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The Cause of Today’s Senseless Killing of Innocents

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

7 November 2014 New Jersey

Suhbah at Private Residence (2)

As-salaam `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

How many suhbats have already been given since the beginning of writing? How many authors, philosophers, intellectuals, educated people, academics wrote research, photographers took pictures? What did it change? [Nothing.] Bravo! What did it change? Nothing, they won. When Adam (a) left Paradise, Allah sent him and the Devil to Earth. Adam (a) and his wife were living very happily, they got children, and as soon as they got children, those children began to fight, and what happened? Cain killed Abel, Qabeel killed Habeel. The parents were previously in Paradise with the Manifestation of Paradise showering them, then the Manifestation of forgiveness by God came to them on Earth, but what happened? Bloodshed. So is there any Heaven today, that we come from that Heaven to Earth? What? I am asking you a question, what happened to us? We have to think. Yes, there is Heaven on Earth, there is, but you have to do what Heaven tells you. That is why Allah (swt), our Lord in Heavens, not ‘in’ Heavens as He is beyond Heavens, ordered us, “Don't kill others and don't kill yourself!”

Killing Others by a Slow Death

People might think to kill someone is only by shooting him or using a weapon, but no, it is not only that, even speaking bad about someone is killing them. If you backbite them you are killing them in way described in Arabic as al-mawt al-bati`yy, the slow death. You kill them with harmful, poisoned words, which is a slow death and then the next day you kill them more, and more, and more. So intellectuals have filled this Earth with books, to say what? To say one word, to point to one goal: that there is a Creator and everyone else is His servant. If what we are saying is Haqq, we have to apply that. If we don’t apply it to ourselves, still we are losers.

That is why Allah (swt) sent prophets,to make sure that His Message is applied on Earth, not to have bloodshed. In the time of Adam (a) and Eve, each time Eve was pregnant she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, then in her next pregnancy she had a boy and a girl. At that time, the boy from the second pregnancy married the girl from the first pregnancy and vice versa. So Cain did not like that, he wanted to marry his twin sister whom Abel was to marry, so they fought between each other.

Knowledge Will Be Lifted Up

So the Prophet (s), Sayyid ar-Rusul Sayyidina Muhammad (s) has for Ummat an-Nabi, for this nation, shown principles and conditions. Around 1,450 years ago, because now it is 1436 Hijri, and add the time he stayed in Mecca before migration, so it will is 1450 years, from the Signs of the Last Days, yarfa`u ’l-`ilm, he said, “There will come a time in the future when knowledge will be lifted up.” That means all the knowledges that have been written will disappear.

حَدَّثَنَا الْمَكِّيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا حَنْظَلَةُ بْنُ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ سَالِمٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ يُقْبَضُ الْعِلْمُ، وَيَظْهَرُ الْجَهْلُ وَالْفِتَنُ، وَيَكْثُرُ الْهَرْجُ ‏"‏‏.‏ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا الْهَرْجُ فَقَالَ هَكَذَا بِيَدِهِ، فَحَرَّفَهَا، كَأَنَّهُ يُرِيدُ الْقَتْلَ‏.‏

The Prophet (s) said, "(Religious) knowledge will be taken away (by the death of religious scholars), ignorance (in religion) and afflictions will appear, and Harj will increase." It was asked, "What is Harj, O Allah's Messenger (s)?" He replied by beckoning with his hand, indicating 'killing'."

(Fath-al-Bari Page 192, Vol. 1; Narrated Abu Hurayrah, Bukhari)

How will they disappear? Not like when the Mongols burned all the books when they invaded Baghdad. The Sahaabah (r) asked the Prophet (s), “Will the Qur'an be lifted up?” He said, “No, li mawt il-`ulama, but ‘by the death of scholars’.” There will be no genuine scholars to replace the past pious scholars when they die. Back then, the pious scholars did not allow bloodshed.

Continued in another hadith, he (s) said:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعًا يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنْ الْعِبَادِ وَلَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ حَتَّى إِذَا لَمْ يُبْقِ عَالِمًا اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُءُوسًا جُهَّالًا فَسُئِلُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَضَلُّوا وَأَضَلُّوا

Adbullah ibn `Amru ibn al-`As reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (s) say, “Verily, Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people, but rather He takes away knowledge when the scholars die, such that He leaves no scholar behind and the people turn to the ignorant as their leaders. They are asked to give religious judgments without knowledge, thus they are led astray and lead others astray.” (Narrated `Abdullah ibn `Amru ibn al-`As, Muslim and Bukhari)

“There will be a group of people left who are ignorant and don’t know how to make a verdict or a fatwa, and they are misguided and they make people deviate.” This is what we are seeing today, young ones giving fatwa, “Kill this one and that one,” and Prophet (s) said 1,450 years ago, “You will have people who take ignorant people as teachers who will teach them and every day they will give a different fatwa.” For example, ten years ago they said, “Suicide bombing is not allowed. It is haraam,” some big scholars said that and now they changed and said, “Suicide bombing is halaal.” That is because they are government employees, so they take money from the government and they make their rulings and judgements according to whatever the government wants. That is the situation today and no one can stop it. Why can we not stop it? Because people are not sincere any more, there is no piety, nor love in their hearts, so hearts are becoming rude, tough, rough, hardened, with no one feeling for the other (no empathy).

When Sincerity is Lost, Killing Dominates

The Prophet (s) said that you have to respect and love the one near you, your brother, and you have to love each other. Love is the basis of all good manners. Are there good manners today? Of course here and there, but not among the whole community, not in the whole country or the whole world as now everyone wants to fight everyone else. What did Prophet (s) say?

يَتَقَارَبُ الزَّمَانُ وَيَنْقُصُ الْعَمَلُ، وَيُلْقَى الشُّحُّ وَيَكْثُرُ الْهَرْجُ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالُوا وَمَا الْهَرْجُ قَالَ ‏"‏ الْقَتْلُ، الْقَتْلُ ‏"‏‏.‏

Time will pass rapidly, good deeds will decrease, and miserliness will be thrown (in the hearts of the people), and the Harj (will increase)." They asked, "What is the Harj?" He replied, "Killing and killing!"

(Narrated Abu Hurayrah, Bukhari)

They asked, “Yaa Rasoolullah, what are harj and marj?” and Prophet said, “It is killing and killing.” They are, can we mention Hollywood here? They are like Dracula in Hollywood, they are thirsty for blood. The one that cut the body and opened the heart and ate it is Dracula, a vampire. In which religion has that been mentioned? It is 100% haraam to cut the body of a deceased person to take an organ even without his permission. That is why when you get a drivers license they ask you, “Do you want to give an organ,” because they know not everyone will give his organs.

How do these people without rahmah in their hearts, without mercy, go and kill someone and take out his heart and eat it? That is bad! Similarly, Sayyidina Muhammad (s) knows there are people who are eating the hearts of each other:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ

O you who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible) and spy not on each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? No, you would abhor it.

(Surat al-Hujuraat, 49:12)

Do you like to eat the flesh of your living brother, do you want to eat his raw flesh? That is disgusting. Alive, not after death. After death, according to Islamic religion, it is haraam to touch with a knife even. He died, God will judge that person. If for a deceased person it is not allowed to do that, then Allah is saying in Holy Qur’an, then how about eating the raw flesh of your brother who is alive? Is this difficult? Which is heavier? Today they make strategies to kill each other and they have lot of ways to do that. We are speaking about each other; we don’t see our sins and mistakes, we see the sins and mistakes of other people. You don’t look at your own mistake. No, look at your own mistake! You have a heavy load on your shoulder, what are you going to say to Allah on Judgement Day? [Mawlana taps that person on the shoulder.] I took it out now…a heavy load.

________________

Repentance is the Key to Avoid Problems

Allah (swt) said to Prophet (s):

أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ

Alam nashrah laka sadrak wa wada`na `anka wizrak. Alladhee anqada zhahrak.

Have We not expanded for you your breast? And We removed from you your burden that weighed so heavily on your back. (Surat ash-Sharh, 94:1-3)

“Why are you sad? Are you not happy that I expanded your chest for you, made you very happy and wa wada`na `anka wizrak, We took all the heavy load you are carrying off your back.” Prophet (s) is infallible so that wizr is ours, he is carrying it for us. Allah said to him, “Don’t worry, I am forgiving them, but let them go straight forward.” Why is there istighfaar? To repent. Are we repenting or not caring? Who remembers that he has to repent? Are you remembering? [I try.] I am trying also, everyone is trying, but are we really trying? If we really try, all of us will not have any problems. But Allah sent on everyone, you cannot find anyone in this world without a problem. I am seeing people daily and everyone comes not to make you smile, but to make you sad. You see their problems, you see their sickness and miseries, you get sad and your energy will go down. You try to build your energy during the day or during the night but, unfortunately, in meeting 10, 15, 20 or sometimes 50 people a day your whole energy will go and you feel you want to be by yourself, that you cannot take it anymore.

Don’t Harbor Bad Doubts About Others

The Holy Qur'an is alive because it is Allah's Ancient Words. He said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ

O you who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible) and spy not on each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? No, you would abhor it! But fear Allah, for Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Hujuraat, 49:12)

O believers, don't doubt anyone, don't have bad thoughts about anyone. fajtaniboo katheeran min azh-zhann, avoid doubts and bad thoughts, because most of these doubts are wrong. Today we doubt everyone, but Allah gave us a way to forgive us, He said:

أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ

Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.

Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)

What is the meaning of the verse, “Obey Allah and obey the Prophet and obey those who are in authority.” If you want to follow the way that Allah has set for you in Holy Qur’an, Allah is saying ‘obey the authority’. Am I saying something wrong? No, it is Holy Qur'an. Leave what is bad, obey the authority. Are we obeying the authority? Yes. Can you park your car in no-parking zone? No, or else it will be towed away. But what about a heart authority, what about Qur'an authority? You are obeying your ego and your desires.

The Miraculous Guru

There was one student who said to his teacher, “I heard there is someone in India who is not a Muslim, but he can do miracles.” And everyone in this life likes to see people who do miracles. Do you look for someone? So they like miracles or they don’t believe. The greatness of belief is to believe in something you cannot see, not believing in something you see! You see, you see, of course you believe in what you are seeing. I see here three daffs and if he says there are only two, I will disagree. But if he hides one in a black bag and says there are three and I believe that, that is what is important, to believe in something you are not able to see. Can anyone see the Creator? No. That is greatness of belief.

That student said, “That Indian guru can do miracles and I have been with you 25 years, O my shaykh, and I cannot do any miracles.”

His shaykh said, “Okay, tomorrow I will give you the answer.”

To summarize, that night he went by spiritual power to India and met that guru in a spiritual disciplines sitting, on his knees, how they sit when they want to pass secrets from one to the other shaykh, with their knees touching. The shaykh didn’t say anything to the Indian except, “Say, ‘Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa rasooluh.’”

And what did that man do? He bent down meditating, that’s why meditation is very important. Are we doing meditation? Too many things we have to do and we are not doing, that’s why there are some people who fulfill their obligations Allah gave them, and He dressed them for the power of servanthood and sainthood. They can move in space and there are many examples of that; you can be here and at the same time you can be in India.

After half-an-hour he raised his head and said, “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `Rasoolullahi `alayhaa nahyaa wa `alayhaa namoot wa `alayhaa nalqa ’Llah.”

And the shaykh said to him, “Why did you wait for half-an-hour and not say it immediately?”

And the guru said, “O my master! For 25 years whatever my ego asked me to do I did the opposite. Anything my ego, the bad desires asked I never did. I never gave my ego anything!”

Today the whole world knows the badness of marijuana and they are taking marijuana left and right. It is harmful for the body and they say, “We are this,” and, “We are that.” Marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes, did you try them? [No.] All of these are toxic, are they not? They make you addicted and then the problems come.

What the Ego Said to the Man of Many Miracles

So he said, “I never gave my ego what it wants and for 25 years I am living like that. So I asked my ego, when you asked me to say, ‘Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadu ‘r-Rasoolullah,’ I asked my ego, ‘What do you think about that shaykh asking me to take Shahaadah?” and my ego said, ‘Oh! Are you crazy? In 25 years you are able through all kinds of disciplines I was trained about everything. You are trained very well that you are able to make miracles. So now, how you are going to begin from the very beginning when you are up on the top of the ladder; do you want to go back to the first step? Be careful!’”

When Grandshaykh, may Allah bless his soul, mentioned this story, which is long and has many different explanations, we jumped suddenly as we were afraid when he narrated the way that ego said, “WOOORRRYYYY! WOOORRRRY! Don't listen, you are a master now! The community knows you, people come to you. Do you want to go back to step one? Be careful, don't do it!”

The guru continued, “I was in a struggle with my ego, because I cannot accept anything it says.” So after a half-hour debate with his ego.. he was speaking with his ego, can we speak with our ego? [No.]

One Sincere Person Can Do Miracles

They say there are no miracles. One sincere person, even if he is young, if he has been well trained in his religion can do everything that cannot be done, as the Prophet (s) said:

عن ‏ ‏أبي هريرة ‏ ‏قال ‏‏قال رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏إن الله قال ‏ ‏من عادى لي وليا فقد ‏ ‏آذنته ‏ ‏بالحرب وما تقرب إلي عبدي بشيء أحب إلي مما افترضت عليه وما يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به وبصره الذي يبصر به ويده التي يبطش بها ورجله التي يمشي بها وإن سألني لأعطينه ولئن استعاذني لأعيذنه وما ترددت عن شيء أنا فاعله ترددي عن نفس المؤمن يكره الموت وأنا أكره مساءته ‏

ولا يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه، فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به وبصره

الذي يبصر به، ويده التي يبطش بها ورجله التي يمشي بها،

My servant does not cease to approach Me through voluntary worship until I will love him. When I love him, I will become the ears with which he hears, the eyes with which he sees, the hand with which he acts, and the legs with which he walks (and other versions include, “and the tongue with which he speaks.”). (Hadith Qudsi, Bukhari)

“If you love Allah (swt) He loves you and if He loves you He gives you special ears to hear with.” That is the difference from these ears on our heads with which we can hear certain electromagnetic waves, not special ones, and all of us are the same. But in Awliya sound increases from the same electromagnetic waves that hit your ear, and they hear voices that no one can hear, is it not? That is a miracle. Bring a radio now and put it, can you hear? No, but open it and what the radio is hearing of electromagnetic waves it conveys to you. The radio can hear what you cannot hear and the radio is an invention of human beings and you are the Creation of Allah (swt)! You can, according to the hadith of Prophet (s), Allah will give you to hear what others cannot hear except you.

There are too many electromagnetic waves here, analog or digital acute, and for analog you cannot hear it, digital we can hear and see thousands of stations, but we are not using it; that comes from piety and sincerity. So Awliyaullah have that power, similar to what today they call telepathy, speaking from very far away to another person. If the Chinese can do that, can’t Muslims or other people trained in that practice also do it? They can, but they are not doing that.

So the guru said, “For 25 years I disobeyed my ego, never listening to what it wanted me to do, telling my ego, ‘Look for 25 years I haven’t listened to you and now I am not listening to you’!” As soon as he said that, he raised his head and said, “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llaah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasoolullah.” In one moment, Allah opened for infinite powers of miracles to do what no one can do, all because he disobeyed his bad desires!

So today they are thirsty for blood and if they don't kill you with weapons they kill you by words, and words are more and more heavy on people, as if you are killing someone slowly. That’s why the Prophet (s) said:

‏انما بعثت لاتمم مكارم الاخلاق

Innamaa bu`ithtu li utammimu makaarim al-akhlaaq.

I have been sent to perfect the best of conduct (your behavior and character). (al-Bazzaar)

That is why he came as a Messenger. The obligations are obligations, to pray and fast, you have to do that, but he said, “I came to perfect and complete your manners and behavior.” This is the whole Message of Islam, so why don’t they touch on it? You see today many scholars don't discuss that as they are happy with the money they are taking from governments or from here and there.

To Be Saved We Must Always Observe the Middle Way

O Muslims! We are Muslims, alhamdulillah, and we are Mu’min, but we might shift by the egos’ power to deviate from the main, moderate line. So what do we have to do? We have to return, as the Prophet (s) said, to the middle way:

وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا

Wa kathalika ja`alnakum ummatan wasatan.

And thus have We willed you to be a community of the middle way. (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:143)

“We are a nation on the the middle way, we are not on the extremes, neither right nor left, we are in the middle, we follow the middle and we are safe.” That’s what we have been taught, that’s what we have experienced and we hope to be away from all kinds of confusion. May Allah (swt) protect us and protect the country we are living in, and protect everyone from miseries and problems and difficulties; otherwise, if we are part of some other groups we will lose. Don't ever step into the fires of Hellfire, what we are seeing today in the Middle East. Don’t think the way they are thinking, we must be away from them and we must be people who only look at where we have to put our foot, as Prophet (s) said:

إِنَّ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيكُمْ فِتَنًا كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ يُصْبِحُ الرَّجُلُ فِيهَا مُؤْمِنًا وَيُمْسِي كَافِرًا وَيُمْسِي مُؤْمِنًا وَيُصْبِحُ كَافِرًا الْقَاعِدُ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْقَائِمِ وَالْقَائِمُ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْمَاشِي وَالْمَاشِي فِيهَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ السَّاعِي ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا فَمَا تَأْمُرُنَا قَالَ ‏"‏ كُونُوا أَحْلاَسَ بُيُوتِكُمْ ‏"‏

Before the Hour comes, there will be a tribulation like patches of dark night. A man will get up a believer and go to sleep a kafir, or will go to sleep a believer and get up a kafir. The one who sits will be better than one who stands and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Break your bows, cut their strings and strike your swords against stones. If someone comes to kill any of you, then be like the better of the two sons of Adam. (Narrated Abu Musa al-Ash`aree, Abu Dawud.)

“There are going to be confusions like chunks of dark night falling on Earth.” Sit at home, look after your family, your children, don't participate in any bad circles. You can participate in political activity, but don’t participate in any bad gathering, don't go to any gathering that is bad, don't listen to them or their teachings as one word will burn you! Prophet (s) said there will be too much confusion and the one sitting in his chair in his home is better than the one who is standing. He did not say, ‘the one who went out and is sitting in bad associations’, that is completely not accepted and that’s why he did not mention it. He mentioned: stay at home and sit in your chair, you might stand, but sitting is better, and that means don’t move! Don’t get out of the house! Do your work and then come home. This is our duty. This is what our shuyookh are teaching us do your work, don’t backbite each other, don’t have enemies, and be straightforward in your dealings.

المؤمن إذا وعد وفى

Al-mu’minu idhaa wa`da wafaa.

A Believer keeps his promise. (Abu Dawud, ad-Darqutnee, al-Haakim)

Fulfill your promise to Allah (swt), that we all acknowledge He is the Creator and we are His servants, and we will obey whatever He said!

May Allah forgive us. As-salaam `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. [Du`a.]

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