JADHBU-L AHBAAB ILA HADRATI RABBIL ARBAAB [MAGNETIZING THE LOVERS (OF ALLAH) TO THE (CELESTIAL) OFFICE OF THE LORD OF THE LORDS (ALLAH)] 

    

    بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

 

 Khutbah (Sermon)

By

THE QUTB-AL-ANWAR AND GAWTH-AL-ASH’AR

SHEIKH ALHAJI IBRAHIM BIN ALHAJI ABDULLAH

(at-Tidjani)

On

12th of Dhul Qadah 1391AH (1970AD).

In

  OF  CONFERENCE

TRANSLATED BY:

SEYYIDAH HAJIYA BILQIS BOLAJOKO GRILLO

.

(08023155119, bola_grillo@yahoo.com)

"Excerpt"

"You should uphold good conduct (behaviour) aong all creatures. The way to achieve that is to ensure that people are put in their right positions. 

Also a servant must not, for Allah's sake, percieve another person except to have tge belief that such other person is better than him.

Furthermore, you should rather be engaged in criticising your own faults instead of those of others.

Most of us busy ourselves with the discussion of other people's faults, but not of their own inadequacies.

A man knows himself but not the other person. This is because Allah, The Source of blessing, The Most High is a Coverer of faults and Protector of all."

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE

  In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful. All praise is due to The Almighty Allah, The Lord of the worlds. The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful. King of the Day of Judgement. May the peace and Blessings of Allah be upon the Noble Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the Eye of Divine Mercy of God, his Household, his Companions and those who follow his guidance until the Day of resurrection.

  My profound gratitude goes to Almighty Allah (swt) for making this humble attempt at translation of this work possible. It could not have been if not for His Grace.

The motivating aim of this translation work is to create opportunity for the adherents of the Tariqah of Sheikh Ahmad Tidjani under the tutelage of The Qutb and Gawth, the Sohibul Faydah, Fadhilat Sheikh-el-lslam, Alhadji Ibrahim Niass in particular and the entire Muslims in general, to get closer to the expositions of our great Master and Teacher, Sheikh Ibrahim Niass, by reading through one of his Many illustrious and motivating lectures delivered in the course of his conveyance of the message of truth and the trust of Allah and His Apostle (pbuh). May Allah Ta’ala accept this work as an act of Ibadah (Amin).

My deepest appreciation goes to my spiritual fathers and mentors, in particular Fadhilat Sheikh Ahmad Tidjani Ibrahim Niass al-kaolakhy (radiyallahu an’hu), for his unflinching support and encouragement at all times.

I also wish to place on record my gratitude to my beloved Sheikhs who never stopped ‘leading the way’ namely - Sheikh Muhammad Rabiu Olorire (late), Sheikh Abdul-Salaam Akoshile, Sheikh Zubair Idris and Dr. Murtadha Busaeri. May Allah bless them throughout the ages.

I will equally not fail to say a big thanks to Alhaji Muhammad Shakirudeen Grillo (my husband), Sheikh Shittu Jimoh, (Khadim to Sheikh Ahmad Tidjani in Lagos), Alhaji Abdul Fattah Sanni Jeje and my brother in Allah, Abdul-Lateef Owolabi for all their moral and intellectual support at all times. May Allah bless them immensely for their selfless services (Amin).

May Allah (swt) profit every reader who may come across this lecture by its gleam, purify our hearts by its beautiful admonitions and grant us all His Rahmah (Mercy), till the day of resurrection.

Glory is to thy Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power, far above that which they assert. May peace and blessings also reside upon the Messengers! And all praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

Signed:

Hajiya Sayyidah Bilqis B. Grillo

Muharram 1427AH (March 2006)

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST COMPASSIONATE, THE MOST MERCIFUL.

May Allah’s peace and blessing be upon our Leader Muhammad (pbuh) the Noble Prophet and his household and companions, and those who follow them, and those who emulate those that trek their path (of guidance) until the day of judgement.

  

This is the Khutbah of Maolana (our Leader) and sheikh, our ladder to Almighty Allah, the Qutb and the Gawth of our time: Ash-sheikh Alhaji lbrahim bin Alhaji Abdullahi At-Tidjani – may Allah be pleased with them both (Amen).

It is titled: JAZBUL AHBAAB ILA HADRATI RABBIL ARBAAB [Magnetizing the Lovers (of Allah) to The (Celestial) Office of the Lord of The Lords (Allah)]. It was delivered by Sheikh in the city of on the 12th of Dhul Qadah 1391AH (1970AD).

The text of THE LECTURE now follows:

Ennobled Creation of Man

Praise be unto Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon the noblest of the messengers.

Allah Almighty Says: “Verily We created Mankind from an extract of clay, then We placed him as a drop of sperm in a safe depository; the We fashioned the clot into a shapeless lump; then We fashioned bones out of this shapeless lump; then We clothed the bones with flesh; then We developed it into another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators” (An-Nur 23:12-14).

This is the process (of creation of Man). No single son of Adam exists except through this route. If Man examines his creation, he knows that Allah created him in the most wonderful way, he gave him limbs; well-balanced, every affair of life for which he will require the use of his limbs during his sojourn in life, Allah has already perfected such limbs even before his entrance out of his mother’s womb. He has the legs to walk with. He has two hands to hold with. He has two eyes to see with. He has two ears to hear with. He has a tongue to talk with and such other use among the various faculties. Allah created him as a strong Being to prepare him adequately for the undertaking of the responsibilities of his vicegerency, i.e Khalifah of God, The Blessed   the Most High viz: “We have created them and strengthen their make” (Ad-Dahr 76 :28). That is, Allah strengthened his various limbs; he makes his two hands strong, you can never see a Man walking and suddenly one of his hands fall off. Often times you see a car moving on the road and one of its wheels (tyres) comes off abruptly; this is the difference between the creation of Allah and those of Mankind. A Man has hearing and sight.

He also has intellect with which he weighs things. His hearing is not like those of animals. A Man’s hearing sense can differentiate various voices. He knows that this is the utterance of a Hu-Man being, this is the voice of a cattle, this is the language of animals, this is the language of birds. This is a language understood and this is a language that is not understood; this is a statement directed towards oneself; this is a statement directed unto others. This is statement that requires a reply. This is a statement that does not require a reply. This is a statement one loves to hear, this is a statement one does not love to hear. It is only Man’s sense of hearing that is equipped to do this. An animal perceives all voices as one and the same. There is no power of differentiation.

Equally Man’s sight is also so specially equipped. He recognizes and knows various colours. He knows that this is white, and others. He knows that this is short, these are group of people, this is good, this is bad, this l love, and this l do not love. It is only Man’s sight that has these facilities.

Allah has already ennobled Man right from his mother’s womb. He transformed the menstrual blood of his mother to pure milk on which he survives on for the period that he is in his mother’s womb. Allah watches over him, grows him little by little until He takes him out into the world. When he emerges into the world, he comes with nothing: no single means. He (Allah) knows that in the world, Man will be in need of things though he does not come with anything. This is why when Man is born into the world; he closes his fists. He knows that he has nothing, but Allah meets him with His mercy (His sublimity) and honors him. He gives him milk from his mother’s breast which he sucks throughout   the period of teething, until he stops breast-feeding and is able to consume other foods.

Before Man is born, all his limbs have been perfected for him in the womb except his teeth. When a Man is born he has no tooth. This is because Allah knows that his subsistence from time of birth is from the breast milk of his mother. If he is born with his teeth, he will harm his mother’s breast. When he grows from strength to strength, the teeth come out one after the other until his teeth are completed; and this is long before his need for such facility. All these are part of the care of Allah over Does Allah, the Blessed, Most High not take proper care of him?

Allah, the Sovereign King

  Allah is the Sovereign King. When the kings of this world have servants or service/pages boys, they usually divide the world servants into three sections as follows:

ü   A section that will be working for them to ensure continued increase in their wealth and properties;

ü   A section that will be busy cooking, serving drinks and foods for them; and

ü   A section that will be sitting with them, honouring them, amusing them.

  Blessed Almighty Allah said: “And l have not created the Jinn and the Men Except that they should worship Me. I desire no sustenance from them nor do l desire that they should feed me. Surely, it is Allah Himself who is The Great Sustainer, The Powerful, The Strong” (Ad-Dhariyat 51:56-58). The first two groups or sections mentioned above, Allah has no need of them. He does not require anyone to feed Him nor to give Him drink. Now, this leaves us with the next group; that is, the third group among them who are present with Him. May He be blessed, the Almighty; this group   extol Him. These are the believers in Allah.

Allah created all the children of Adam so that they may believe in Him and worship Him. Worship of Allah is the sole message of all Prophets from God, the Blessed and the Exalted.

  All Messengers are agreed on two things; every shari’ah (divine ordinance) lends credence to this guidance viz: the first is the extolling of The Creator, The Glorified, Most High, and that is, being kind to the creatures of Allah. That you worship Allah and do not associate ought with Him: Verily Allah will never accept a partner with Himself. Associating partners with Allah will never be forgiven to whoever is affected for ever; “Verily Allah will not forgive associating partners with Him, but He will forgive whatever is short of that” (An-Nisa 4:48).

Goodness to all creatures

There is no doubt about the need to have faith in Allah Alone, no doubt about the need for worship to be solely directed to Allah, the Blessed, All High. After this, goodness to the creatures of Allah is a must. The entire creation of Allah, that is, children of Adam first; then the rest of the creatures of Allah in such a descending order; up to showing goodness to the cat, etc. A woman entered hell fire on account of being unkind to a cat and another entered paradise on account of offering a drink to a dog, not to consider the greatest of Allah’s creation – Man – being good to Mankind is a must.

Goodness to parents, near of kin and neighbours

It is also incumbent on the servant (of Allah) the duties of goodness to his parents and this is the greatest duty after the obligations to God Almighty; being good to the parents is a must. “And your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship any but Him, and shall show goodness to the parents” (Bani lsraail 17:23). Among the duty of goodness to parents is the duty of goodness to the near of kin, and after this is goodness to the neighbours. Neighbours are divided into three classes; Neighbours with three rights, neighbours with two rights and neighbours with only one right. These are described as follows:

i.                A neighbour who is a near of kin and also a Muslim has three rights: (the right of being a neighbour, the right of being a Muslim, and the right of being a near of kin).

ii.               A neighbour that is not a kindred but is a Muslim has two rights viz the rights of neighbourliness and the right of being a Muslim.

iii.         A neighbour who is not a near of kin and not a muslim has only the right of neighbourliness.

There is no doubt that each of those possessing any of these rights must be given their due rights. Hence, goodness towards every creature in this way is what should be conceived of as the real worship of Allah. Salat (prayer), sawm (fasting), remembrance of Allah, the recitation of Qur’an and Hajj – these are between you and Almighty Allah. Giving of alms to the poor and the spending on His way and goodness generally – these are between you and the creatures. Just as being good to the creature is incumbent, so also is keeping away from wrong doing towards the creatures.

Uphold good conduct and avoid wrong-doings

Allah, the Blessed, the Almighty will never forgive the sin of partnership with Him. A good deed done will fetch ten folds of reward to the doer and an evil deed will attract a single recompense. But wrong doing to a servant will never be forgiven by Allah except that such wrongs are compensated /returned lawfully to the owners of such rights. Whoever arrives on the Day of resurrection with series of wrongdoings, there is no doubt that every single one of such evils shall be returned on the Day of resurrection. Over there, no Dirham, Dinar, Pounds sterling, Dollars or Naira shall be used for repayment. So how will such wrongs be redressed? Allah will take out of good deeds of the wrongdoer and return it as the good deeds to repay wrongs done to the sufferer and if the good deeds are not sufficient for repayment the wronged person’s evil deeds will be taken away from him and imposed upon the one who has done him wrong, thus such person will enter hell fire.

On this note therefore, beware of wrongdoing. To do wrong unto a Muslim is very abhorrent and to do wrong unto a non-Muslim is even worst therefore beware of wrongdoing. If you have the ability to be of benefit to the entire creation of Allah, then be of benefit to them all.

If however, you do not have the capability, then beware and guard against inflicting harm on any creature among the creations of Allah. The creation is the family of Allah, and the most loved before Allah is him that benefits His family. Make good (beautify) the worship of Allah, the Blessed, the Most High with purification and salat (prayer) and fasting and do righteous deed to every creature as far as you are able. Whoever does this is a good-doer (that is, he has attained the status of a salihiin). Whoever busies himself with the worship of Allah but does not care about inflicting wrongs on the creatures of Allah, that person will be a broker (impoverished, deprived) on the day of resurrection. The Apostle said: “Do you know a bankrupt person? They said: ‘the one whose Dinar and Dirham (Pounds or Dollars) was taken away from him’. He (the Prophet) said: “No”. “A bankrupt is someone among my ummah (community); a Man who will approach the day of resurrection and you find him having the salat (prayers), the sadaqah (alms giving), fasting, hajj; everyone (of those deeds) as rays of shining lights but the Man (owner of those lights) have abused someone, spoken ill of another, extort someone else’ wealth, stolen somebody’s money or engaged in back–biting acts. Allah will therefore take all of his good deeds and divide it among those people he wronged. If all his good deeds get exhausted in this way, that is it. If this is not sufficient, Allah will take the evil deeds of those wronged and add it to those of the Man who carried out the wrongdoing”.  

The Noble Messenger said: “Your Lord is one and your father is one”. Every one of us has only One Lord and all of us have only one father. We are all from Adam. Therefore, Muslims and non-Muslims altogether are brothers from one father and mother. The Muslims are brothers stronger than blood brothers. Therefore Allah Ta’ala says about their reality: “verily all believers are brothers” (Al-Hujurah 49:10). “A Muslim is one whose fellow Muslim is safe from his tongue and hands: a Muslim does not wrong his brother, he does not defame or abandon him without helping him, and he does not vouchsafe him in the care of someone who will wrong him”. This is the guideline of the religion that the Apostle brought for you.

  He came with this religion of lslam so that you worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him. In addition, you should uphold good conduct (behaviour) among all creatures. The way to achieving that is to ensure that people are put in their right positions. Also a servant must not, for Allah’s sake, perceive another person except to have the belief that such other person is better than him.

Your faults and not of others are harmful

Also be engaged in criticizing your own faults instead of those of others. Most of us busy ourselves with the discussion of other people’s faults but not of own inadequacies. A Man knows himself but not the other person. This is because Allah, the Blessed, the Most High is a Coverer of faults and Protector of all. Whatever you mention about the faults of others are usually just heard about or thought about; there is no certainty about it on your side, because of its being protected with the beautiful shade of Allah.

You are sure of what you do and you know of what is in your heart. The fault of others cannot harm you, it is your own fault that will harm you, so why do you leave your own faults and discuss other people’s faults instead?

Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted said to Prophet Musa (on whom be peace) in a conversation, “O Moses, be confident of My provisions which l have guaranteed you so long as you know that My treasures are always overflowing – and My Treasures will be forever full”. Verily Allah created Man and perfected his creation just as He completed His sustenance, if any of us leaves his sustenance behind, the sustenance will follow him. None of us will die until he has fully utilized His provisions. “And in the Heavens are your sustenance, and what you have been promised” (Qur’an) “Nay, I swear by the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth, Verily it is The Truth” (Qur’an).

Allah always informs Man, and swears to him, yet he does not believe Him! This is the weakness in faith of Man. Sustenance have been guaranteed to each, and none will die until he fully receives and utilizes his provisions. It will neither increase nor decrease.

It is for the above reason that God told Prophet Musa (on whom be peace) again: “Do not fear any power from the powerful people as long as you know that My Own Power is Ever-Existing, and My Power will for ever be present”. Do not fear to appear before any powerful person as long as you do not commit any wrongdoing. As for wrongdoing, it is not right for you to commit wrongdoings, no power or such other phenomenon can overcome you as long as you do no wrongs. Do not fear anyone. The power of Allah always persists.

Thirdly, Allah said; “O Moses, do not busy yourself remembering the fault of others as long as you yourself have faults”. A servant can never be free of faults forever.

Fourthly, Allah said; “O Moses, never feel safe from the ploy of Allah as long as you have not found yourself in the Garden (of paradise). Earlier on, your father Adam was in the Garden, but he came out of it later. Therefore, never feel safe anytime or ever”.

Fifthly, “Do not leave the continuous waging of war with lblis (Satan) for as long as he wages war against you. And he will forever be waging war against you”.

These are the ordinances of Allah to His Prophet Musa, whom He talked to. The key issues garnered from these are: - Do not remember or discuss the faults of others for you too are equally prone to faults. Every one of us has faults except the Prophets. The entire Mankind possesses faults. The Prophets are well–preserved. They do not disobey Allah on whatever He commands of them. They do not have the capacity to do so. Even if a Prophet wishes to disobey Allah, he cannot be misguided by evil to do so; and they will never wish for such, ever. The most honoured among them is the Apostle of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings abide with him. “Verily, we have granted thee a clear victory. That Allah may cover up for thee thy shortcomings, past and future” (Al-Fath 48:1-2). We are now approaching the end of time. Allah has honoured us and made everything easy for us, hence it is incumbent upon us to increase in faith but alas!, the contrary is what is happening.

Allah has subdued all powers for man

Allah subdued the iron for Prophet Dawud (as), subdued the winds for Prophet Sulayman (as) and subdued the oceans for Prophet Musa (as). But for us, Allah subdues all these aforementioned powers; we travel in the skies and Allah softens the iron for us to manipulate it to our designs and desires. In His mercy, He subdues the sea for us. We travel with the ship of the seas and the ships of the air (aeroplane). He further subdues for us electricity. These are some realities the basis of which should increase us in faith and obedience to Allah, the Blessed, the Most High.

Three things surely are in existence: Allah, the Glorified, the Most High, Mankind and the Universe. The Universe to Man is like a slate on which, on a daily basis a lesson on the (first part of the) world was learnt. In the earlier times, whenever Man intends to travel, they walk on legs, after that, he rides on animals. Whenever he needed fire, he searches for it from town to town, he did not know about ammunition power at that time. After that, he reverted to the use of ammunition from then on and he started lighting his fires from everywhere. After this era, electricity emerged. This does not require any effort of his to set it working.

Allah subdues the ships on the sea and in the air, and these are parts of the evidences that demands of us to return to Allah with gratitude and to increase in iman (faith). All these we have achieved by the blessings of the Apostle of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings abide with him). He is the one to whom Allah bestowed all the treasures of the earth, yet he disengaged himself from them but left it all for our benefit. We employ the use of these things in the worship of Allah and faith in Him and goodness to the creature. If Allah had not made subservient to us the various means of transportation this type of gathering would not have been made possible. I am in my country and to trek from there to this venue by foot is a distance which, at the least of projection, is a month’s journey. I was in my country in the morning and l am here spending my evening among you (despite the long distance in-between). Then shall we not give thanks to Allah, the Blessed, the Most High, do increase in faith and increase in humility for we all know that the Day of Resurrection will surely come, no doubt about it.

Faith in Allah and obedience to His laws: Currency of transaction in the hereafter

Positions or status in the hereafter is greater than position or status in this world. Imagine the situation we all are witnessing in the present, whoever has plenty of money some things would be apparent in his life. It will be apparent in the kind of house he lives in, the clothes he wears, the food he eats, his marital lifestyle and the kind of vehicle he rides. Also, whoever does not have money, that fact also will be apparent in his life. It will reflect on his household, clothing, marital life and the kind of ride he has. Every land has its own special wealth and money. The currency in is not the same as the currency here in . In the same way the currency that we use in this world is not the same that will be used in the hereafter. Whoever has with him a lot of money will possess whatever he wants in this world, as in the same way the money that one possesses in the hereafter. On earth, whoever has plenty of money will have a beautiful abode, a blissful marital life, food, drinks and clothing of his choice; whoever does not have enough money will remain in prison, simple. But the prison of the hereafter is hell-fire, plain simple. Do you all know the currency that will be made use of for all transactions in the hereafter? It is faith in Allah and obedience to His laws. Whoever has the world full of gold and diamond, he cannot use those things to get even water to drink except he has forwarded those things in this life for the benefits of his hereafter before death overtakes him.

Kalimah “La ilaha illa Allah” insures all-pervading success

Let us now return to the subject of purification and the observation of salat (prayer). This is after we have all said “La ilaha illa Allah Muhammad Rosulullahi” (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah Alone and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah). Let us say it once again in order to renew our lman (faith). The Holy Prophet used to say: “renew your faith with the statement “La ilaha illa Allahu Muhammad Rosulullahi”. This statement if said only once, guarantees one’s entry to paradise and safeguards one from hell fire. This places those responsibilities on one to renew one’s faith every time. The Holy Prophet said: “The best of what myself and my Prophet before me love to say is La ilaha illa Allahu” Ensure recitation as many as possible of the kalimah (statement) “La ilaha illa Allah”, so that you will be successful in this world and in the hereafter for whoever says: “La ilaha illa Allah Muhammadu Rosulullah”, it is incumbent upon him to watch over the five daily prayers. The distinction between a Muslim and a non-Muslim is the observance of Salat (prayer) by one, and the abandonment of it by the other. Whoever observes salat (prayers) is a Muslim and whoever abandons salat (prayer) is not a Muslim. Majority of the people of present modern times have neglected salat (prayer). I enjoin you all to watch over the observance of salat (prayer) and ensure that the salat (prayer) are observed in congregation. You are admonished to bow with those who bow and observe salat at its right time “Verily prayer has been prescribed for the believers to be observed at fixed hours” (Al-Baqorah 2:103). The prayer observed for the sake of Allah should be with humility and concentration of heart.

The chain of relationship or link between the servant and Allah is maintained if he observes salat (prayer) for the sake of Allah alone. It is only that kind of intention from someone that surely translates to true worship; if he makes physical movement but does not make any intention for it, this is not worship.

Therefore worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him. The best mode of worship of Allah is salat (prayer), after salat is sawm (fasting), after that is spending in the way of Allah and after that is Hajj (pilgrimage to the House of Allah) for whosoever is able to do so. These are then followed by goodness to the parents.

Parents' pleasure, a requisite for family of Islam

 Whoever shows goodness to his parents shall inherit paradise. The Noble Messenger (pbuh) had said: “Paradise lies at feet of the mothers”. Whoever obtains his mother’s and father’s pleasure and approval, that person is a member of the family of Islam. When he dies he shall enter paradise. But whoever carries out a lot of obedience acts (to Almighty Allah and His Apostle) but is unkind and disobeys his parents, he will not enter paradise until they (his parents) are pleased with him. During the time of the holy Prophet of Allah (pbuh) a Man was approaching his end (about to die) he was encouraged to utter the kalima: “Lah ilaha illa Allahu Muhamadu Rosulullahi” (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad (pbuh) is the messenger of Allah), but he could not say it. So the Holy Prophet (pbuh) then called on the people and asked; “what do you all know about the practice of his religion”? They said: “We do not know anything except goodness in disposition”, He said again: ‘does he have parents? They answered: “He has a mother”. He said: “call his mother for me”. The mother came and the Prophet said: “Are you pleased with this your son? She said: No! so, Allah cursed him and prepared him for the hell-fire. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “pardon him”, she said: “I will never pardon him”. 

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “lf you do not pardon him, he will be thrown into the hell fire” she said: “I am not bothered” The Noble Prophet then asked the companion “Get me firewood” and made a big fire. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “seize him and hurl him into the fire”. As the people were about to throw the man into the fire his mother cried: “Oh my poor son! I pardon him!! I pardon him!!!” and the man was then able to say: “Lah ilaha illa Allahu Muhamadu Rosulullahi”. If he had died and his mother did not pardon him, he would have entered the hell-fire.

Therefore be careful of your obligations to your parents. The most fortunate person is he who has power and capability while one or both of his parents are still alive and he was able to show goodness to them. This is an honour that Allah Almighty bestows on whomsoever He wishes among His servants. The rights of the mother are ahead of the rights of the father because the mother carried him in her womb with a lot of stress as Almighty Allah affirmed: “weakness upon weakness” (Luqman 31:14). The mother is the one who carried you for nine months and you were sleeping in her wombs being pillowed by her bowels. A day among days appeared when child-birth pains (while on labour) overtook her continuously till you the baby came out of the womb with a divine surgical operation from Almighty Allah. After this, she weaned you for two complete years abandoning sleep for your own sleep, abandoning food for your own food and when you were taken ill her illness was tougher than yours – all because of the great compassion she felt for you. So whoever does not show kindness to her despite these facts, can never be kind to any creature.

The father is he who spends his wealth till he marries your mother, prepares an accommodation for her comfort, and spends on her out of his wealth until you are born and you become a man. If you do not show kindness to him, there is no hope that you can ever be kind to any creature. Therefore be mindful of the obligations of Allah and also those of parents. After these, show kindness to all creatures of Allah.

Friend (Waliyy) of Allah

There is no sign attributable to the state of one being a friend of Allah. Due to this it is said: “Nobody knows the Friend (Waliyy) of Allah except Allah Himself”. However, if there is any sign that can point to one being a Waliyy, then it is the goodness attached to the worship of Allah, and also the goodness of character exhibited towards every creature of Allah.

A Muslim to another Muslim has a greater bond of kinship just as a Muslim to a non-Muslim. They are brethrens from the same father, Adam. Hence, goodness towards them is a must. Coupled with all these is the fact that one must ensure that people are put in their right places (accorded their due degree of respects). Some of us are commanders; some are kings and some of us are emperors. The Noble Prophet enjoins us to put people in their right places. Also, we must obey constituted authorities (government). Obedience to government is also an indication of obedience to Almighty Allah. When Almighty Allah, the Blessed evolved the creation process, He also created work/vocations so that human beings can earn their living by these.

FARMING, MOST IMPORTANT VOCATION

The most important of these works are four in number viz: Farming, Textile Manufacturing (Weaving), Construction and Government. These four vocations are compulsory. The foremost is farming because Man must eat to survive and he has not been given a physical body that would not require food.

For this reason farming is essential for the sourcing of food. This is among the fundamental necessities. The second vocation is weaving or textile-making, the making of apparels. Allah, the Blessed created animals that walks around nakedly without any care, this is not so with the children of Man. Man must compulsorily cover his nakedness. Hence weaving for textile-making is a must. Equally essential is construction. There is no doubt that Mankind cannot subsist on air alone like animals. Every one of us undoubtedly has one form of house which serves as our abode. For this reason construction is also compulsory. But the fourth matter is governance. Human being is unable to live life as a recluse. Man cannot live except among other men. No doubt that they will continue to gather and live as groups until they become a settlement/village and they will be assisting one another among themselves. Then settlements will converge and grow to a town. Whenever human beings are in a group there is no doubt that some sections of them will always want to wrong or oppress the other section. For this reason, there is need for law and order which is made possible through governance. Again the Emperor or Leader is Allah’s heir on His earth. The wronged one will always approach him, and he is the one to withdraw the rights of those wronged from the wrongdoer. Hence, obedience to government is compulsory.

Government and rulers may possibly be Muslims or non-Muslims. However, the key ingredient is that they must be just in their dealings. A ruler may be a disbeliever but he must not be a tyrant or an oppressor. Four great men have ruled the world in the past; each one was a king of this world at his own time – there is no contender for him: Sulayman the son of Prophet Dawud, Zhul Qarnayn, Namrudh and Bukhta-Nasri. Namrudh remained in his rulership for four hundred years and he was not destroyed until he wronged Prophet lbrahim (on whom be peace); Bukhta-Nasri also suffered the same fate.

From this we can appreciate the fact that kingship does not rest on the adoption of any particular religion. The key thing is the issue of fairness and justice. Whether a king is just or unfair; obedience to him is incumbent upon the subjects. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) was asked; `if we have leaders who extort their rights and obligations from us but do not give us our own rights, what is the verdict?’ He replied: ‘You give them their rights willingly and seek your own rights from Almighty Allah, the Blessed”. This is the indication that even if a king is a wrongful person, it is still incumbent to obey him.

Nowadays – may Allah be praised – is a time of dialogue. Government is based on democracy. Hence the entire government represents all of us together. We chose the Heads and we select the Ministers. Hence we are the Ministers and we are the Head. If any evil occurs, it is equally for our misfortune together. We are like one body, if a part of it cries out in pains the rest of the body shares in that pain and sleeplessness. Therefore, you should all co-operate and work for your life just as you work for your hereafter aside from (the activities of your Government). You should worship Allah, the Blessed, the Most High. The Holy Prophet said, as was seen in the book of Tabarani, “It is not the best of you, he who works only for this present life but not his hereafter nor he who works only for his hereafter but not this present life, until he works for both altogether”. Some learned scholar said: “work for your present life as if you would remain in it forever, and work for your hereafter as if you will die tomorrow”. This is the saying of the learned scholars not the Hadith of Rosululahi (pbuh). However, there is a Qur’anic verse, which supports this statement. Almighty Allah reveals in Qur’an: “And when you have finished, engage in the work of the hereafter” (Qur’an).

When you have finished the worldly tasks, then engage yourself in tasks of the hereafter. The essence of living is to work, whoever does not work is like a dead person, whether the work consists of devotion to Allah or for earning a particular kind of living. Do not allow any day to pass by without ensuring that you work in it for earning your living or for increasing in the work of the hereafter. Whoever has finished, neither working for this world nor for the hereafter is like a dead person. This life will hurriedly expire, nothing except the hereafter will remain and when we meet Allah in the hereafter nothing will profit us over there except obedience to His will (when in this life). For as long as we are in this world we must be responsible for catering for our worldly needs and those of our families. Hence, we have no option than to work. Any work that is engaged in for earning lawful subsistence is counted among Jihad (i.e. striving in His cause).

For this reason, the entire work of a Muslim is good and pure. If he works in furthering the cause of obedience to Allah, this is true Obedience. Also if he works to earn Halal (lawful) means for his family, the poor and the needy, this is Jihad (true striving in the cause of Allah).

QURAN, THE GUIDE TO THE MOST STRAIGHT ROAD

Almighty Allah sent down to us this Qur’an and this Qur’an does guide to that which is most straight. In the Qur’an there are nine sections containing different branches of knowledge. These branches are the mother of all the other remaining branches. The first of the Qur’an is “Alhamdu Lillahi” (praise be unto Allah). ‘Alhamdu Lillahi’ is an important praise unto Allah the Blessed, The Most High. This is a branch among the branches of the Qur’an because everything that is in the Qur’an has been compressed by Almighty Allah inside surat-ul-Fatihah (The Opening of the Book, Chapter 1 of the Glorious Qur’an). Everything that is in the Qur’an that is of praise if found in the surat-al-Fatihah.

“Alhamdu Lillahi” is a special praise unto Allah. “Robbil Aalamin” (The Lord of the world) is a declaration of belief in oneness of God. “Ar-Rahman ar-Raheem” (The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful) is a declaration of mercy of ALLAH. “Maliki yaomi d-din” (The king of the day of judgment) is a promise (of the future) by God. “Iyyaka na ‘budu” (it is Thee that we worship) is a divine law (shariah) “Wa lyyaka nastain” (And it is from Thee that we seek help) is a reality of our existence and need. “lhdina sirotal mustaqim” (Guide us unto the straight path) is a supplication (dua). “sirotal-l-ladhina aniamta alayhim” (The path of those Thou hast shown favour) is history/story of the past. “Ghaeril magdhubi alaehim wala dallin” (Not the path of those with whom Thou art angry, nor of those who go astray) is a prohibition (admonition to desist from evil).

Now if we return to the praise of Allah, if the servant says: “Alhamdu Lillahi” it is as if he has praised Almighty Allah in all facets of His praiseworthiness. Whenever he says: “Robbil Aalameen”. This is a declaration of His oneness, which firmly establishes His singular Existence as the Creator. Allah has been in existence and nothing co-existed with Him. Then He brought into existence all these creatures with His power and His wish and His wisdom and He will make all extinct as He wishes. Whoever acknowledges that the whole universe has a sovereign Lord, professes Tawheed (belief in oneness of God). “Ar-Rahmanir Raheem” is a promise from The Almighty Allah that He brought us into existence. And for what purpose? He brought us into existence for the singular aim of Islam – submission to His will only. And why did He bring Islam into existence? This is in order that He might bestow mercy on us.

Islam came with the mercy of Allah. The Prophet of Islam – Allah said about Him: “And we have not sent you O Muhammad, but as a mercy to the whole universe” (Al-Anbiya 21:107). Therefore, mercy is the foundation, and “Bismillahi Rahmanir Raheem” is the commencement of every Holy Book revealed.

Every Holy Book sent down from Allah, the Almighty is started with the phrase “Bismillahi Rahmanir Raheem”, just as for every country, there is an anthem of praise with which it is addressed. Then what is Almighty Allah’s Anthem? Mercy. For every important matter, there is no doubt that it must be started with “Bismillahi Rahmanir Raheem”. It is the anthem for the community of Allah Taa’la. The Almighty Allah said: “He has written for Himself mercy” and “My mercy has preceded my anger” and for this reason, there is immense hope for Mankind out of the mercy of Allah Ta’ala. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “If Mankind knows the magnitude of the mercy that is with Allah even the disbeliever will never despair about the chances of admittance into al-jannat (paradise)”. Allah created mercy in one hundred parts, and released only one part into this world. Everything that is in this world by way of favours from the beginning of creation to its end has its root from this one part. To understand this is to imagine the mercy of a mother to her baby and the mercy of the animals unto their babies. These are out of the inexhaustible one percent made available for Mankind. Allah retains the remaining ninety-nine parts with Him.

When this world ceases, the one percent mercy that services creation on earth will return to the ninety-nine parts that exists in the hereafter and the one hundred parts will become whole again. Allah Ta’ala said: “My mercy has preceded My anger”.

Allah is merciful towards His servants and showed mercy as could not be comprehended by anyone, not to talk of the share attributable to the Ummah of Muhammad (who are even of higher ranks than all other human groups). When Allah decided to bring creation into existence and He created the Pen and the Ink: “Nun, By The Pen” (Al-Qalam 68:1). Allah vowed with the two objects and He said to the pen: ‘Write’! “I cannot write, I do not have the capacity to write”. “Write (by My Command) what has passed, what is, and what will be until the Day of Resurrection. Write that the first of the Prophet (sent to the people) was Nuh (on whom be Allah’s peace and blessings). I have raised him for the entire creation; whoever believes in him will enter paradise. Whoever does not believe in him will enter hell-fire. Then Ibrahim, then Musa, then lssa up to Muhammad (all on whom be peace and blessings of Allah)”. The Prophets are one hundred and twenty-four thousand in number. For all of them, The Pen writes: “Whoever believes in him will enter paradise, whoever does not believe in him will enter hell-fire”. This was the case with The pen until it got the Community (Ummah) of Muhammad (pbuh). It wrote: “I (Allah) sent Muhammad (pbuh) to the entire creation, whoever believes in him will enter paradise, whoever disbelieves in him will enter hell-fire”. Allah, the Truth therefore shouted vehemently on it: “Be of good morals and conduct O Pen”: “These are the Ummah of My Beloved” and The Pen became afraid and shivered until it broke into two (at the tip). This was the tearful episode that The Pen encountered from the roaring of Allah, the Blessed Almighty upon it. It said: “What should I write”? Allah Ta’ala said: ‘write thus’: “These are a sinful Ummah (Community) but I am the Forgiving Lord and Cherisher and My Mercy upon them transcends My Anger”. ‘Alhamdu Lillahi’ (praise be unto Allah!)

Whoever is among the Ummah of Muhammad, and this Qur’an is in his hand (as companion) and he remembers Allah, the Almighty, and showers prayers of peace on the Prophet (pbuh), if Allah wills, he cannot see anything in the hereafter except goodness, even with a load of sin, he is rest assured of being pardoned (by his act of seeking Allah’s forgiveness), just as soap and water (cleanses dirt) when present!. Whoever does a lot of Istigfar (in sincere act and deed and with a sincere heart), no sin will remain for such a person. Whoever sends a single prayer of peace and blessing upon the Prophet, Allah Ta’ala says: “This My servant, nobody can punish him except he even punishes others”. If Allah wants him not to be punished, he will not be punished. And the statement, “Lah ilaha illa Allahu”, whoever utters it once, with full belief in it, is an inmate of Paradise. No doubt about it.

Wird (litany of the tariqah Tijaniyyah)

To this end, you have all been admonished by those who gave you ‘wird (litany of the tariqah tijaniyyah)’ that it consists of only Istigfar, (the act of seeking forgiveness for sins), the Salat (prayer of peace) on the Prophet, and khalimah, “Lah ilaha illa Allahu”. All these have their basis in the Qur’an itself: “And seek ye the forgiveness of your Lord…” This is from the Qur’an. “…And shower peace on him i.e. Muhammad (Al-Ahzab 33:56). This is a Qur’anic injunction. “Lah ilaha illa Allahu: “And remember Allah with much remembrance (Al-Ahazab 33:41). The ‘wird’ is recited in the morning and evening: “And glorify Him morning and evening” (Al-Ahzab 33:42).

By the way, there are some people with limited scope of knowledge and understanding that wage war against wird; in essence they wage war on Islam. These people of limited understanding say: the Tariqah Qadriyyah and Tijaniyyah and such groups are not like they used to proclaim them. Their argument is hinged on:  “Today I have perfected for you your Religion” (Al-Maidah 5:3), so there cannot be another practice.

The Holy Prophet came with the religion of Islam. He did not leave this world until he completed his mission of Islam to perfection. He came with every aspect of the religion, nothing else remained. But if a man comes with something drawn from the Qur’an or from the words of the Prophet, can we allude by the action that he has added into the religion? This is not acceptable. Or whoever comes with something that draws references in the Qur’an, and also in the Hadith; such a person came and said his name was Abdul Qadir or Ahmad Tidjani and people of limited knowledge and understanding said that it is an innovation. This is a lie and it is not acceptable.

Wird, litanies of the Prophet of Allah (pbuh)

The litanies are the litanies of the Prophet of Allah (pbuh). Every aspect (of wird) is from the Qur’an. Everyone of the Prophets Allah gave the understanding of wird. The companions (of the Prophet) benefited from it, and he (the Prophet) held firmly unto it and also advised his companions to hold firmly unto it.

The Istigfar (i.e. Astagfiru Iaha), the As-salat upon the Holy Prophet and the La ilaha illa Allahu are commanded by Allah in the Qur’an. Whoever is not a Tijaniyyah but seeks forgiveness (i.e engage in Istigfar) and send salutations unto the Prophet and pronounces ‘la ilaha illa Allah’ will definitely earn his reward, according to the measure of his sincerity. No matter how small, this will definitely obliterate his sins. To this end therefore, it is enjoined upon you to handle your wird with every sense of responsibility and to watch over it. The litanies (awrads) of the sheikhs will protect whoever protects it and will debase whoever debases it. Whoever has taken up the wird, there is a warning from Allah Ta’ala. He says in this regard to whoever has taken up the wird: “And Let them fulfil their vows” (Al-Hajj 22:29). Do not be lured by the talk of anyone who advises you to abandon your wird, that is, that you abandon the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala.

Allah says: “Whoever is turned away from the remembrance of the Beneficent God, Satan will switch him to his side and he will  become his companion” (Zukhruf 43:36); “whoever makes an enemy of Me through My friend: “I am equally ready to wage war on such a person”. This is what Allah Ta’ala said in the Hadith Qudsiyy; whoever Allah engages in war will be destroyed.

There are two paths: The first path is to abandon the remembrance of Allah and to engage in the enmity of friends of Allah, and in speaking ill of them, and in working against their goals. The second path is the remembrance of Allah and possessing the love of friends of Allah. Allah says in Hadith Qudsiyy: “I am sitting down with whoever remembers Me and I am with Him, if he remembers Me in his mind, I will equally remember him in My Mind. If he remembers Me in an assembly, I will remember him in an assembly that is better than his own (small) assembly”. This is a promise from Allah.

Remember Allah and Love His friends (Waliyy)

Remember Allah, whoever remembers Allah, Allah will remember him. Secondly, the love of the friends of Allah. Whoever loves a Waliyy (friend) of Allah merely because that person is a waliyy of Allah, Allah will take such a person as a friend. Therefore, we are all constant in the love of friends of Allah and in the remembrance of Allah, the Blessed and the All-High. Whoever chooses to abandon the remembrance of Allah and also engages in enmity with His friends, if He calls us unto that, we will never follow him. Tomorrow (i.e. in the hereafter) when we meet Allah Ta’ala, they will surely know to whom is honour due on that day of resurrection. Allah will Manifest His Grandeur with His Glory, Majesty and Might and will sit on the Chair of Decrees and says: “It has been for a long time that I have kept quiet and you have been talking; today , keep ye all quiet and I will talk”.

The entire creation will therefore keep quiet and no single word will be heard. Allah will say: “The people of gathering will soon know to whom is honour due today. Where are those whose sides are far from their beds calling their Lord in fear and in hope?” The affected group will stand up, and Allah will say: “Enter ye the paradise’. The people of gathering will soon know to whom is honour due today, “Where are those men, whom neither merchandise nor trade dissuaded from the remembrance of Allah, and keep up prayer and pay the poor due”? The affected group will stand up. Allah will say “Enter ye the paradise without any reckoning “Where are those men who remembers Allah much? Where are those who offer praises, those who praise Allah, if they drink, they say ‘Alhamdu Lillahi’ if they wear dresses they say ‘Alhamdu Lillahi, when they mount (their cars or camels), they say ‘Alhamdu Lillahi; when they enter or leave a place they say ‘Alhamdu Lillahi?; The affected Group (Jammat) will stand up and Allah will say: “Enter ye the Garden without any reckoning”.

Copiously render salutations on the Prophetm(pbuh)

“The people of Gathering will soon know to whom honour is due today”. We therefore must be constant in the remembrance of Allah and in our love of the Holy Prophet of Allah and the Waliyy of Allah so that when the people of Honour are called, the entire people of the gathering will know whom the honour is due to; is it to us or to those proud people? That day (and moment) will surely come; no doubt about it. Therefore, engage copiously in the rendering of salutations on the Prophet (pbuh), especially in the night of Jumah (i.e. Thursday-Friday). On Fridays, Allah and his angels used to move around the earth, if anyone offers salutations on the Prophet (pbuh), it will be carried to the Holy Prophet that a named person residing in a named location has offered prayers of peace on him in specific number of times on Friday.

Also, on the eve of Friday the Holy Prophet will come out and listen by himself to those who offer salutations upon him on Friday or on Friday night amongst you, those salutations will fall directly into the ears of Mustapha (pbuh). Thus, if we meet Allah, we shall know that verily this is the honour.

Time is near (to end lecture). I thank you for your rapt attention. I beseech Allah on your behalf, not forgetting myself and my people, that Allah should make us fortunate in the hereafter and also bless us with good health in this world and protect us and protect our children too. May Allah bless you all, and bless your work, your children and your wealth. May Allah bless your land (country) and everything dear to you. May He also bless you in all that He has provided for you. May Allah bless us all with plenty children, vast wealth, stamp His barakah on everything that He has bestowed on you and place you among the worshippers of Allah who love one another for Allah’s sake; those who have no schism or envy in their hearts against anybody. The Noble Apostle on the greatness of his worth used to say: “No one can convey to me anything evil concerning the other person” I want to leave you behind with a sound heart. Allah says in the Qur’an:“(And remember the) Day when neither wealth nor children can be of benefit to someone, except him who comes unto Allah with a sound heart” (Al-Shuarah 26:88-89). A sound heart, a heart wherein is not found any schism or envy against another person. One day the Apostle sat down in his mosque and said: “A Man from the people of paradise will soon enter from his door!” Everybody started looking at the door and thus entered Abdullah bin Salaam. The  companions went to meet him and asked him what kind of good, righteous work he was doing that made the Holy Prophet remarked (in is absence): “You are definitely from the people of Al-Jannah (paradise)”.

He told them: “It is not that I engage in plentiful prayers, neither by observing much fasting, but every morning  when I wake up, I make an intention not to harbour evil thoughts of any human being in my heart, and when evening approaches, I make the same intention not to harbor any ill-feelings against anyone in the like manner till morning again approaches, and I never mention ill of anybody day or night, and this is how I manage every single day of my whole life”. They said: “it is by this act that the paradise became compulsory for you”. The Apostle used to say: “Whoever comes upon a congregation (jamaat) and they were happy with him altogether (saying) welcome! welcome! Such a person has a recommendation with Allah in the like manner. And whoever enters upon a jama’at and all of them are angry at him and are cursing him, such a person has that same discredit with Allah in that like manner. You are all witnesses for Allah, you are the pens of the Truth”. Whatever you witness among men is exactly what those person have with Allah, therefore make good your relationships (among yourselves) and your speeches with every human being, whether that person is good or bad. There is no one who can be worse than Pharaoh that was ungrateful to Allah and claimed divinity (to be God himself) and no one can be mightier in determination than Prophet Musa (on whom be peace) and Harun. Allah said to them both when he sent them to Pharaoh “And speak to him a gentle speech” (Ta Ha 20:44).

If Musa with his grandeur was ordered to courtesy (display high degree of respectability) and to speak gently to this miscreant who alludes God-ship to himself, then how can less chastity in behaviour be expected of us all? Therefore, make good your worship and make good your behaviours. May Allah grant you all the best in this world and in the hereafter.

As Salaam alaykum wa Rahmatulah.

Acknowledgement

When I extended my thanks to you all; I am in the same vein extending my appreciation to the people of Kaduna on this reception and this incurring of expenditure  and this excellent guest-honouring and show of love. I thank you all the people, the government and the Head. I thank you all and pray to Allah for all of them and I love them all as they love me, and in particular the Muslims among them, despite that all of them are my beloved. And I used to say often: I am one of the Nigerians. Every time I visit you this always manifests and so is every land that l visit within Nigeria. I always meet this warmth be it Kano, Jos, Zaria and Kaduna. Every time l am present in any part of Nigeria, I see myself as being in my home and within my people - nay! - In a home which is even better than my home and with a people better than my own people. This has been written with Allah, the Almighty and I bear witness to that fact. That witnessing will be fulfilled by Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, because He, the Almighty asked for companionship for just one hour, hence whoever keeps companionship of the people of Allah for just one hour will equally have that benefit.

I will end my discourse with a story, in the usual Manner that the Auliyahs (friends of Allah) used to train their subjects with relative stories. Abu Yazid Bastamiyu was passing through a town during one of his journeys. When he was in the center of the town, his rod which he normally employs to herd his animal fell-off his hand, and a man took it and gave it back to him.

Thereafter the Man died and was not engaged in performing further righteous deeds, and the angels came upon him with due punishment and he told them: ‘I am one of the students of Abu Yazid Bastamiyu’.

The entire people of Barzakh (interspace-where people reside immediately after their deaths) are all in one place. Then the Angels turned their gaze towards Abu Yazid Al-Bastamiyu: “Is it true that he was one of your companions? He remarked: ‘l do not know him!’ The Man said: “O Abu Yazid! Have you forgotten that when you were on your journey and passed by a named town, your rod fell down, that rod you normally chastise your animals with, and it was picked up for you by one man? Abu Yazid     said: “l remembered that incident” He said: “I was that man who picked it up for you”, Abu Yazid said: “Leave him (so said he to the Angels – pardoning him)”. Praise is due unto Allah, the Lord of the worlds.