A Lecture by Al Shekh Afeefuddin Al Jailani
On 13th May 2013 at Masjid Bukit Antarabangsa, Hulu Klang, Selangor
Alhamdhu’lillah, with Allah’s barakat, Almighty and Glorious is He, we are going to continue teaching the subject of Reality of Sufism.
We are now at the point in the book where we discuss the subject of choosing your Sheikh.
We have previously explained the importance of the Sheikh as the one who will lead you and guide you to Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He. Everyday we recite numerous times
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Show us the straight way,
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray..
Al Fatiha 6:7
And because of that, Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, has sent al ambiyah wa’l mursaleen, the prophets and the messengers, peace be upon them all, to guide and to pass the knowledge and the religion to the human being in order for them to raise themselves to the level of true believers.
Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, refers to humanity in two ways in the Holy Qur’an.
Ya ayuhannas, and ya ayuhalladhina aamanu. Oh humanity. And Oh you who believe.
Humanity, or people, is a general reference. But believers are special.
Sayyidina Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is Rahmatul aalameen, and lahu bil mumineena ra’uf raheem. Special.
So, if you have raised yourself, through Allah’s mercy, Almighty and Glorious is He, to become a believer, you are special. That is why those who have carried their taqwa are advised to keep their taqwa strong. To become a believer is the first step. Then you must strive for at taqwa, and you must work to keep it strong. This is to maintain and protect your faith. Your IMAN. This is how to become at muttaqeen. And this will not happen unless we follow the path of the prosperous ones.
The Sheikhs, are the inheritors of the knowledge of Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant hime peace. Sayyidina Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, has said that the Sheikhs, the Scholars, (alims) are the inheritors of the knowledge.
In Islam there are numerous branches of knowledge. The study of the Qur’an (ilmu Qur’an), interpretation of the Qur’an (ilmu tafsir), the study of the life of Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, (ilmu hadith). All different. Those who study and learn this are the Ulama, and they are themselves students and there is a sanad. They have studied carefully and are accredited as knowledgeable.
The Ulama are very concerned about their students and about the knowledge that is being passed down. The different fields of study, such as tafsir al Qur’an, or tilawah, or ulum ul Qur’an, or ilmu hadith, or ilmu fiqh. The study of these branchs of knowledge demand discipline. It is not enough to go as you like for sessions. That cannot happen. The Ulama will not accept you as a student. The Ulama will not call you to attend the sessions. You must stand and wait at their house for the session to begin, patiently. That is the tradition for passing down the knowledge. It will require many years for a student, murid, to get his ijazah, a diploma of sorts given by the Ulama in recognition of the students mastery of the subject.
It is similar in a way to University studies, you must progress through various degrees before you get your diploma or degree. Then you are ready for the next step. The study of these branches of knowledge requires dedication, because al ulum deen is dealing with our faith.
Choosing someone to guide you to Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, he must be someone who is sincerely and truly dedicated to Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He. We call such a person al warith al Muhammadi, the Inheritor of the knowledge of Muhammad, Allah bless him and grant him preace.
What does this mean. It is not sufficient that he has studied and has acquired the knowledge as we have discussed. He also must be a good example to his students as Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was the excellent example to his companions, Allah be well pleased with them all. He must be of a dual nature. He must be both a Scholar, and a servant of Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He. One who possesses the knowledge and lives the knowledge.
We know sometimes about the Ulamas and Sheikhs from others. They speak highly of a certain Sheikh or Ulama but we don’t know anything about them yet. But when you follow someone and you notice his practice, his characteristics first hand. His sincerity. Only then will you know whether he is the one who can guide you to Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He.
There are many among the respected Scholars, even the highly respected ones, with a deep understanding of their branch of religious knowledge, but if you think about it you will realize that during their time there were many other respected Scholars. But they became the most renown. Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, has chosen them because of their sincerity and humility and depth of knowledge. There is no situation wherein the Alim, the Sheikh, will restrict his efforts only to his group of students, or the students will listen only to one Sheikh.
It is Al Islam for all. Sayyidina Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed the knowledge freely to everyone. And he said:
Pass my knowledge to others even if it is only one verse of the Qur’an
But, how are you going to pass the knowledge if you don’t know how to pass it? We read Surat Al Ikhlas frequently. But do we know the true in-depth meaning of this Surat.
Qul huwa Allahu ahad
When we recite the Qur’an during our prayers, do we know what we are reading? It is not enough for you to simply recite the Qur’an. You must strive to understand what you are reading and in depth.
The Sheikh you seek must know and be able to teach this knowledge. He must have the ijazah and it must be a link in the sanad, linking the knowledge back to Sayiddina Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace.
And when you read the biography of the Sheikhs you will see some entries like muhadith al haramain or faqih ul haramain. Or Imam ul Haramain. Or similarly muhadith as shams or faqih us shams. This is like a title applied to the Scholar because of his knowledge and sincerity.
In earlier times, a Scholar may have 100 students and 99 would go on to become Sheikhs and Scholars in their own right. And the remaining one would be 50-50. They have benefited from the teaching of the Sheikh.
In modern times one is 50-50 and the rest are not learned. This is because we are missing two very important aspects. Sincerity in learning and concern for the knowledge. You can study today but if you take it easy, relax as it were, you will loose the opportunity.
A real life example that I have witnessed can be seen in the approach of Allahyarham Sheikh Abdul Karim, the Mufti of Iraq. If someone arrived late for his class, one time only and even a few minutes, he was no longer welcome in the class. He would say “You are Alim dunia only, not an Alim for dunia and Akhirat.” His approach was that this was an appointment to learn about Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He. And if you are going to be heedless of this during your lessons, how can you possibly become a good example for others.
This happened once for me. One particular day, one lesson, I was unable to attend the lesson. And I returned to class the next day. I was too embarrassed to call – this was my Sheikh, my link back to Sayyidina Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace. I was embarrassed. How could I call? It was very difficult. It was rare that we could look them in the face.
In the case of Sayyidina Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, the companions would sit absolutely motionless and quiet with their heads bowed when they were in his presence. One visitor once described the demeanor of the companions such that if a small bird were perched on their heads, they would have no reason to fly away. Motionless.
And all of the Scholars agree that the students of the Scholars must hold their Murshid in a similar awe if they are to learn the required knowledge. If they want to acquire the knowledge, they must first acquire the adab, the manners while with the Sheikhs. Just as we discussed the etiquette, and manners relating to companionship. So also is there the adab, the etiquette, and manners, relating to your murshid.
In those days, the teacher would have a school. A normal school. If you were out of the school and you happened to see your teacher approaching along the same street as you, you would go out of your way to avoid the encounter. This is due to the respect with which the teachers are held. In this there is a saying that
The one who has taught me a single letter, can consider me as his slave
The thing that will make the difference for the students is the akhlaq.
A dedicated murid will be unquestionably respectful of his Sheikh. The material being covered was extremely complex but I was unavoidably detained and could not make it.
I went the next day to explain and he said “This was the first and the last time.”. Then for my normal session, the next session, the very next day, I was a bit late. I entered and started to recite from the text and he stopped me. He simply said “Stop. No more. You are finished with me.” I tried to discuss it, he refused. I tried to persuade. No avail. Finally, I had to fall back on my ancestry and only then did he relent but with the warning that this would suffice only once and never again. I had learned my lession.
This incident and the way they behave, they made us love knowledge. And respect knowledge. So, when we study we will get the benefit. There is no need for me to memorize the works of the respected Scholars by heart. The minute they teach, it is etched on our hearts through Allah’s blessings, Almighty and Glorious is He. So Scholars, knowledge, the adab of knowledge, the adab of companionship, these are very important for our dunia and our akhirat. And related to that there is something called the pledge of fealty or bay’at to the Sheikh. We always hear of this in our lives, everywhere it is standard form. But what does it mean.
From the time of Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, for the companions, if you hear of bay’at ur riduan, in fact those who pledged fealty to Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, were also pledging fealty to Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ يَدُ اللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَمَن نَّكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنكُثُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِمَا عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهُ اللَّهَ فَسَيُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
Verily those who plight their fealty to thee do no less than plight their fealty to Allah: the Hand of Allah is over their hands: then any one who violates his oath, does so to the harm of his own soul, and any one who fulfils what he has covenanted with Allah,- Allah will soon grant him a great Reward.
Al Fath 10
What did Sayyidinah Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, understand about this pledge. To follow him blindly. To be his servant or slave. To shiver with fear in his presence. You didn’t see that with him, Allah bless him and grant him peace. There was no need for Sayyidinah Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, to make people frightened of him. They respected him out of love for him, Allah bless him and grant him peace.
This was a pledge of fealty to try your best to be obedient, to follow your faith, to try to be among those nearest to Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, to be among those who practice good deeds always, to protect yourself from evil. This is what the pledge means.
And they had something. They said Obedience of Allah made us assemble together and disobedience of Allah (mahsiah) will separate us.
So any sin will make your connection with your Sheikh very weak. No connection.
So, that is the meaning of bay’at.
And Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Caliphs who followed him, Allah be well pleased with them, sent their ambassadors to other regions to take the pledge from new Muslims to follow the path of Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, not to make them slaves.
The Sheikhs, because of their taqwa, because of their solat, you will look to them with high respect. Because they have been guaranteed acceptance by Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He.
And because of that, in a hadith that we mentioned in our last class, those who get this blessing from Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He said that acceptance will be established for them on earth, the people will accept them, and will receive the knowledge with sincerity. That is the meaning.
Sometimes we hear of incidents that are not from the path of Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Sheikh has be a good example to others because he is one of the inheritors of the knowledge of Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace. His akhlaq has to be like that of Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace.
I recall two quotes from Blessed.
One from Junaid al Baghdadi, Allah be well pleased with him. He saw people who’s forehead had become so dark from prostration and the people were moved to say Maa sha’Allah. See this one. He is one of the true servants of Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He. And they mentioned this to Junaid al Baghdadi, Allah be well pleased with him. He is one who, when you speak to him, he knows what is in your heart. Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, had blessed him with this. His reply to these people was: Well, I don’t know. I don’t know what is happening. Either the head has become heavier or the land has become more rough. So their forehead became like that.
Faith is visible in the light of faith. There are Sudanis who when you look at them you can see the light of faith shining from their faces. This is not a physical light, it is the light of Faith. The Light of taqwa.
Allah has said of these people:
Their nur will run in front of them and on their right.
And the second quote is a story in which a number of people met Sayyidinah Khidhr, peace be upon him, and they asked him Ya Imam. Show us who is wali Allah. Who is al auliyah. He replied Come with me. So they followed him. They saw someone sitting with a group of people around him and he has a tasbih and doing dhikr and when they were finished everyone kissed his hand and they gave what money they could by putting into a box that is beside him. Sayyidinah Khidhr, peace be upon him, said This one claims to be wali Allah, yet he knows that he is not. Then they continue on to a second location and come upon a merchant selling textiles. So Sayyidinah Khidhr said to him I want one meter from this material. The merchant cut the piece. Sayyidinah Khidhr, peace be upon him, said No. Not this one, I want it from that one over there. And then. I want five meters from this one. A very expensive material. Then Make it one and a half. Then Make it one meter. Finally he said I don’t want any of these. To which the merchant replied As you like. Then the group moved on. Sayyidinah Khidhr, peace be upon him, said This one is wali Allah but he doesn’t know it. Nearness to Allah means putting your knowledge into practice at all times. They then came to a third man, a merchant also, selling foodstuffs. Sayyidinah Khidhr said I want five kilograms of rice. And five kilograms of salt. Now, mix the rice with the salt. The merchant did as requested. Sayyidinah Khidhr then said Now I want two kilograms of sugar and mix it with the previous mixture. Then Now separate them. So, the merchant looked to Sayyidinah Khidhr, peace be upon him, and said to him Please leave my store otherwise I will announce to all within hearing of my voice that Sayyidinah Khidhr is here and you will surrounded by a mob of people. Sayyidinah Khidhr said to the group You see this one is wali Allah, and he knows that he is wali Allah. He knew this by his behaviour.
Such behaviour is not only for us to recommend, but also to put into practice.
In a hadith, it is reported that Sayyidinah Ali, Allah be well pleased with him, once came to Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and asked him Ya Rasulullah. Guide me to the closest path leading to Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He. The path that easiest for the servants. And the most virtuous for Him. So Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him Ya Ali. Keep remembering Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, constantly remembering Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, both privately and publicly. So he said What to say, ya Rasulullah? What is the best dhikr? He said, Allah bless him and grant him peace, The best dhikr, as I have said, and as have the prophets before me said, is Laa ilaha il Allah. So he said Ya Rasulullah, this is general. Everybody knows about it. Give me a special one. So Sayyidinah Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, responded and said to him Ya Ali. If the heavens and the earth were on one side of the scale, and the witness of Laa ilaha il Allah on the other side of the scale, the latter would outweigh the former. Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, has said
The wisdom in Laa ilaha il Allah has such weight, that you have to know the wisdom in Laa ilaha il Allah.
All wisdom – everything – came because Laa ilaha il Allah.
There is awareness of wisdom, and there is ignorance of wisdom. Someone who is aware of the knowledge. And someone who is ignorant of it. And it is either / or. If you are not aware of the existence of the knowledge, it means you must be ignorant of the existence of the knowledge.
So then Sayyidinah Ali, Allah be well pleased with him, asked Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, Ya Rasulullah, how to do that. How to make this dhikr. So Sayyidinah Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said Close your eyes. Sayyidinah Ali, Allah be well pleased with him, closed his eyes. Then Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said Hear it from me. Laaaaaa ilahah il Allaaah. Laaaaa ilahah il Allaaaah. Laaaaa ilaha il Allaaah. Three times he repeated it, each time raising his voice slightly, and each time Sayyidinah Ali, Allah be well pleased with him, repeated Laaaaa ilaha il Allaaah exactly as Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace recited it also raising his voice each time.
This same experience was also related by others of the companions Allah be well pleased with them all. The dhikr Laa ilaha il Allah.
But when we dhikr, we must know how to dhikr Laa ilaha il Allah in a way that we feel it in our hearts also.
Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, has said, when we recite Al Qur’an that we must first, understand what we are reciting and then to seriously contemplate what we are reciting. As when we look to the heavens and gaze upon the constellations and galaxies. We do not only look up and see stars. We see the wonder of the firmament. This is a careful examination of the contents and not just a cursory skimming of material. Al Qur’an is worthy of our most serious consideration and contemplation.
For example, in a museum, sometimes, they will put an audio supplement for an exhibit. And chairs for people to sit and listen to the commentary on the contents of the exhibit. This is so the visitors will gain a better appreciation of the material – bones, pottery, artwork, whatever – contained in the exhibit. The same is true in an Art Museum (Louvre). A commentary, by an expert on the artist, is recorded and the visitors can listen and learn of the intricacies of the work of art. Some people will sit for hours contemplating the art work. Such as the work of Van Gogh. This is careful study rather than cursory skimming.
As well in the Beautiful Names of Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, Sayyidinah Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is reported to have said: There are ninety nine beautiful names of Allah. Whoever has counted them will be in heaven. Now what we know – when he says whoever has counted them he will be Paradise. We say that literally, count. But, in fact, what is meant is to go deeply into the individual meanings of each name.
It is like if I said to someone Tell me about yourself. He may say I am so-and-so. In doing so has he really said anything. I didn’t ask him what his name was. I asked him to tell about himself. That means more demographics. Age, Marital Status, Occupation. Hobbies. Family. Some personal history.
So to recite and list the names of Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, when the Scholars give a certificate of accomplishment, it is not only to be able to recite the full 99 names of Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He. You must also know the meaning, or meanings of each name. A simple recitation of the full list of names, you could probably repeat this one thousand times from Isha’ to Subuh.
But there was time when the Scholars would start reciting after Isha’ and continue until Subuh but repeat it only one hundred times. So heavy did they ponder on each name as they recited them.
And the statement of Laa ilaha il Allah. You can feel the intensity of their emotion with each recitation. That is once they have come to know the true wisdom. Laa ilaha il Allah. This knowledge, this wisdom, is very important. And to get the knowledge from a respected person and to follow Scholars who are servants of Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, the Blessed who work in general for the ummah, for the sake of Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, and the blessings of Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace. That is very important. If not in this way, there is a big problem.
Alhamdhu’lillahi rabbilaalameen.
I saw a while ago in Facebook, someone sent a message to Habib Ali al Jufri, and said to him I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. And I want to see you in Hell. Habib Ali’s reply which he also sent to me was Wa Allahi, I love you for the sake of Allah. Because you are a Muslim. And I would love to see you in Paradise, insha’Allah.
You see the difference. Why? There are Scholars, wise men, hafiz Al Qur’an, but when they talk of others, they seem to forget themselves. Insults. Slanders. Is this the way of Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace?
Why can Habib Ali respond in this way? Because he studied under Sheikhs. Many are the Scholars who have studied under Sheikhs. The Sheikhs that teach not only the knowledge but also the adab. That is the way it must be.
So, alhamdhu’illahi rabbilaalameen. If we want to reach to Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, we have to reach to Him with knowledge, with adab, akhlaq, like the akhlaq of Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Then only after that can we say that you are a good Muslim. Because for Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, the Muslim is the follower.
A hadith from Al Bukhari: Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked Who is the one who is going to be closest to you in Paradise? Sitting nearest to you? He replied: The one with the best moral character is going to be near to me. The perfect Mu’min in his faith is the one who is best in his moral character.
And how do they acquire this moral character? Through knowledge, keeping company with Soliheen. And with Ikhlas. If you want to be a good example, it must be through your adab. That is why Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He said
You are the highest (epitome) in moral character.
And He said this to Rasulullah, Allah bless him and grant him peace.
So, insha’Allah, Allah, Almighty and Glorious is He, bless us with sincerity and knowledge in our dhikr. Sincerity and knowledge in our behaviour. Sincerity and knowledge by accompanying As Soliheen. Sincerity in our knowledge of this world to find the benefit of our knowledge of the afterlife, insha’Allah.
Ya Allah, bless us to study the knowledge that is going to make us near to you. The knowledge that is going to increase our faith. The knowledge that is going to increase our moral character. The knowledge that is going to benefit in this world and in the next.
Ya Allah, bless us to be good people as You want us to be not as we want to be.
Ya Allah bless all of us in this world and the next to be guided and to guide others insha’Allah. Lead us to the straight path.
Ya Allah, bless us with humility as you want us to be. Bless our children with solat and taqwa. Bless our families with solat and taqwa. Make us always remember that we are your servants. Bless us to understand the meaning of Laa ilaha il Allah. Bless us to delve deeply to really know the meaning of Your names. To know why we are in this world. Ya arhama Rahimeen. Bless all of those present with Your blessings in this world and the hereafter. Protect us from all trials. From all misfortunes and upsets.
Ya Allah bring to us all the good things that will make us thankful to You in this world. And to be patient with any test you send our way.