allah ta’ala concluding with { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ}? There is nothing about sin here, is there? SubhanAllah – say SubhanAllah. Allah ta’ala is not mentioning an event about sin, so why is Allah ta’ala saying ‘I am Forgiving, Merciful’? Allah is saying ‘Remember My Ni’mahs because you have forgotten them. I have given you untold Ni’mahs, so many Ni’mahs.’ Breathing, walking, travelling – everything is a Ni’mah of Allah. Allah is saying ‘You are wandering around the world, but you have not identified who has given you all these things, and you are not utilizing My Ni’mahs in the way that I have told you to. You are using your eyes, but what are you watching and looking at? You are watching things that I have told you are prohibited for you; they are sinful, so I do not like the fact that you are doing this with the eyes that I have given to you. By doing this action with your eyes, what are doing to My Ni’mahs? You are not appreciating this Ni’mah, for I gave you this eye for other purposes. I gave you this tongue for a particular purpose also. Every organ and every part of your body should be used according to My Hukm because I have given this to you – I am the Owner of your body. If you live your life and use your body according to My Commands, then you are valuing the body that I have given to you; you are appreciating it and are fulfilling the rights of the body. But if you use that same Ni’mah according to your Nafs and your desires, then in reality, you are disobeying Me and are ungrateful for the Ni’mah of your body that I have given to you.’ So we have these Ni’mahs, and we are using our eyes to look with, but are we using those eyes in the way that Allah ta’ala wants? If not, then that means we don’t value these eyes that Allah ta’ala has given us, and Allah ta’ala is alerting us to this fact in this verse.
And Allah ta’ala concludes this verse with { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬} even though there is no event or story relating to sin here. Yes, that is true, but Allah ta’ala is saying ‘The Ni’mahs and the body and the rights that I have given to you in this world are infinite, and if you fulfil the rights of those Ni’mahs by using them for the purpose for which they were given, then you have used them correctly and I will forgive all of your sins due to this.’ If you utilize the Ni’mahs correctly, then Allah will forgive all of your sins, and that is why Allah ta’ala is saying { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬}. Yes? This is the condition that Allah ta’ala is giving. So in other words, if we utilize the Ni’mahs that Allah ta’ala has given us according to His preference and His decree, then Allah ta’ala promises that He will eliminate all of our sins. This is because even if we do use the Ni’mahs correctly, a person will sin because we are human beings, aren’t we? But Allah ta’ala is saying ‘Don’t worry – just keep utilizing My Nimahs correctly and I will keep forgiving the sins that you commit. But you must use My Ni’mahs correctly.’
Allah says { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬} – SubhanAllah. Allah ta’ala highlights that He is Raheem here, saying ‘I will not only forgive you, but I am also Raheem. I will increase and multiply your Ni’mahs even more through this. If you use your eyesight properly, then I will multiply and strengthen and increase it.’ What does that mean? That you won’t have to wear glasses? No, no, no. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘The increase I will give is that, alhamdulillah, this eye will become such an eye that it won’t be restricted to this world, but rather it starts to experience the sights of My Tajalliyaat, of My Magnificence. It won’t just read the Qur’an, but it will see the Noor and the magnificence of the Qur’an, and it will perceive the meaning of the Qur’an; it will realise and recognize the reality of the Qur’an’ - and this is just by properly valuing one eye! So if we utilize the entire body for the purpose that Allah ta’ala has defined, then Allah ta’ala is saying ‘I am Raheem, so I will multiply and strengthen it for you.’ SubhanAllah.
Do you understand what I am saying, brothers? Do you understand today’s point? There are so many Ni’mahs that Allah ta’ala has given us, so many that we will lose count, and together with this, Allah ta’ala is saying ‘If you utilise these Ni’mahs and favours that I have given you, then you will be counted as being grateful for the Ni’mahs that I have given to you. I am your Rabb, and when you return to Me, I will tell you that you are free from sin, and you will see Barakaat beyond Barakaat for the Ni’mahs that I gave you in your body, because you used it correctly in the world.’
Now look here, there are such sicknesses and problems we have in our bodies these days – sometimes our stomach aches, sometimes we have a problem with the hands or the fingers. Allah has given everything to us, and we have also been given the cure for these ailments, for Allah is saying ‘Don’t do those actions with your body and limbs that I have told you are prohibited. If you follow this guidance, you will see how Ghafur and Raheem I am.’ Allah says ‘{ لَٮِٕن شَڪَرۡتُمۡ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمۡۖ} – Be grateful and then see how I multiply the Ni’mahs; I will increase them.’ This is what Allah ta’ala has told us about His Ni’mahs, His favours – and this is what happens when you are grateful for just one Ni’mah.
So today, I would like to ask you what the reward will be for that Ni’mah about which Allah ta’ala has said one thing – which is itself a Ni’mah. Allah ta’ala has mentioned this Ni’mah once, and He has attached a statement to it that he has not attached to any other Ni’mah. Regarding all the Ni’mahs of the world, Allah ta’ala says { لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ} – that they are infinite and innumerable – but Allah ta’ala has not attached this Ni’mah to these with this statement. What is the one Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala has given? Allah ta’ala says ‘I have given you this Ni’mah and I have favoured you with this.’ Imagine – Allah is saying that he has favoured us with this. What is the Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala has said He has favoured us with? Allah ta’ala has not said that He has favoured us regarding any other Ni’mah. Put the sky and the heavens and the oceans and the seas and water and all the Ni’mahs of the heavens and the earth to one side – there is just one Ni’mah about which Allah ta’ala has said ‘This is My favour upon you.’
{ لَقَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ } – say SubhanAllah! { لَقَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ} Allah ta’ala is saying ‘I have given this Ni’mah purely for the Mu’mineen. This one Ni’mah is solely for the believers, and this a favour of Mine upon you.’ Imagine that Ni’mah about which Allah says it is given as a favour, a gift and a present for you – and only for the Mu’mineen. So let us look at this and think about what level of gratefulness we should have for that Ni’mah, and consider how much we should value and appreciate it, and think how far we should push ourselves in showing appreciation for this Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala has mentioned in the Qur’an. So what is this Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala has said He has favoured us with? What is it? { إِذۡ بَعَثَ فِيہِمۡ رَسُولاً} – SubhanAllah! What is the favour? Allah ta’ala is saying ‘I gave My Habeeb to you - I gave such a great Rasool to you’ – sallallahu alayhi wasallam. SubhanAllah.
So Allah ta’ala sent His Nabi to us, and He has given us belief in that Nabi and has placed on our tongues the statement ‘Muhammad-ar-Rasoolullah’ – Allah enabled us to say this. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘This is a massive favour of Mine upon you, and no other favour in the world can compare to it.’ This is the greatest favour, compared with which the eyes and teeth and stomach and mouth and food and air and wind and bread and flour that Allah ta’ala has given are not favours at all. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘None of these have been given as a favour upon you; the biggest favour that I have granted to you is that I gave you My Rasool – My Rasool!’ SubhanAllah. What a great statement, and what a great point!
Now we are those people mentioned in the Qur’an to whom Allah ta’ala has said ‘I have given you My Rasool’, so tell me, brothers, how much do we value this favour of Rasoolullah? How much do we value and appreciate this favour of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam that Allah ta’ala has given to us? There are all these other functions and Ni’mahs that we have been given – our body and limbs and the infinite list about which Allah ta’ala has said that there is no upper limit, and you will lose count if you try to number them – and we have discussed all of these, so what about this greatest Ni’mah? How will Allah ta’ala put this favour into the accounting, which Allah ta’ala has said is the greatest favour He has given? Allah ta’ala will ask ‘How much did you value and appreciate this special favour I gave you? How grateful were you for this Ni’mah of Rasoolullah?’
{ لَٮِٕن شَڪَرۡتُمۡلَأَزِيدَنَّكُمۡۖ} We understand how to be grateful for the common gifts, for we have learned today how we should be grateful for the eyes and the mouth, namely that we can only be grateful when we use those organs and limbs in accordance with the orders of Allah. Even here, the same point applies. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘Rasoolullah is the greatest favour that I gave you – and you are his Ummatis – so how will you show gratitude for Rasoolullah?’ Yes?
People today are very grateful for this Ni’mah of Rasoolullah, aren’t they? My brothers, shaytan and Nafs are big opponents, very big opponents. They are a very big force, and so to follow the true and right way is very difficult – remember this. Unless you have a guide, then life is very difficult - and I am not delivering my own statement here, I am delivering my Sheikh’s statement. I am presenting my teacher’s statement to you, and you can experience the truth of this statement in your life. Those people who don’t have a guide, a true and honest guide – {كُونُواْ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِين}, as the Qur’an prescribes – if they want to be saved, then they need a true, honest and trustworthy guide. My Hadhrat said that following the path in this world is very difficult, and you will struggle with very severe enemies, for Nafs and shaytan will deviate you from the path; they will take you off the track. But if you have a true and trustworthy guide to guide you, who you follow and whose friendship you value, then the Qur’an guarantees: {كُونُواْ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِين} – sit with him, travel with him, go along that path with him, and Allah has promised that you will become a Muttaqi with this person, a person who is fearful of Allah. Do you understand the point that I am making?
So now, the biggest question arises, which is how much are we grateful for this great favour of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam that Allah gave to us, for this greatest of favours? We say ‘Oh Allah, we are grateful, for I did this and I do that.’ What can I say? You will understand that a person does whatever he can do, but he is doing all of this for himself. He eats food and listens to Naats and Nasheeds, but this is his Nafs which is saying that he is doing so much and that therefore he is grateful for Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. But this is not being grateful to Allah for Allah’s Nabi that He sent to us. Such things do not show that we are being grateful to Allah for this great Ni’mah of Allah – and remember, if we die in a state of ungratefulness to Allah for the gift of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then no way can we be forgiven. Never – remember this point. This is not a minor point, for this Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is the greatest favour that Allah ta’ala has given to us. On the other hand, if, when we depart, we are grateful for this Ni’mah, remember that Allah ta’ala has said regarding being grateful for all the other Nimahs that { إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬}.
So what reward and compensation will Allah ta’ala give for being grateful for this Ni’mah? Imagine what a great compensation Allah ta’ala will give. { فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ} - Allah says this in the Qur’an. { فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ} Allah is saying that if you are grateful for this Ni’mah, what is the reward that you will get? You will become Allah’s beloved, and you will attain Allah’s love and nearness.’ In other words, the person who is grateful to Allah for the gracious Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam that Allah ta’ala sent to us, if we are doing Shukr in the right way and are appreciating and valuing him, then Allah ta’ala is saying ‘Who will those people be? They will be My beloved servants when they are raised in the Hereafter – My beloved servants.’ Those will be the people with the greatest rank, because remember, they showed gratitude for the greatest Ni’mah that Allah ta’ala gave in the best way. Do you understand my points, brothers? Yes.
So in this day and age, in this era and for this generation, this is the right and correct message that I am giving to you if you want a right and correct death. The only people who will be successful and on the right path in the Hereafter will be those who understand the rights and duties that go with the Ni’mah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and who fulfil those rights and duties. All the rest is drama. ‘I did this, and I recited that, and I did another thing, and I performed Hajj this many times’ – none of this will succeed, for first and foremost, Allah ta’ala will say ‘How grateful were you for this Ihsan of Rasoolullah that I gave to you?’ They will say ‘Yes, yes, I was grateful, oh Allah – I went to conferences and went on marches, and I did this and that.’ They extoll themselves so loudly that good people are forced to think ‘Am I on the right path or should I be doing something else?’ This happens because too many people are on the wrong way. They have more numbers, and they make a big drama of their fake practice so that even people on the right path start getting doubts and confusion and wondering whether they are on the right path.
I am telling you the truth here. It has got to the point that the right path is barely still in existence today – nowadays, even the people who don’t believe have started to speak out loudly. This is because today, we are in that generation of the internet and the online world. Wherever you are, you can see and experience what someone is saying and doing – the communication is so fast that people’s brains have been overtaken. Beware – this gathering is a special gathering, brothers; this is the gathering of Allah’s Dhikr. Alhamdulillah, here you will hear Haq, truth – this gathering will always communicate the truth. It may seem bitter to you, but it will penetrate your hearts, inshaAllah. You will never leave here confused and wondering whether you are on the right or wrong path, because the Qur’an is telling us what the right path is. It is the Qur’an that is telling you – up to now, we have been reading the Qur’an.
So here, the needle is in the middle. Allah ta’ala is asking us ‘The greatest Ni’mah that I have given to you is My Prophet, Rasoolullah, so how were you grateful for this Ni’mah? What did you give in return for this Ni’mah, for there is no greater Ni’mah than this one that I have given to the believers?’ If we say ‘Oh Allah, I have prayed this much Salah,’ it will be put to the side; if we say ‘Oh Allah, I have prayed this much Qur’an,’ it will be put to the side; ‘I did this many Hajj’- put it to one side. A person will say ‘I went to this many marches and recited this many Nasheeds and did this many actions’, but Allah ta’ala will say ‘You all go to one side.’ All those who call themselves Ashiqs will be asked the same question, and everyone will proclaim ‘Oh Allah, I am a lover of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Oh Allah, I love Your Rasool, and I believe in him, and I did this action, and I held this gathering, and these were my people, and they ran after me and accepted me.’ SubhanAllah – Allah has set out the sketch to show us what success is, and Allah has told us the methodology, saying ‘Whoever adopts this methodology, then he really has given the proper return for this Ni’mah that I have given to him.’
The way to be grateful is a very simple formula for us. If we want to be grateful for the Ni’mah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then just do what Allah ta’ala is prescribing and you will be counted as a grateful person. But we have rejected the Tariqa that Allah ta’ala has given to us. We have shunned it and have totally suppressed it and put it to the side or behind our backs, whereas we have elevated the Tariqa that shaytan has prescribed, as if we were saying ‘Oh, shaytan - yes, yes, we like this method.’ This is how we show our gratitude to Allah. We recite this verse openly, but then we reject it.
So let us read this verse that Allah ta’ala has given to us. Allah is saying ‘I have given you My Rasool. I sent him to you, and this is My greatest favour upon the Mu’mineen.’ Alongside that, what does Allah ta’ala say? Allah says ‘When My Rasool came to you, when I sent him to you, what did he do?’ SubhanAllah. ‘What did he do? Why did I send him? What actions did he do? What did he give to you? What did he bring you that causes me to say that he is the biggest favour I have given to the believers? First and foremost, he gave you the Qur’an.’ What did he bring? The Qur’an – the Kitab of Allah. And then Allah says { وَيُزَڪِّيہِمۡ} – he also brought Tazkiyah. And what does Allah say thereafter? { وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِڪۡمَةَ} Allah did not just say that he was to teach the Qur’an and to read the Qur’an, but alongside the Qur’an he brought Hikmah. Allah says ‘The Hikmah was brought along with My Qur’an – the whole Shari’ah was prescribed to you. Fiqh was given to you, law was given to you.’
A very clear message has come to us here, which is that Allah is saying ‘If you want to repay this favour I have given you and fulfil its rights, then grateful is the one who does this action: regarding the Qur’an that he brought to you and the Shari’ah that he gave you and the Fiqh and the law and the principles that emanate from the Qur’an, a person who goes beyond reading it and practically and physically implements it, step by step, is truly grateful.’ When somebody asked Aisha Siddiqua radhiAllahu anha ‘How was the Akhlaq of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam?’ she said ‘Kana khuluquhu-l-Qur’an.’ So the actions and conduct of Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam was the Qur’an. The Qur’an was explained in the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam – his life was the Tafseer. The order of Allah is in the Qur’an and the life of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is how to do Amal upon it. {وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡۚ} - Allah is saying ‘These are the verses of My Qur’an’, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would recite them, verse by verse, and he demonstrated every single verse of the Qur’an physically to his noble Companions. He explained Fiqh, Shari’ah, Hikmah, Sunnah - and also { وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡ}. This was the third function, that a person cleans himself and washes himself. How? Not with water, nor with perfume or fragrance or soap – what does a Muslim clean himself with? With Tazkiyah – the meaning of Tazkiyah is mentioned in this verse.
{ وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡ} – Tasawwuf is mentioned here, the branch of Islam called Sufism. What is Sufism? What is Tasawwuf? What does it mean and what does it tell us? What does it teach us? Not spiritual dancing or singing or trances - no, no, no. People say ‘Oh, he does this, and the Dervishes do a dance’ - the meaning of Sufism is weird today. But Sufism comes from Tazkiyah, which means to clean yourself – it comes from the Qur’an, from Allah’s Kitab: { وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡ} – Allah’s Rasool sallallahu alayhi wasallam washes them clean and makes them pure. This is the meaning of Tasawwuf. Some people have given it a bad name and engage in wrong practices. This applies to everything in the world today – you can find the right method and the wrong method. So you can find the right Tazkiyah and the wrong Tazkiyah, just as you can find real honey and fake honey, or real milk and fake milk. So I am explaining the correct Tazkiyah to you, the Tazkiyah that Allah has mentioned, and the rest is fake - the rest is a drama. The Qur’an is explaining what the correct Tazkiyah is. If I say that I am a Sheikh or if someone says that he wants to go to a Sheikh to do Tazkiyah, then what will be in people’s minds? They will think ‘Oh, he will start listening to music and dancing and jumping up and down and listening to Qawwalis – that is Tazkiyah.’ Is this what Tazkiyah is? No – let’s leave that. If there is a gathering of Dhikr, will that just be Tazkiyah? No, Dhikr on its own is not what Tazkiyah is.
So what is the meaning of Tazkiyah? What does it mean to go to a Sheikh? How do I know that I am getting purified if I want to get clean? This is what this verse refers to. The meaning of purifying and cleaning that the Qur’an has given to us is that Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam has implemented and demonstrated it, and he has shown us the Hikmah and Fiqh and the Shari’ah, and he has shown us all the Sunnahs related to it and has said ‘Whatever I am doing, you need to do the same. Do whatever I am doing.’ He explained to us how to pray Salah in every detail, whether raising the hands between postures, or saying ‘Ameen’ loudly or softly – these are not matters to dispute. These are different Masa’il of Fiqh, and there is no big issue or cause for quarrelling.
But there is a very big point here. If I want to pray Salah but I deliberately don’t face the Ka’abah but instead face another direction, then I have taken a U-turn in my Deen, and this is what is happening nowadays. We have made a U-turn and have turned our faces away from the Deen – and we have done so very easily. For example, you see marches and demonstrations, and people do this and that at the Rawdha Mubarak, because they think that this will bring Thawab, and they see themselves as Ashiqs and lovers and hold celebrations and so on. I am not criticizing anyone here, but rather I am speaking generally. Does the Qur’an say that we should do this? The Qur’an explains – yes, celebrate, for this a very great favour, so celebrate it. The Qur’an itself explains that Allah says ‘This is such a great favour that was given when I sent My Nabi upon you’, so should we not remember that great day when Allah sent His Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam? Definitely celebrate it - no problem; we should remember it and commemorate it. And what is celebrating it? To remember that day and recollect that day on which Allah’s Nabi came – but how? How should we do this, because we are very far from that generation now.
It is essential for us, and Allah ta’ala reminds us, time and time again, that He has given us so many Ni’mahs; He reminds us that He gave us everything, and the Qur’an is reminding us today that Allah ta’ala gave you all these Ni’mahs. In the same way, we should remember on this day what we have forgotten, and remember why Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam came, in reality. We should remember the reasons that Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam came, and that is the way that you celebrate the day of his birth. Yes, we should remember, and we should recollect that day, alhamdulillah – don’t forget it – but in a real way and not in an artificial way. Just as Allah ta’ala reminds us that He has given us Ni’mahs that we have forgotten about, in the same way, Allah ta’ala is reminding us that we have strayed very far away. How should you celebrate and commemorate the day on which Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam came? Do so in such a way that you awaken yourself and your conscience is reminded of what Allah ta’ala has given us. Ask yourself - what have you done for the Deen? How are you showing your gratefulness for the Ni’mah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam? You should live your life in a way that revives the Deen, so sit down on this day, remember Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam and revive his practice, his Deen and his methods – that is the way to celebrate that day.
Allah ta’ala has not prohibited celebrating it, but we need to do it in the right Tariqa. So how do you remember this day? How do we celebrate that day? SubhanAllah – Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘I came with the Kitab and Fiqh and the Shari’ah and the Sunnah, which is my methodology.’ That is what we call the Sunnah Sharifah, which is every action that Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam demonstrated to us and showed us with the Hukm ‘Do this in the way that I do it.’ We have to do these things in the correct way. So how should we do Tazkiyah? Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is saying ‘What did I say to you about the Qur’an that I brought to you? What are the main things that the Qur’an explains to us? Halal and Haram – lawful and unlawful.’ Allah ta’ala has given us orders regarding what is lawful and unlawful, telling us the things that are permissible and which we can do, and the things that are prohibited and we cannot do. That is the definition of Halal and Haram. So when a human being follows the orders of the Qur’an in his life according to the Sunnah and the Shari’ah, and makes doing so the essential guide to his life, distinguishing carefully between these two categories of Halal and Haram, controlling himself and living his life according to this, then his Tazkiyah is being performed – that is the meaning of Sufism.
That is what Tasawwuf is, and that is why we go to a Sheikh. If you go to a Sheikh for Dhikr, Dhikr is a cure. What is it? It is a cure – it is not the objective. No, Dhikr is a cure, and Allah ta’ala has given Dhikr as a resource, a tool. By means of this tool, you remember Allah; and when you remember Allah, you remember Allah’s Ni’mahs; and when you remember Allah’s Ni’mahs, then you remember the greatest Ni’mah that Allah has given, which is Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam; and when you remember that, then you will do Amal on his Sunnah. This is like a chain effect.
So when you go to the Sheikh and you learn Dhikr and start doing Dhikr, then the next step is to ask yourself ‘Are those feeling being aroused in me so that I understand the difference between Halal and Haram? Do I live my life according to that? If so, alhamdulillah, my Tazkiyah is taking place’ – SubhanAllah. If a person just does Dhikr in public, but really he is not doing the Dhikr he has been prescribed and he puts the brakes on this practice, and if he does not do his Muhasibah, then he needs the Tazkiyah sheets. That is why I give the Tazkiyah sheets. Don’t think ‘I can just tick the Dhikr sheet, and I am doing okay’ – no, absolutely not. I have mentioned many times before that Dhikr is not the endpoint. You have to get to the endpoint, and the endpoint is Tazkiyah. And what is Tazkiyah? It is the laws that Allah ta’ala has prescribed in the Qur’an in respect of Halal and Haram, so live your life completely in accordance with these laws, for only those who do so will be successful in the Hereafter. Those are the people who can be defined as Dhakireen - remember this. This is the definition of Dhakireen, and there will be eight doors through which those people can enter Paradise; the Dhakireen are those who will reach this destination – say SubhanAllah.
Do you understand this, brothers? Go towards the destination by means of Dhikrullah. If you are on the right path, then inshaAllah you will stay on the right path. Keep hold of Dhikr strongly and keep the company of your Sheikh strongly. Keep on travelling in this way with this Niyyah in front of you: ‘I need to bring caution about Halal and Haram into my life. I need to keep fighting and controlling myself’ – and if you do this, then Allah promises that you will rise among the Muflihoon, the successful people. Not today but tomorrow, so don’t leave the path. It is like when you want to get to London and you set out on the right route; even if your car starts going slow or stops or gets a puncture, you still do not leave the route, for inshaAllah that is how you will reach your destination. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, and it doesn’t matter how old your car is, whether it is a run-down, useless car. Everyone’s car is different, and you see all sorts of cars on the road, so don’t worry about the car, just worry about the route that you are taking. Remind yourself ‘I am on the Straight Path, the correct path, and if I don’t reach today, then I will do so tomorrow, and it doesn’t matter if someone overtakes me, for I will get there as well one day.’ But as for the person who doesn’t know the route and is not following the right path, what will become of him? The path that Allah ta’ala has prescribed is a clear path, SubhanAllah – where will it take you?
So bring the criteria of Halal and Haram fully into your life. If something has been forbidden, be clear that it is wrong because Allah has forbidden it and Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam has said ‘Don’t do this.’ Wherever there is Haram, there will be punishment – remember this. All the things that are forbidden have punishments attached to them, so don’t do those actions. By contrast, if you perform Halal actions, then there will be rewards attached – remember this. And if Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam has said ‘Do this action’ and has commanded us to do something, then if we don’t do it, there will also be punishment; but if you perform that action, then there will be Salam and Thawab to go with it, and that action will take you towards Allah.
Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said “من احب سنتى فقد احبنى” – What a big guarantee this is. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is saying ‘If you love my Sunnahs and start doing Amal on my Sunnahs, then that my love is guaranteed for that person’ - SubhanAllah. But shaytan and Nafs say ‘Oh no, no, no – do a U-turn. Sunnah is not important – just look at things that are Fardh and Wajib and the rest you can choose to do or not to do.’ We have made these categories and levels nowadays, but this is not the case in reality. What does the Qur’an say about the Sunnah? I would like to explain an Ajeeb and beautiful point where Allah ta’ala mentions a great reward connected to the Sunnah – and this means Sunnah in general. There is a massive reward for the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
Look at this verse that I read: { فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ}. Allah ta’ala is saying ‘If you obey the Sunnah and follow the Sunnah of My Nabi, then what is the reward? { فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ} – If you follow him, then I make you My beloved.’ So I would like to share a beautiful point with you here in your service, which is that if we attach ourselves to all of the Sunnahs of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam throughout our lives, then we will become the beloved of Allah – say SubhanAllah. This is the thought that comes with { فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ}. Allah is saying clearly here ‘If you do Amal on the Sunnah, I will make you My beloved.’ So how long should I be practicing these Sunnahs? What if I leave this action sometimes, and sometimes do it, and sometimes I discard this or forget that or make some mistake? Astaghfar may be there too, but what does this mean? How will you be counted as one of the beloved people who follows the Sunnah then?
Hadhrat Arifi rahmatullah alayh made a beautiful statement that I would like to share with you, an Ajeeb and unique statement. With his spiritual insight, his Kashf, and his experience, he said ‘This is not the case.’ He explained that the reality is a great piece of news that Allah ta’ala has given here, which shows how beloved Allah’s Rasool sallallahu alayhi wasallam is to Allah. Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam is so beloved to Him that every single one of his practices comes with good news for the Mu’mineen. If you do Amal on any Sunnah of Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then you immediately become the Mehboob of Allah at that time when you follow that Sunnah. In other words, when you leave home having put on your shoes in the Sunnah manner practiced by Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then he stated that at the time of doing Amal on that Sunnah, you attain the level of Allah’s love, and if you die while implementing that Sunnah, then Allah will most definitely give you the rank of His beloved. This is what Sunnah is, my brothers – this is Sunnah.
And that is why you should be so proud to be able to follow Sunnah in this generation that we are in now. We should have this Fikr, because Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that a time would come when there would be no-one to be seen who does Amal on the Sunnah. That is how severe the drought will be. You will just hear ‘Qur’an, Qur’an, Qur’an. We don’t know what Shari’ah and Sunnah is – just pick up the Qur’an.’ They will just hold the Qur’an and say ‘Qur’an is enough’, but nobody can understand the Qur’an without the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam – and the Qur’an itself tells us this. {وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡۚ} – he taught the Qur’an, and he brought the Hikmah, and he gave the Tazkiyah, so how can we say we are following the Qur’an? The physical being and practice of the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is the Tafseer of the Qur’an; the explanation of the Qur’an is the Sunnah. What else do we need?
So the Qur’an is the physical Kitab, and the Sunnah is the commentary. The commentary is the Sunnah – there is no difference. The order for Salah is in the Qur’an, but how can you pray Qur’an if you don’t know the way of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam? Will your Salah be accepted? If someone says ‘Today, I feel like praying Fajr after Isha’, will their Salah be accepted? No. ‘What’s wrong with that? Why can’t we pray Fajr when we want?’ No – there are conditions which Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam explained to us. There are set times, and Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam demonstrated them all physically – this is Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib. If you don’t do it in his way, with the right number of Rakahs at the right time, then how will you be able to pray Salah if you only follow the Qur’an? Tell me. There is no Tariqa, no physical explanation in the Qur’an. Allah ta’ala created Fiqh so that the Imams, the jurists and scholars, could explain the details. Imam Bukhari was created for this; what great people Allah ta’ala created – they gave us the Deen.
So this is the situation. The only successful human being is he who imitates the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Wherever we go in the Muslim world today, do we see any difference? As the years have passed by, has the Deen changed? The Deen now is the same that Allah ta’ala made back then, so wherever I go, in whichever country, I will be able to practice my Deen. And wherever I go, I will be able to explain to the people that this is my Deen, and there is no need for arguments about it. There is no cause for disputation, just say ‘This is my Deen and I am practicing it. That’s it. I have not come here to criticize you, and are you suffering any pain or loss due my practice of Deen?’ Say SubhanAllah. ‘If I pray Salah, am I giving any loss to you? If I wear an Imamah, am I giving you any loss? Does my beard give you any loss?’ The reply will be that there is no loss, so I will say ‘Then let me practice then. And if you don’t let me practice, then fine, I’ll leave. If that is the case, then we can’t live in this country.’ We came for this, and wherever we go, in any part of the world, the Hukm is the same. We are Muslims, and what travels with the Muslims? The Qur’an travels with them, SubhanAllah, and the orders of Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam travel with the Muslims as well.
So the Qur’an gives orders, and the orders of Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam say to do this and to do that, how to avoid doing wrong, how to do good. And if our practice is giving those around us pain of any kind, then ask them to please tell us. They will say ‘No, no, don’t worry, there’s no problem, but the only thing is that we don’t like the way you look.’ What can I do if you don’t like the way I look? What can I do about it if you don’t like the way I look? How would you feel if we say that we don’t like the way you look? So you should like us as we like you. We don’t say that you look bad - we don’t mind the way you look, whether you wear shorts or trousers or walk around half-naked; we have no issue with that. And if we have no issue, why should you have an issue with how we look? What a great Deen Islam is – is it not? { لَكُمۡ دِينُكُمۡ وَلِىَ دِينِ} – your Deen is for you, and our Deen is for us; our Deen is with us. { لَكُمۡ دِينُكُمۡ وَلِىَ دِينِ} If you like our Deen, we will explain it to you – Allah is One, His Rasool is one, and there is no god apart from Allah, for He has no partners and the rest is Shirk. Many Nabis came and we believe in Hadhrat Isa alayhi salam and Hadhrat Moosa alayhi salam – they are all great Prophets, and they have the rank of Prophethood. If we do not believe in them as Prophets, then we are not Muslims ourselves. We respect everyone and follow Allah’s orders and so on. Yes? We should explain this to people, and if they like our Da’wah, then we should invite them to accept our faith. And if they don’t like it - { لَكُمۡ دِينُكُمۡ وَلِىَ دِينِ} – your Deen is with you, and our Deen is with us. We will sit in our Masjids, and you can do what you want – carry on; it’s fine, no problem. Will there ever be a quarrel or argument in this case?
So who creates quarrels and arguments? Those who don’t follow Deen are the ones who create the arguments. They are so-called Muslims, not real Muslims. The true Muslim will never create argumentation and disputes – never. He will never quarrel with another religion – why? Because this is the Sunnah of our Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam never quarreled with a Jew or a Christian – no way. Rather, he presented his Deen physically. { لَآ إِكۡرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ} There is no compulsion in Deen, so who are these people who create these differences and arguments? Who are these people who create these problems? This is not the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam and this is not Shari’ah – this is not Islam. This is undoubtedly other people who get involved, calling themselves Muslims, but they are not Muslims for they are not practicing the Qur’an. They are not practicing the Deen and they don’t practice the Sunnah and the Qur’an, and hence they cause quarrels and disputes between us and other communities. It is they who are doing this. They are not people who wear Imamahs and have beards and Sunnah clothing; they are not those people who, if you speak to them, you think ‘There is no one better than this person.’
Our Deen teaches honesty and balance and justice, and that you should follow the laws of whatever country you go to. We are not told ‘Go to those countries and break their laws’ – no. Rather, we are supposed to adhere to the laws and principles of those countries if they are not in opposition to our Deen. If they are not, then follow their laws in business and society and taxation and VAT. Do everything correctly, for that is what Islam teaches us. Does our Deen teach fighting and quarrelling, disputes and Fasaad, disorder and trampling on people’s rights and taking their money? No, which is why the true Sufi, the Sadiq, honest, upright Muslim who has good Sohbat would never teach his Mureeds wrong actions – never ever. No, you will learn Deen from the true Sheikh, and it is your choice as to whether you like that Deen or not. It is up to you, but that is the Deen of Islam.
Allah has said ‘The greatest favour that I gave to the world was that I sent Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam.’ Allah gave two favours, and Allah addresses the Mu’mineen in particular, saying ‘I have given a Kitab to you, and you have accepted it and believed it, and you have also said the Kalimah Muhammad-ar-Rasoolullah, so why don’t you follow his Sunnah? Why don’t you follow his Shari’ah? Why don’t you wake up and understand? What day are you celebrating? You will undergo a severe reckoning - beware!’
So, my brothers, alhamdulillah, this is the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, so let us remember this message. Come, let us celebrate the day of the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal – we should definitely remember it and celebrate it, but let’s revive it correctly. What is the right way? Let us refine and revive ourselves and refresh our Deen. Let us turn to Allah and say ‘Oh Allah, we have certainly fallen down in many things, but whatever we do in our lives henceforth will be according to Sunnah and Shari’ah. We will do whatever Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam brought to us, because this is a very great favour of Yours, and you will ask us about this greatest favour on the Day of Judgement.’ We will be asked ‘Why did you not imitate the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam while you were walking and talking and standing and sitting, outside and inside, externally and internally?’ Everything, from A to Z, should be in accordance with the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. That is when we can say that we are grateful for this favour of Allah. Apart from that, you can make functions, dramas, and let your Nafs do its own Hisab, but this is not repaying this favour from Allah. The Qur’an says that the greatest favour is that we have been made Ummatis, members of the Ummah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and the way to repay that favour is to spend your whole life in following the Sunnah and Shari’ah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. That’s it – end of story.
May Allah ta’ala give us all the ability to practice this path. Ameen. Come, let us do the Dhikr of Allah.