Remain Steadfast and Upright

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,

‘Fa-staqim kamā umirta wa-man tāba ma‘aka’, ‘So remain on a right course as you have been commanded, [you] and those who have turned back with you [to Allah ].’(Qur’ān 11:112). Ṣadaqa Llāhu l-‘Aẓīm. Regarding this āyah, our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said: “It caused gray hairs to appear in my beard.” Naturally, the blessed body of our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is in human form—he ﷺ is a human being—yet he ﷺ possesses immense strength to bear the Word of Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. There are indeed a few scattered white, graying strands in his ﷺ beard—just a handful— and this is due to the gravity of this āyah. Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla says: “Remain steadfast; You and those with you as well.”

Steadfastness is crucial. He ﷻ says, “Walk truly upon the right path.” Allāh ‘Azza waJalla says, “Do not swerve here or there; do not stray from the path.” Because this is such a weighty command, even with all his ﷺ immense strength, our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam remarked, “It caused hairs in my beard to turn white—meaning, it turned parts of my beard white.”

Of course, it was like that even then. And remaining steadfast in this time is extremely difficult; yet, it is a command. Obedience to the command brings gain to a person. Whoever obeys the command becomes a person accepted in the sight of Allāh ﷻ; a person beloved in the presence of Allāh ﷻ. Nowadays, the world employs every manner of trickery, hardship, and evil to try to lead people astray and cause them to lose their steadfastness. Straying from the path means ruin. It means losing everything one has gained. That is why—so that we do not lose sight of the path of uprightness—our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam uttered these blessed words: “Remain steadfast and upright.” Steadfastness and uprightness are a great blessing and a great gain. A person bears no such obligation unless they are a Muslim; once one becomes a Muslim, however,

this obligation applies. Otherwise, those outside of Islām do as they please. But if you are a Muslim, you are bound to obey this command. May Allāh ﷻ grant us all ease. May we remain steadfast and upright, in shā’a Llāh.

Wa min Allāhi t-Tawfīq. Al-Fātiḥa.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 30 September 2026/ 19 Rabih Al-Akhir 1448 Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul