Allahumma salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammad, hatta yarda Sayyidina Muhammad!

A`udhu billahi min ash-Shaytani ’r-rajeem. Bismillahi’r-Rahmani’r-Raheem.
Nawaytu ‘l-arba`in, nawaytu ‘l-`itikaaf, nawaytu ‘l-khalwah, nawaytu ‘l-`uzlah,

nawaytu ‘r-riyada, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`ala fi haadha ‘l-masjid.

Ati` Allaha wa at`i ar-Rasula wa uli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and those who are in authority among you. (4:59)

Any action you want to do has to have a head. Without a head, it doesn’t mean anything, someone without a head, walking. If all of us had no head and we were walking, how we can know the difference between your name and his name? So it means that everything must have a head. Who is the head of the family? It is the father; don’t say the mother! (smiling) No, it is the father, because who pays child support? The father! (laughter) When the mother stops taking child support, then we say mother and father are head of the household! (laughter) But there are mothers that are also head of the family because they are clever, so we don’t discriminate. We have respect for families.

So the head of everything must be Bismillahi’r-Rahmani’r-Raheem, Kullu `amalin la yubtadi bi bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Raheem, fahuwa abtar, or else it doesn’t have any fruit; nothing.

(Someone brings Mawlana water to drink.) Thank you for the cup. It is safe from swine flu? (laughter) Did you clean that pitcher before you put water? (more laughter) He has to clean it. Y’Allah! Say Bismillahi’r-Rahmani’r-Raheem and drink! Allah will save you and no one can harm you. (baby cries out) See, the answer is coming from a child. Who is that child? (more laughter)

Kullu `amalin la yubtadi bi bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Raheem, fahuwa abtar. Any `amal that begins without bismillah is cut; there is no fruit from it. Any presentation that doesn’t begin with Bismillahi’r-Rahmani’r-Raheem, it doesn’t matter who is presenting, it is cut; no fruit from it. So professors, they always carry their notes with them because if they forget something, they read what they wrote. So when they are reading, people slowly (Mawlana imitates falling asleep)….aaaah, sleeping. And if Shaykh Abdul Haqq was there, he will be snoring!

I was living many years ago in a house in Palo Alto, California. It was an old, preserved wood house and Shaykh Abdul Haqq came. When he comes, he doesn’t go quickly, and he sits one month, two months. He isn’t doing anything, and he is happy. You give him food, he is happy. So he was there. First night, we saw the house shaking. Hajjah and I thought it was an earthquake. We found later that when the washer and dryer are used, the whole house shook. So we knew that if an earthquake came, it was probably really the washer and dryer. After a while, Abdul Haqq came and once after midnight we began to feel the house moving.

I said to Hajjah, “What is going on? Did you put the washer and dryer on?”

She said, “No, might be Abdul Haqq put it on.”

I checked the washer and dryer, and they were both off, but Abdul Haqq was snoring and the whole house was shaking! (laughter)

So what do professors carry? Their notes. If you carry notes, you are not going to be able to read the hearts of people. The notes will not be more than paper you read from. The hearts of people, to read them, that ability must be coming from a main original source to your heart, then to their hearts, coming to its origin like shooting arrows. From heart of Prophet (s) they come to the heart of the shaykh, then to the hearts of students, like arrows reaching with full power and full blessings, enlightening the hearts of students. After their hearts were dark, they become illuminated. That is why they have their eyes open, because the shaykh is moving their hearts. When one's heart is moved, the eyes open. When hearts sleep, the whole body shuts down. So that is why when nothing is moving the heart, the mind shuts down and everything shuts down and you sleep. But if it is moving, your eyes open. If your eyes open for dunya, you get dunya, but if they open for seeking akhirah knowledge, you must choose; do you want your heart to be for dunya or for akhirah?

So these notes they carry are notes of anger, as they are based on their own selfishness and desire. Ask this professor, he is very famous, Paul Hardy. Really, he is very famous. Because what they write, they want to find every way possible to criticize someone. Say, yes or no? They don’t like to cover anyone’s flaws. One time, I invited him to Washington. I told him, Dr. Paul Hardy, Abdul Ghani, we want to speak on something. I won’t mention it now, but this group wanted to hear specifically about the ideologies of Salafism and Wahabism. He came with me, signed his name and we told the event organizer we have a speaker. You remember? What you did? (Mawlana looks at Professor Abdul Ghani.) I gave my presentation and then he had to give his presentation. He brought all his notes to the podium, opened them, and instead of coming against the Salafis and Wahabis, he came against me in an indirect way! (laughter) I asked, “What happened, Dr. Abdul Ghani?” He said, “It came like that. What can I do? I cannot do anything?" (laughter)

So those people who make presentations, not scientific presentations, but others, and who come with notes, according to Islamic Shari’ah  they are kal-himari yahmiloo asfaara, like a donkey carrying all kind of burdens! Awliyaullah don’t carry anything; they come surrendering, they come as zeros to the Door of Allah , pleading, “Ya Rabbee, take that selfishness, egoism, pride! I am coming with nothing, confessing of my sins. Ya Rabbee, teach me! Ya Rabbee, teach me!”

How many heavenly teachers have received heavenly knowledges from the Divine Presence? How many? Can you count them? You cannot, because Allah gave to an infinite number of them. No number. Where He mentioned in Holy Qur’an in Surat al-`Araaf, “Musa was asking, ‘O my Lord, let me see you.’” He was always speaking with Allah , Musa is Kaleemullah. Allah gave him that honor to speak with the Divine Presence directly, with no wasitah, intermediary. Sayyidina Musa (a) said, “Ya Rabbee, since I have this privilege of talking to You, what is left? Only seeing you. Let me see You.” How you dare to say that?

Like today, some people say, “oof, oof, meditation, meditation, meditation, we are uniting, uniting, uniting.” Don’t they say that? “We are uniting, we are one.” With what you are one? You are one with Shaytan!. “We are one with God; we united.” United where? Can anyone unite with Allah ? Are you crazy? Who are you to be there? Try to unite first with the Prophet (s); can you? Not one prophet can unite with Prophet (s). Musa said, “Let me see You,” because he felt he is speaking with Allah . Rabbee arinee andhur ilayk. My Lord, show me how to...”

He is speaking as if there are two (ithnayniyyah): the speaking Musa and the seeing Musa. arinee andhur ilayk, “show me how Musa is seeing You.” So one is ‘myself’ and the other is observing. Sayyidina Musa (a) is a high prophet, but even so, you cannot approach Allah that way, and Allah wants him to understand. The answer came “Musa, no.” qala la.

How today there are groups saying, “We unite with Allah,” and they call themselves big Sufi guides? Any Sufism not based on Shari`ah is not accepted. Shari`at al-Islam must be first and then the sweetness of Islam, tasawafu Islam, will come. Traditional Islam that Prophet (s) brought is based on three elements: religion, faith and moral excellence. First is the five pillars of Islam, the obligations: (shahadah, salat, zakat, sawm, Hajj). Second is the six articles of faith (belief in the Unity of God, His angels, His messengers, His holy books, the Day of Resurrection, and predestination [al-qadar]).Third is to believe in Maqam al-Ihsan, the Station of Human Excellence, which is to worship Allah as if you are see Him. An ta`budallah ka-annaka taraah. But you cannot. Fa in lam taraanee fa innee araak. an tabudallah ka-annaka taraah fain lam takun taraah fa innahu yaraak, “If you don’t see Him then know He sees you.” It is as if Prophet (s) is saying, “You cannot see Him.” You want to worship by achieving the best form of worship, but you cannot, so what happens? Allah is seeing you!

If you shake when you try to pray, best way. If Allah will put in our hearts that vision, everyone will run away! Don’t think it is easy for awliyaullah that they go in Maqam al-Mushahada. That wali wants to run and hide for Allah not to be unhappy with him. In Maqam al-Mushahada he can see his `amal, how far he is from reality of knowing his Lord. Where is uniting? People today say (mimicking), “O we are uniting with Allah. hulool wahdat al-wujood.” Have a clean tongue. Allah doesn’t like dirtiness. When you say, “I am uniting with Allah”, that is dirtiness coming from you. That is what happened to Sayyidina Adam (a). Iblees came to him and said, “Eat from that tree, you will be eternal and never die.” That means you will be like him! Then we (human beings) were thrown out. That is why we are here. So if thrown out, what you have to do? Repent and come back, anytime you like!

So Sayyidina Musa (a) asked, “Let me see You.” Allah said, “No, you cannot see Me, not with this dunya body. Only My habeeb can see Me. I brought him in his body to see Me in Laylat al-`Isra wal-Mir`aj, qala lam taraanee.”

Musa (a) insisted, “Ya Rabb!” Allah was patient with him. Musa asked and Allah answered. Musa (a) said, “What is the secret? What is the secret?” Allah was teaching Musa (a) and teaching us adab. It means anyone who asks, answer him. “I am Allah and answering. I am the Creator and answering. Al-hayba is for Me, al-qudarah lee. The power is Mine.” That is why He answered and that is why in Holy Qur’an the Prophet (s) never asked one single question. He knew that he cannot, because he knew his limit.

So Allah said, “No, no you cannot.” Musa (a) insisted, “Okay, what I can do?” What did Allah do? “I am fed up with you, wa lakin, but I will grant what you are asking.” Istaghfirullah al-adheem! This is for our level of understanding. That is why if you approach Allah by the length of one hand, Allah approaches you by the length of one arm. And in the holy hadith (Hadith Qudsi) it is mentioned that Allah said, “If you approach Me walking, I will approach you running.”

Allah told Musa, “I will give one exception. Look at the mountain and if it remains stable, then you can see Me.” Lam taranee. wa lakin andhur il-al jabla... So Allah will manifest His Beautiful Names and Attributes on the mountain. When Allah’s tajalla…..  He didn’t say “descend”, he said tajalla, “manifestation”; big difference. Allah said, “I am sending My Light and Beauty on the mountain.” And the whole mountain shattered to dust and kharra Musa saiqan, “Musa fell on the floor unconscious, fainting.” It means, “Ya Musa! Don’t come with your mountain to Me.” What is that mountain? The mountain of the self. “Don’t come with your ego to Me.” That is the biggest obstacle that is blocking you and everyone from coming nearer and nearer. “You are My beloved prophet. You are from the five ulul azha, biggest prophets, and you speak with Me directly, but don’t come to Me with your self. Come with no self.” Look how much the self can prevent anyone from approaching! So where are we and where are they?

Allah wants to teach him, so what He said? “I’m sending you to one of My servants.” Sayyidina Musa (a) went to the beach looking for what Allah promised him he would see. Fawajada abdan imin ibadina ataynahu rahmatan min indian wa allamnahu min ladunna ilman. He found one servant, min ibadina, one from many. So where are the many? That is the most important detail. He saw one, and he was not able to continue with him. Qala lan tastati`maya sabara. (Khidr [a] said,) “You cannot continue with me. My way is different from your way. You are Sultan ash-Shari`ah, but I am inheriting knowledge from the Prophet (s), Sultan al-Haqiqat. You cannot follow me. You cannot check my way with your mind; it doesn’t work. Anta takhudh bil asbaab ana akhudh bil.” Sayyidina Khidr (a) came to Sayyidina Musa from realities. That is why he did three things that caused Sayyidina Musa (a) to not continue with him.

Fawajada `abdan min `ibaadina ataynaahu rahmatan min `indina wa `allamnaahu min ladunna `ilma. “We have given him mercy from Us, and We taught him from heavenly knowledge.” So heavenly knowledge came after what? After rahmah. It means, “We gave him from Our mercy, from drops of the mercy of Muhammad (s).” Because Sayyidina Muhammad (s) wa ma arsalnaaka illa rahmatan lil-`alameen. So, “We introduced first to Muhammad, then Khidr, and then We introduce you to knowledge.” So without introduction to Prophet (s), you cannot get knowledge! So anyone speaking on religion cannot get knowledge without being introduced to Muhammad (s), ataynaahu rahmatan min `indina wa `allamnaahu min ladunna `ilma. He gave him rahmah first, then gave him knowledge. Don’t waste your time being donkey carrying that professor’s load! Without Muhammad (s) there is no knowledge!

Today, we go back to United Nations, where they give speeches. And it just finished recently. What they do? They speak, but they don’t speak from al-ghayb, memorizing. No, they have papers in front of them to read out. But if you look at them, really they don’t have papers. They have donkeys carrying their papers (arrogance and pride). They go to the podium and there is one assistant behind them carrying notes. What that one carrying notes becomes? What?! A donkey! I don’t want to say it. They are using donkeys to carry five or six pages for them. Why? You cannot carry that up to the podium? What is that arrogance from you?!

Look at Amir al-Mu’mineen, Sayyidina `Umar ibn al-Khattab (r). In his time as calipha of Prophet (s), Islam spread east and west to Persia, Europe, north and south, and up and down, to China. And what he was doing when he became Amir al-Mu’mineen? He was crying!

I never saw Mawlana Shaykh cry except two times; ask his daughter, Hajjah Naziha. I saw him cry when Grandshaykh قدس سرّه passed away. Hajjah saw him cry two times: when Khadijah, her little sister died, and when her mom, Hajjah Amina passed away; that I saw also. So when Grandshaykh passed away, Mawlana Shaykh was crying and when we saw him, we cried more.

Sayyidina `Umar (r) became the king. O people, does a king cry? Do you imagine, in your mind, a king will cry? But in reality a king is worse than us. He must cry day and night. Does a president cry? When we think of a president, we think he doesn’t cry. He cries, because he is stupid to accept the presidency, with too much burden! (laughter) Before the presidency if he was sleeping, eating, moving right to left, he had little responsibility. Why do you want that heavy responsibility? Now you need security and protection! Be a normal person, since you eat, cry, laugh and go the restroom like us! And they have lot of functions and eat a lot, so what they do with it?! Too many functions. Iblees is happy with them and he eats all their barakah.

Allahumma salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammad hatta yarda Sayyidina Muhammad.

So Sayyidina ‘Umar (r) was crying and came to the house and his wife asked, “Ya `Umar, why are you crying? You are king, khalifah of Prophet (s)!”

He said, “What you said, I am that one, but now my responsibility is for everyone. Who sleeps without food, I am responsible. Anyone without shelter, I am responsible. Any orphan, I am responsible. Anyone lost in desert or jungle, I am responsible. Anyone in Persia where our kingdom reached, I am responsible. Anyone in China where our kingdom reached, I am responsible. What am I going to say when Allah ask on Judgment Day, ‘Why you let hunger reach that community? Why you didn’t solve that problem?’”

So he began to carry on his back, not notes like they carry today, but what was he carrying? He carried rice, flour, dates, and barley on his shoulders, Amir al-Mu’mineen, the king! Disguising himself, going to different homes, giving them what they need. Does any king do that today? No one. Any president? No one. He was crying because he knows Allah will ask him, “What you did for My servants?” So, what he did? He called a wrestler. Is there any wrestler here? Look, all his shoulders is muscle. If he hit someone, he kill him. (laughter) So Sayyidina `Umar (r) hired a wrestler to sit at his door, and every morning going out, he will say, “Ya ‘Umar, you are going to die one day.” This was his job in the evening, “O `Umar, you lost one day.” Next day he said, “You lost two days,” counting the days of life he lost.

Is any king doing that today? Any president? No. You don’t find except kings and presidents making atomic bombs! It is not our job to kill the human race and to drop atomic weapons or any kind of weapons. Make this earth peaceful! This is our duty!

So he was counting `Umar’s days. Now they are counting the days until who is going to destroy the world. And nations are positioning themselves to destroy the world, to be first, instead of coming to an agreement not to use it nuclear weapons. Something you are not using, dump it. Why carry it.? Who has this? Pakistan, India, China, France, England, America, Russia, Israel, Germany, Iran, Korea; eleven countries. What they want to do with nuclear weapons? If you destroy each other, you destroy the whole world. So all of you, dump it in the ocean or destroy them. They don’t, because Shaytan is behind them to keep the conflict running.

So Sayyidina `Uma