Continuous Favours

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.

We always start by making shukr to Allāh ﷻ. We must start every task by making shukr to Allāh ﷻ. Goodness and blessings increase with shukr. Blessings become perpetual. Because not everything is everlasting. Da’im (Everlasting) is Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. With His ﷻ power and His ﷻ grace He ﷻ makes blessings last whenever He ﷻ wants. With His ﷻ attribute of Da’im. Therefore, we start everything by making shukr. Shukr to Allāh ﷻ, we have reached these holy days again. Days are passing quicky. Our shukr is for being steadfast on this way of truth in shā’a Llāh. We make shukr so that we are steadfast and so that the blessings He ﷻ gives are perpetual.

Shukr to Allāh ﷻ, today is the 19th of Ramaḍān. Today is the 19th day. Tomorrow is the 20th in shā’a Llāh. And after the 20th there is this beautiful worship called i‘tikāf. Our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam never skipped it. But for us, he ﷺ says whoever wants and can may do it. It is not farḍ, but for those who want it is a big blessing and great benefit. I‘tikāf is ten days. It can be seven days, five days, one day or one hour. What’s important is to make intention for it. You may make intention of i‘tikāf every time you enter a mosque. But the actual one is ten days. Our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam did ten days. But for the ummah, they may do as much as they can. Therefore, when we make intention for i‘tikāf every time we enter and leave the mosque, it opens thawāb for us. It opens the beautiful door of thawāb for us.

As we read in khuṭbah, our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said the blessings of Ramaḍān and rewards given in ākhirah are such things that we cannot imagine. People yearn for the rubbish in this world. They yearn for things that don't have any value. And they don't do anything for ākhirah, for the real eternal life which is in ākhirah. That is the fate given to people by Allāh ﷻ.

Therefore, what we say to those who don't do this is the word of Allāh ﷻ. If they don't do it, it means Allāh ﷻ didn't mean it for them. We should feel sorry for them that they do not have a share from these beautiful things. Otherwise, may Allāh ﷻ protect us; we must beg Allāh ﷻ in order not to become like them. May He ﷻ make us steadfast. May He ﷻ make us steadfast on the way of Islām, on the way of light, on the way of beauty. May He ﷻ help us. Because we never know how the ego is. As soon as someone loses his feeting, he falls off the cliff and perishes. Nothing he did has any value then.

Therefore, we must be careful. We must make shukr to Allāh ﷻ. It is from the generosity and grace of Allāh., “Hādhā min faḍli Rabbī”, “This is by the grace of my Lord.” (Qur’an 27:40). If Allāh ﷻ doesn't grant you from His ﷻ grace and generosity, you can do whatever you want, it won't happen. What Allāh ﷻ wants happens. And you must not say, "Why did Allāh ﷻ do so?" Those who say so don't attain anything. They only lose. They don't earn anything.

These holy days are the days of treasure, not the treasure of this world but the treasure of ākhirah. Take as much as you want from it. No one can say anything to you. Take more and more, says Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. Our door is the door of generosity, says Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. Don't be ashamed and embarrassed. Take a lot. Take as much as you can, says Allāh ‘Azza waJalla. But what are we doing? We say, "We don't want" and run away. And then they complain, "Why do we have these troubles? Why are we in such a condition?" Of course. Where will you go if you run away from Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla? You will go to hardship. It is something known.

There are two ways; no third way. There is the way of Allāh ﷻ and the way of shayṭān. You are either on the way of Allāh ﷻ, or on the way of shayṭān. Who are on the way of Allāh ﷻ are in profit. Who are on the way of shayṭān are in loss. They may eat or drink as much as they want. They may eat non-stop, eat day and night, they will get no benefit. What they will get is a big belly and fat. That's it. There won't be other benefit. And they know that these are the things that have more harm than benefit. May Allāh ﷻ protect us.

May He ﷻ not separate us from the right way. Millions and billions of shukr to Allāh ﷻ for putting us on this way. We have many examples in front of us. They are people just like me and you. But Allāh ﷻ haven’t destined it to them. Therefore, we must make shukr, as we said in the beginning. No need for other things. We must make continuous shukr. May Allāh ﷻ make us from the grateful ones in shā’a Llāh.

Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq. Al-Fatiha.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 29 March 2024/ 19 Ramadan 1445 Lefke, Cyprus