Suhbah at As-Siddiq Mosque
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani ‘r-rajim. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`ala fee haadha 'l-masjid.
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Ati`oollaha wa ati`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (4:59)
Dastoor, madad yaa Sultaan al-Awliyaa, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani (q).
Dastoor, madad yaa Sultaan al-Awliyaa, Mawlana Shaykh `Abd Allah al-Fa’iz ad-Daghestani (q).
Allah (swt) has granted us an honor that we have to remember always in our lives: He made us Muslim, He made us from Ummat an-Nabi (s), and He made us from the people of Holy Qur'an. He didn't make us from the people of Tawraat, Zaboor, or Injeel; but instead, He made us from the people of Holy Qur’an, which is unlike any other book as it is Allah’s (swt) Holy Words.
If you read something from a piece of paper, the importance is not in the paper but in the one who wrote it. You may copy what is written but the true honor would go to the author, not to the reader. What then do you think about reading what Allah (swt) has revealed to Prophet (s) with His Own Words? Indeed, it is a tremendous honor that He gave you this opportunity, about which He said:
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
inna nahnu nazzalna ’dh-dhikr wa inna lahu lahaafizhoon.
Behold! It is We Ourselves Who have bestowed from on high, step by step, this reminder and behold, it is We Who shall truly guard it (from all corruption). (al-Hijr, 15:9)
Allah (swt) is saying, “We have revealed the Holy Qur'an to honor you.” So the Qur’an must not be kept on the shelves as adornment. Unfortunately, if parents do not raise their children on the teaching, memorizing, and love of Holy Qur'an, it will be very difficult to do so when they are older. Therefore, as parents we have to know that to read Holy Qur'an is more valuable than what is contained in universities of secular science or Islamic teaching. To read just one letter of Holy Qur'an correctly is far more beneficial than the entire dunya! Why? Because it is Allah's Words.
Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَسْتَحْيِي أَن يَضْرِبَ مَثَلاً مَّا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَـذَا مَثَلاً يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيراً وَيَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيراً وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ إِلاَّ الْفَاسِقِينَ
innallah laa yastahyee an yadriba mathalana maa ba`oodatan famaa fawqahaa fa ammalladheena aamanoo fay`alamoona annahu ’l-haqa min rabbihim wa amma alladheena kafaroo fay`alamoona madhaa araada ’Llahu bi-hadha mathalan yudillu bihi katheeran wa yahdee bihi katheeran wa maa yudilloo bihi illa ’l-faasiqeen.
Allah disdains not to use the similitude of things, lowest as well as highest. Those who believe know that it is truth from their Lord, but those who reject faith say, ‘What means Allah by this similitude?’ By it He causes many to stray, and many He leads into the right path, but He causes not to stray except those who forsake (the path). (al-Baqarah, 2:26)
SubhaanAllah! When Holy Qur'an is read with its proper way, you feel goosebumps all over your body because they are Allah's Words! Allah (swt) said:
قُل لَّئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الإِنسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَى أَن يَأْتُواْ بِمِثْلِ هَـذَا الْقُرْآنِ لاَ يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا
qul la’ini ’jtama`ati ’l-insu wa ’l-jinn `ala an taatoo bi mithli hadha ’l-qur’ani laa yaatoona bi-mithlihi wa law kaana b`adhuhum li b`adin zhaheera.
Say: ‘If the whole of Mankind and jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support. (al-Israa, 17:88)
This is because the Holy Qur’an is Allah's Words; it is not created. These are the Words of the Creator, so how can anyone produce anything even slightly similar to that; it is impossible! Some people wrote a book called, “The Green Book,” and said, “This is replacing the Holy Qur’an.” How dare they do that? And they taught it in schools!
Allah granted us to be from the people of Holy Qur'an. What honor do you want more? Allah (swt) gave you facilities to have Holy Qur'an everywhere around you; open it and read. Even if you don’t know how to read, let your eyes pass on the words; Allah will guide you and His barakah will come to you.
The entire dunya is not worth the wing of a mosquito. What is contained in all universities of dunya studies does not compare to the Holy Words of Allah (swt) that you repeatedly read! Parents always pray for their children to do well in school and of course that is alright as you must study, but also remember to read Holy Qur'an. It is acceptable to be a professor or any other profession as you should not be lazy, but what about Holy Qur'an? Allah (swt) wants His Words to be read. He gave you something that cannot be understood.
On every letter of the Holy Qur’an, Allah opened 24,000 oceans of knowledge to the hearts of awliyaullah, and every wali will have a different understanding of each letter!
وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
Wa law annamaa fi ’l-ardi min shajaratin aqlaamun wa ‘l-bahru yamudduhu min ba`dihi sab`atu abhurin maa nafidat kalimaatullaahi inn Allaaha `azeezun hakeem.
And if all the trees on Earth were pens and the ocean (were ink), with seven oceans behind it to add to its (supply), yet would not the words of Allah be exhausted (in the writing), for Allah is Exalted in Power, full of Wisdom. (Surat al-Luqman, 31:27)
If all the oceans were ink and all the trees were pens, the trees would break and ink would finish but Allah's Words would never end!
What is the focal point and heart of Holy Qur'an? It consists of two letters. What is the center of the human body? It is the heart. Nuhman Ibn Bashir (r) narrated that the Prophet (s) said:
`alaa inna fil jasadee mudghah, idhaa saloohat salooha jasadoo kulluh, wa idhaa fasadat fasada jasadoo kulluh, `alaa wa hiya al-qalb.
Verily, in the body there is a piece of flesh. If it is sound the entire body is sound, but if it is corrupted, the entire body is corrupted. Verily, it is the heart! (Bukhari, Muslim)
So what is the inner circle and focal point of the Holy Qur'an? Prophet (s) said:
YaSeen qalb al-qur’an.
YaSeen is the heart of the Holy Qur’an (Tirmidhi)
That is why Holy Qur'an is revealed on Prophet (s), as he is able to carry that revelation. So YaSeen, both the surah and Prophet (s), are the heart of Holy Qur'an!
يس. والقُرْآنِ الحَكِيمِ
yaseen wal qur’ani ’l-hakeem.
YaSeen and the wise Qur'an. (Surat al-YaSeen, 36:1-2)
Allah (swt) put them together, He didn’t say, “Yaseen, huwal-qur’an il-hakeem.” Allah (swt) is giving an oath on Yaseen and on Holy Qur'an. That means Allah raised the Prophet (s); He began with the Prophet (s) and then He mentioned the Holy Qur'an, meaning, “He is the one who can carry My Words. You are a messenger.”And what is the heart of YaSeen?
Prophet (s) said:
The heart of YaSeen is al-Fatihat ash-Sharifah.
Also, Sayyidina Anas bin Malik (r) related:
The Prophet (s) said to me, “I am giving an oath by Allah the Great that Jibreel said to me, ‘By Allah the Magnificent al-`Azheem, that Mika`eel said to me, “By Allah the Magnificent al-`Azheem, that Israfeel said to me, ‘Allah al-`Azheem said, “Yaa Israfeel! By My Majesty, My Might, My Generosity, My Rahmah, My Sakhaawa, whoever recited ‘Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem’ and connected it with al-Fatihah, ishadoo `alayya innee qad ghafartoo lahoo, I bear witness that I have forgiven him.”’”
You must have heard some imaams say they read al-Fatihah in one breath without pausing. (Mawlana reads in one breath.) In some schools of thought they don’t read, “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem” (include it in the recitation) because they say it is not part of Surat al-Fatihah; however, in the Shafi`i school of thought it is considered to be part of al-Fatihah. But the hadeeth states, “Whoever recited ‘Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem’ and connected it with al-Fatihah, I bear witness that I have forgiven him.”
If you read in this way, you are forgiven. You cannot deny this as you will be coming against the hadeeth of the Prophet (s), and Allah (swt) said, “I forgive him all his sins and accept all his good deeds; he will not lose any of them from his childhood up to the time he read “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem mutassilan bil-Fatihah.”
What more do you want? Allah (swt) granted us such a tremendous honor: He made us Muslim and gave us the Holy Qur'an. Allah says, “I will overlook all his sins as if they did not even exist.” Do you want your sins to be non-existent? Recite “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” with Surat al-Fatihah in one breath. You can do it; don’t say you cannot. Even if you recite it quickly without keeping the proper rhythm it is alright, as most of you are not Arabs.
Allah also (swt) says, wa laa ahraq lisaanahoo bin-naar, “And I will not let the fire burn his tongue.” How will fire come to the tongue when the mouth is shut? So this means that Allah is saying, “We will not let the fire reach him at all!” Look at how these Canadians come here, driving for twelve hours; do you think Allah will not forgive them? All their sins have been forgiven!
Allah (swt) is saying, bushra lana ya ma`aashara al-insaani, “And I will save him from the punishment of the grave. I will not make his grave hufarun min hufur an-niraan, but I will make his grave a rawdatan min rawdaat al-jannah and save him from the punishment of the Day of Judgment!” It is a day when the sun will descend so close to Earth that from its heat, everyone’s brains will burn and there will be no shade, no cover, nothing protecting them! Allah is saying, “I will cover him with My mercy and I will save him from that Day.”
On that Day, all prophets will run to Sayyidina Muhammad (s) to ask him for intercession. “I will save you on that Day. O My servant, My angels are My witnesses!” Allah doesn't need a witness, but this is to show the importance of its confirmation. Wa al-faz` al-akbar, wa yalqanee qabl anbiyaa wa awliyaee ajma`een, “He will be saved from the Great Distress and He will meet Me before all the messengers (not prophets) and all saints altogether.” And according to another narration that is found in the book Dakheelatul-Mi`ad, it is said, mithl al-anbiya, “Like the prophets (not before the prophets).”
So we are asking Allah (swt) that He keeps us on the right way. Wa qad athbatahu ahl al-kashf, the People of Reality, those who can see what others cannot see, confirmed that hadeeth. Many ahadeeth considered weak by `ulama are considered strong by awliyaullah because they can ask Sayyidina Muhammad (s) in the Divine Presence and get their answers either by dreams or through their hearts. So this hadeeth has been confirmed by awliyaullah.
May Allah forgive us and bless us. Accept whatever gives good tidings and don’t say no,
because as the Prophet (s) said:
kullu `amalin la tabdaa bee Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem fahuwa abtar.
If you do not recite “Bismillahi ‘r-Rahmani ‘r-Raheem” before doing any action, it is cut.
So how then can you read Fatihah without including “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.” You may have seen this often, before reading an ayah, many people say, “a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani ‘r-rajim,” and then the ayah but they leave out “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” as they do not consider it to be part of the surah. However, the Prophet (s) said, “If you don’t recite “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” before doing any action, it’s barakah is cut.” Therefore, how can you read Holy Qur'an without reading “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.” This is not your concern, if it is from the surah or not; your job is to recite “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.”
Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem is comprised of 19 letters. If you read “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem,” az-zabaaniyya, the angels who put people into punishment, will save you; therefore, recite “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.”
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.