We’re Planting Trees of Goodness

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.

May Allah ﷻ make all these assemblies everlasting. Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni rRaḥīm:

‘Innamā Ya`muru Masājida Allāhi Man 'Āmana Billāhi Wa Al-Yawmi Al- 'Ākhiri’, ‘The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day.’ (Qur’ān 09:18). Sadaqa Llāhu l-‘Aẓīm. Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla says, “Those who believe in Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla build houses of Allah ﷻ, Masjids and beautiful places.” They are the accepted servants.

This place of ours - Shukr to Allah ﷻ, we’ve made Dhikr, prayed and given Sohbats here for years. May Allah ﷻ be pleased with our brothers who were the means for that. Eşref Efendi had acquired this place. He refurbished it from a ruined condition and turned it into a nice place. It has become a place loved by Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla. He made us neighbors to Sayyidina Ayyub Sultan. May this neighborhood go on in Akhirah as well. Sayyidina Abu Ayyub al-Ansari who had hosted our Holy Prophet ﷺ will host us in paradise insha’Allah. Insha’Allah we’ll be his guests there as well. We are his guests here now.

We are probably here today (for the last time). Insha’Allah from later on, we are moving to another Dergah insha’Allah. This was the second one. The first one was a bit further. It was close to the holy one. And the third one will be more spacious insha’Allah. Our brothers are sitting under the rain. May Allah ﷻ be pleased with them, they have not been complaining about the rain, hotness, or snow. They come to these beloved assemblies of Allah ﷻ. Allah ﷻ will grant us insha’Allah that there will be a large Dergah, and we will do it more comfortably.

They say, “The third is steady (third time lucky).” Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla finishes what He ﷻ likes with an odd number. One, two, three - they say the third one is steady. Insha’Allah Allah ﷻ has meant it again. Allah ﷻ has meant it with the Barakah and Himmah of our brothers. Virtue given by Allah ﷻ was meant for us. Because many Dergahs - Mawlana Shaykh Nazim had been coming here for 40-50 years. There were many ruined Dergahs. He asked for them, but they were not meant for him. There is wisdom in everything. They had their owners. Their owners had made them Waqf and benefitted from that Waqf.

Shukr to Allah ﷻ, by the wisdom of Allah ﷻ, we were meant to give a Waqf, a land, a Dergah, a place to Islamic Waqf without asking from anyone, without taking anyone’s right. Our brothers gave it. This is a nice thing. May Allah ﷻ always make them successful. May their goodness increase. That is important, because these are the things written in the book of deeds until Qiyamah.

If you’ve done some goodness, when you die - If you have billions and trillions but you give nothing to anyone, not even a penny, all of them will remain here. Your children will go to Cyprus. They won’t go to Lefke. They will go to Girne. They will go to Famagusta, Lefkoşa. They will go everywhere where they suck money for Haram things. They will go to such places, and you will be poor in Akhirah. You won’t have anything. If you tell them to give for charity, they won’t give a penny. Therefore, we make Shukr to Allah ﷻ, our way, the way of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim gives advice for those people to do something for Akhirah. Who has a lot of money and listens won’t give money to those things in this world.

Late Hajji Yaşar used to shout out the words of Aziz Mahmud Efendi while collecting money in a mosque. He used to say, “Whatever you give with your hand will be gone with you.” That is correct. No one will give after you. Therefore, such beautiful places, Shukr to Allah ﷻ - Even if poor, their good deeds will be written until Qiyamah. May Allah ﷻ be pleased insha’Allah. May these Dhikrs and Suhbats last in this place after us until Qiyamah insha’Allah. May they be a service to Islam.

We don’t ask for anything for ourselves. We make Shukr to Allah ﷻ for being put on this way, for bringing us to these nice places. We are planting trees of goodness, trees whose fruit will be eaten in Akhirah. Just like Mawlana Shaykn Nazim said, we’ll make 40,000 Dergahs all over the world insha’Allah. Every Dergah is a tree. They are the trees whose fruit are very sweet and delicious. People will say, “If only we could plant more to eat more of their sweet fruit” and be happy not to leave their things in this world but to pass them to Akhirah. Shukr to Allah ﷻ.

Doing goodness is the greatest virtue given by Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla to people and Muslims. We are doing it with the permission of Allah ﷻ. Allah ﷻ is letting us do it with His ﷻ kindness and generosity. As we said, people have trillions. But they are not granted this. They are not destined to have this. Who are granted are you and us, Shukr to Allah ﷻ. May Allah ﷻ multiply it. May this service be everlasting on this way. May Allah ﷻ give abundantly so that we serve people. There are poor people everywhere. Serving them, helping them where they are is good for all of us. There is a reward from Allah ﷻ for their struggle and patience. They are in hardship, in cold and mud. They are patient and tolerant with all kinds of suffering. Helping them gives us from their reward. May Allah ﷻ help them. May Allah ﷻ protect them. Not only Muslims, any human should be embarrassed of his humanity when he sees their condition. They are under a test of Allah ﷻ. Their reward is great in the presence of Allah ﷻ. And who helps them takes from that reward.

Our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam says Muslims are like one body. If one part is in pain, the whole body feels that pain. Therefore, may Allah ﷻ help and protect them. Insha’Allah help from Allah ﷻ will reach them, and they will be protected. May Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla remove this affliction from upon them. Everything is good for Muslims insha’Allah. It will certainly be good in the end. May Allah ﷻ give strength. May Allah ﷻ protect all of us. May He ﷻ protect us from the evil of bad people.

The state of dunya, we are saying again, it is the end of times. As it is the end of times, we are living in a difficult time. But it has tremendous reward and Thawab. Our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said, “If you do ninety-nine of what I say and not do one, you will be punished and admonished. If the Ummah who comes in the end of times does one and doesn’t do ninety-nine, all of them will be accepted.”

Therefore, our time is the time of profit and trade. Alert ones gain a lot of profit in the times of war, because they do what they want. Our time is like the time of war. There is a lot of suffering in the end of times. Therefore, it has abundant profit. May Allah ﷻ give such alertness to people. Because while saying, “I’ll do now or later,” your life passes by in front of your eyes without taking anything to Akhirah. You are sitting with no bucket or bowl in your hand. The water is pouring over you. And while thinking about taking it now or later, everything will be finished. You will end up with nothing. Therefore, may we do a lot of goodness, charity and worship insha’Allah. May Allah ﷻ make us successful and not let us obey our egos.

In the place you’re sitting, wherever you are, don’t forget about the Dhikr of Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla. No matter where you are; in a car or at home, in an assembly or wherever, don’t forget Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla so that Allah ﷻ loves you and helps you insha’Allah. May Allah ﷻ be pleased with all of you. As we said, may this place be everlasting until Qiyamah with the Dhikr of Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla insha’Allah. May it be the reason for the growth of good people. May Allah ﷻ be pleased with those who come and who give, with the owner of this place and its employees. May Allah ﷻ give us more and larger Dergahs. It is nice here, but as we said, you see the condition: people don’t fit. Therefore, Shukr to Allah ﷻ, we will have a larger place in shā’a Llāh.

Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq. Al-Fatiha.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 12 January 2025/ 12 Rajab 1446 Eyup Sultan Dergah, Istanbul