Barakah Is a Spiritual Secret

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.

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm:, “Wa 'In Min Shay'in 'Illā Yusabbiĥu Biĥamdihi”, “And there is not a thing except that it exalts [ Allah ] by His praise.” (Qur’an 17:44).

Everything is mentioning Allāh’s ﷻ Name; everything, every stone, animal or water. All of these are making Dhikr, mentioning the name of Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ is saying, Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm: ‘ ’, ‘Fā-dhkurūnī ‘Adhkurkum Wa Shkurū Lī Wa Lā Takfurūn’, ‘So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.’ (Qur’ān 02:152). Allāh ﷻ says, “Remember Me, mention Me and be thankful for me, make shukr, don’t make kufr.”

For this we are, AlhamduliLlah, we are gathering here for mentioning Allāh ﷻ, for remembering Allāh ﷻ, to mention His ﷻ Name and to be thankful for Him ﷻ, for what He ﷻ gave us. As much as you can remember, you must mention His ﷻ name. By His ﷻ name, everything becomes easier and becomes of more benefit.

There’s no problem to enjoy yourself, but don’t forget Allāh ﷻ. There’s no problem to go for holiday, to enjoy yourself, but you must remember your Creator, your Lord, Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. And today, AlhamduliLlah, every day we are going from place to place, from France to Spain. Allāh ﷻ has created very beautiful places, we are happy AlhamduliLlah. At least we are remembering and saying His ﷻ name, thanking Him ﷻ for what He ﷻ gave us, to see these places.

When Mawlānā Shaykh was going to any place, he was making a little bit of Dhikr to take Barakah, to give Barakah for this land also. AlhamduliLlah today also we mentioned too much in the mountains with people. There are unseen creatures also, they become happy. They didn’t hear this in a long time. The stones, trees and water, all of this. They become happy and they become Barakah.

People think with machines, with things, they can take more benefit. But there’s no Barakah in this. Now Barakah, Allāh ﷻ has taken Barakah from earth. Barakah is a secret from Allāh ﷻ. He ﷻ only gives very few things of knowledge for people, to know about this life. The biggest secret is Barakah.

Before, people used to mention everywhere. They went to the field by themselves, walking or digging or with an animal. In everything they remember, and they take what’s enough for them. Even one or two cows were enough for a family. Now a hundred are is not enough. When you make mentioning [of Allāh ﷻ] while walking, all of this will become a witness for us Yawmu l-Qiyamah, “These people were here. They mentioned.” Every step will be a reward for us.

Islam, religion is a spiritual power. Not only - of course with mind also, everything is through mind also in Islam. But besides this, a very strong spiritual power. Some people, to destroy Islam, say there is no spirituality in Islam. One of these spiritual things is Barakah. Without Barakah, all of this cannot be, for people to live without Barakah. They live, but not as with Barakah. There are many places in the world like Damascus now. Mawlana used to say all the time that it has Barakah. It was real Barakah. Very poor people were living there. Even now, with all these difficulties, people are managing to live. If that was in any place in Europe, people would die from hunger. Why is this? Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam says, “O Allāh ﷻ give Barakah for Shām and Yemen.” For this, without spirituality it is ok also, but it is dry. They try to destroy the belief of people, but whom Allāh ﷻ wants Khayr (goodness) for, He ﷻ keeps him safe from these people.

May Allāh ﷻ help, keep us safe and give us Barakah insha'Allah. Everywhere we go, we make Dua for Barakah insha'Allah. Because the believer, Mu’min wants good for everybody. There’s no need to ask for punishment or something from Allāh ﷻ. When Allāh ﷻ sends something, He ﷻ sends it for all people. So we, all the time, ask for mercy from Allāh ﷻ for all of us.

There is another matter they are asking about. Some of our people don’t know very much about Shari’ah. So sometimes they are mixing up and think they are doing better but sometimes you must follow Madhhab. They were asking about this. We pray now, Seferi, traveler prayer: instead of 4 Rak’at, we pray 2 Rak’at [Qasr, Shortening prayer]. This is for all Madhhabs, but there is a difference between them. In our Madhhab - everybody can follow any Madhhab. But the one we are following: Hanafi, travel is for 15 days. When you are traveling less than 15 days, you are Seferi; if more, you’re not. And when you are Musafir (traveler), you must pray 2 Rak’at for Fard, obligatory. This is only for Hanafi. So for this, if you pray 4 Rak’at, you will not get more reward, you will not even have less. For Fard, 2 Rak’at. But for Sunnah, pray as much as you can.

And it is 15 days, as we said. For Shafi’i, Seferi is 3 days only. And in these 3 days, they can pray 4 Rak’at or 2 Rak’at, they are free. And in this also, they have one extra thing for them. They can pray Dhuhr and Asr or Maghrib and Isha together [Jam’, Combining prayer]. In Hanafi we don’t have this.

But as we said, 3 days. After 3 days, they are not Musafir (traveler) in Shafi’i. But unfortunately we see many people, more than 3 days, they are still making Dhuhr and Asr together, or Maghrib and Isha together. In Maliki, I don’t know how it is. Maliki and Hanbali I think are the same also. Three Madhhabs have it for 3 days, but Hanafi have it 15 days.

For fasting also, when you are Musafir, you can break your fast; just as 15 days or 3 days accordingly. But for fasting, it is not obligatory to break the fast. You can fast or you can break the fast.

Many people said, Mawlana is doing this. But there were some times when it was obligatory, we can follow other Madhhab. Because new Muslims don’t know anything about this. They thought it is 2 Rak’at: so they will pray as such all the time. For this, when Mawlana was making for people 4 Rak’at, most of the people were very new Muslims. AlhamduliLlah, now all, new or old, have knowledge, much knowledge. So there’s no problem to follow Madhhab.

Madhhab is very important for the people of ṭarīqah. Every time I mention this, Islam has forts: the first fort is ṭarīqah, the second fort is Madhhab, the third fort is Hadith, the fourth fort is Qur’an. It is very important, don’t think it is - Because many people say, “I am Sufi, no need for Madhhab.” But it is wrong, very, really wrong. You don’t know Madhhab, “I am following Madhhab, but I don't know.” It’s ok, but don’t say no Madhhab.

Because what’s happening now is that they are destroying ṭarīqah. All people, when you say ṭarīqah, they say, “You are Mushrik, you are Kafir, you don’t know anything.” They finish the first fort. The second fort: Madhhab; they also destroy it. The third one is Hadith. Now they’re also attacking, “They don't know Hadith. All this is wrong.” “We are only looking at Qur’an”, they say. After that, now, they are coming after Qur’an also. “Too much inside the Qur’an, many things look the same, so we cancel them. We will take this out.”

This is the importance of Madhhab and ṭarīqah; they must be all together. You can’t take out - Mawlana Shaykh was saying, if your car is broken, they think, “Oh, this thing from the engine, this is too much, that is too much, too much, let’s throw it out.” How can this machine, car work?

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm: ‘ ’, ‘Wa Llahu mutimmu nūrihi walaw kariha l-kāfirūn, ‘Allah will perfect His light, even though the disbelievers dislike it.’ (Qur’ān 61:08). Insha’Allah all of these people will finish when Mahdi ‘alayhi s-salam comes. It is their time now, don’t worry about it. Allāh ﷻ keeps His ﷻ religion, bi idhni Llah (with the permission of Allāh ﷻ). May Allāh ﷻ send his savior, Sayyidina Al-Mahdi quickly insha’Allah.

Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq. Al-Fatiha.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 19 April 2024/ 10 Shawwal 1445 Spain