The Source of Power of the Naqshbandī Mashāyikh

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum wa Raḥmatullāhi wa Barakātuh. A‘ūdhu Billāhi Minash-shayṭāni r-rajīm. Bismillāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm. Wa ṣ-Salātu wa s-Salāmu ‘alá Rasūlinā Muḥammadin Sayyidi l-Awwalīna wa l-Akhirīn. Madad yā RasūlAllāh, Madad yā Sādāti Aṣḥābi Rasūlillāh, Madad yā Mashāyikhinā, Dastūr Mawlana Sheikh Abdullāh al-Fā’iz ad-Dāghistāni, Sheikh Muḥammad Nāẓim al-Ḥaqqānī. Madad. Ṭarīqatunā aṣ-Suḥbah wa l-Khayru fi l-Jam‘iyyah.

Allāhumma ṣalli ‘ala Sayyidinā Muḥammad wa ‘ala ‘Alihi wa Sahbihi wa sallim. We are in the month of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. Sha’bān is his ﷺ month. This month is special, and all months are for Mu’min. But this is for respecting Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam. We are happy with this month and there are many blessed nights in this month, especially 15th of Shā’bān. It is [written in it] for next year what will happen and what there is for all human beings and for the world also. Because we are living in the world, the world also affects what we are and what we have. So this month is the blessed month of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam.

Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is light for the Ummah, for human beings, humanity. When he ﷺ was in Makkah, of course he ﷺ was, as our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said, “Nobody, no one was harmed like me.” They tortured him ﷺ. They made everything to Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wasallam. But Allāh Azza wa Jalla granted him ﷺ [to reach ] the highest place which nobody reached: The Night of Mi’rāj to heaven. That which we don’t know where, how and what happened; we don't know. It is beyond our mind, beyond our thinking. It is special for Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam. He ﷺ visited everywhere: Jannah, Jahannam, sirāt, Mahshar. Allāh ﷻ showed him ﷺ all of this, because there is no time for Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla in everything. So as we said, it is beyond our thinking.

So when he ﷺ came after that, after two or three years, the order came for him ﷺ to go to Madīnah, to leave his ﷺ city. It is not easy to leave where he ﷺ was born, where he ﷺ was growing. It is difficult for man to leave this. So by the order of Allāh Azza wa Jalla, he ﷺ was going with Sayyidinā Abū Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Somebody can ask, “Why Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla did not take Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam so he ﷺ can be in Madīnah in one second?” There is wisdom in

everything. Nothing is without wisdom. Because, “Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam went billions and billions of light years in one second. So how is it that to go to Madīnah, he ﷺ must ride a camel and go walking and suffering?” There is wisdom for this. This is to make Barakah for the Ummah. And for the Ummah not to think, “How was the Prophet ﷺ not suffering? We are suffering.” As we said from the beginning of the Ṣuḥbah, nobody suffered like our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam. He ﷺ was suffering and they threw stones on him ﷺ and threw dirt on him ﷺ, and he ﷺ was patient. Even though it is very easy for one angel to finish all if this. But he ﷺ was teaching the Ummah how they must be patient and accept what Allāh ﷻ gives.

So in this [journey] also many things happened, in this traveling, especially in the cave: Ghar Thawr. AlhamduliLlah we visited this cave. It is not like the caves we see: a big cave, you can go inside and out. It is very tight and very narrow. Maybe it’s difficult for a normal man to go there. But alhamduliLlah Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam was there. And in this cave there was also another thing for the Ummah. What is it? The mashāyikh, Naqshbandī Shaykhs, 7007 one came spiritually and took Bay’ah from Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. This is very important also. For this, Naqshbandī and all ṭarīqah are real ṭarīqah, the 40 ṭarīqah. But Naqshbandī have more connection with Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. While on this journey of Hijrah, travelling to Madina, in this cave when Sayyidinā Abū Bakr was there, he took Bay’ah with all the Naqshbandī mashāyikh until Qiyāmah. They are 7007. It [ṭarīqah] will be and it must be until Qiyāmah.

So this is what ṭarīqah is and from where its power is coming. With the power of ṭarīqah - ṭarīqah, Islām and Sharī'ah are one. You cannot separate them from each other. You know many times there was division between Muslims. And people lost their way. The Mashāyikh of Naqshbandī collected them again. As you know Mujaddid Alf-Thāni, Ahmad Al-Sirhindī. But maybe many of you haven’t heard about Yūsuf al-Hamadānī. Yūsuf al-Hamadānī is also a very great one. He was the Shaykh of Ahmad Yasawī.

So in this time all the area of Central Asia and all this area became against Ahlu s-Sunnah wa l-Jama’ah. They do not like Sayyidinā Abū Bakr, Umar, Uthman. They do not accept many ṣaḥābah. All this area was like this. They call them Fātimī in Egypt. They are against the ṣaḥābah, against Khalifā’ r-Rashīdīn. All this area was like this. [It changed] with Yūsuf al-Hamadānī and his student, Tilmeedh, murīd Ahmad Yasawī. He is a great one. Without fighting, without doing anything, millions of these people came back [by their means] to the way of Islām, which

from them came to Anatolia before the Ottomans and they prepared this area. And when the Ottomans come, Ahlu s-Sunnah wa l-Jama’ah were again controlling everywhere. But without this, millions of people [would’ve left]. You cannot imagine! Now, you wouldn’t have found any Ahlu s-Sunnah wa l-Jama’ah if these mashāyikh were not there.

For this, they are saying, “This is Mushrik, this is this.” How can a Mushrik make this? Make Ahlu s-Sunnah wa l-Jama’ah control everything, make Hidāyah, win over Kufr, go to the middle of Europe and take this oppression off people, give justice in the middle of Russia and all of this area. With these mashāyikh raḍīya Allāhu ʿanhum, they were safe from shayṭān and his followers. After this, you know Shaykh Aḥmad al-Fārūqī al-Sirhindī also known as Mujaddid Alf-Thāni. Also without fighting, no sword, no gun, no bomb, he made all India and all this area Ahlu s-Sunnah wa l-Jamā’ah again. And we are lucky to be with them in their line.

Of course, there are many ṭarīqah, 40 ṭarīqah. All of them also serve Ahlu sSunnah wa l-Jama’ah. Especially in Africa, in all Africa, they did not fight, [they collected people] only with taṣawwuf. Ahlu t-taṣawwuf were coming from North to South, all West Africa until Nigeria, all of this. How can somebody go and fight in this desert? It’s impossible. But with Allāh’s ﷻ blessing, they sent Sufi, Tariqa people. They put light in this “black continent”, they call it. Those who say this are the black ones [no Nur]. Alhamdulillah, they give Nur (light) for black people. They are suffering. They suffer too much, but Allāh ﷻ reward them. Allāh ﷻ will be happy with them. Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam was also happy. Once Bilāl al-Ḥabashī was saying something. One ṣaḥābi said to him, “O you black woman’s son!” Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam was very angry with him. He knew his fault, his wrong. And he quickly went and asked for him. He put his head on the earth and said, “Step on me.” This is the teaching of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wasallam. What the teaching of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is, it is the teaching for Tariqah, for Islām, for Muslimīn. There isn’t any difference between people, only with who is of more help for Islām.

Those who are going on this way cannot go with Kibir, proudness. Proudness cannot be in ṭarīqah. Tarīqah is only for humble ones. As much as you be humble, as much as you are higher. This is what Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wasallam says, “Man Tawada’a li-Llah Rafa’ahu.” Who is humble for Allāh ﷻ, for the sake of Allāh ﷻ, Allāh ﷻ will make him up (raise him). Of course, sometimes to be proud upon who is claiming to be proud, it can be also. But who is not proud and you come and be proud upon him, it is not acceptable,

not acceptable at all. Only for these people. We see many proud people. Who is proud, his thinking is not good. Because there’s nothing to be proud for. Everything Allāh ﷻ gave you, you must be humble, you must be thankful for Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. You do not make people or show them that they lower than you, Allāh ﷻ will make you lower.

Mashāyikh in old times were not saying anything against each other. The real mashāyikh, not as now. Many ulamā’, many claiming they are mashāyikh, they are ulamā’, they are scholars, they are imām. They don't know this. Without ṭarīqah, we see many of them are very proud. They want to be called with the highest name. But ulamā of old times - Once, they asked one ‘Alim about one matter. He said, “This is not acceptable.” They went to the other one, he said, “Okay. This is okay.” He said so about one Mas‘ālāh (matter). They were asking to make them curse or say anything against each other. They came [to the first] and said, “Look, you said this is not acceptable. But this Shaykh is saying it is acceptable.” He said, “He is like an ocean. A small dirt is nothing for the ocean. It can be cleaned. For this, he said this.” Then, they went to the other one and said, “Look, this man said this is nothing. He said that it is not acceptable.” He said, “Yes. He is like a white paper. One spot can appear.” So they were not saying, “He is not knowing anything. He is wrong.” No. They find something to be an excuse for them. This is also the ulamā’ of old times. Most of them have Murshid, they have ṭarīqah, they have adab. It is very important.

May Allāh ﷻ help us. We are living in a time when everything is upside down. Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam was saying, the feet will be the head. “How will it be so?” the Sahaba were saying. The feet meaning those who do not understand anything. They are going to be on our heads and they are controlling. But those who are controlling: what do the feet understand! Understanding is for the head. It must be the head to understand, to see, to look, to hear. But the feet..

Now we are living in this time. Everything is upside down. May Allāh ﷻ help us in shā'a Llāh. But also, as we say every time, we are living in a time, a precious time, the end of times. The most profit is in this time. Because it is a difficult time, when you follow and do what Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla is ordering, Allāh ﷻ rewards you without counting because you’re suffering, it is not easy. May Allāh ﷻ help Muslims.

Every day we hear and see people going out of way. Don’t step there. Don’t follow this bad friend who says, “Ok, come once and you will be happy. If you are not happy, you can go.” When you put your feet there, there is a trap that will catch

you. You cannot get out of it. This is Nasīḥa, advice for everybody, for who is listening, for who is hearing from away. Don’t be with bad people, bad friends. They are, as our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is saying, like a bad smelling place of ironsmiths. Even if you are not burning your clothes, they will be smelling and you will not be happy. For this, don't go near them at all.

In shā’a Llāh we are, as we say, we are living in a time, the end of times. In shā’a Llāh in the end of this, there must be an opening with Sayyidinā Al-Mahdī ‘alayhi s-salām in shā 'a Llāh. This is what we are awaiting. Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is Sādiqu l-Amīn (The Truthful and Trustworthy). He ﷺ is the most truthful. He ﷺ said everything that has appeared. Now there are very few things [left] to appear and to save this world from every badness, from every dirtiness, from all bad people. It will be clean in shā'a Llāh. May Allāh ﷻ make him [appear soon]. Mawlānā Shaykh said, in every du'ā' you make, make du'ā' for AlMahdī ‘alayhi s-salām to come in shā'a Llāh. We hope Allāh ﷻ sends him soon in shā'a Llāh.

Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq. Al-Fatiha.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 17 February 2024/ 07 Sha’ban 1445 Jamia Masjid Hanfia – Bradford, UK