The Role of an Ego

Maulana Shaykh Nazim Al-Haqqani gave a deep and powerful Suhbah on the 3rd of May 2011, concerning Osama bin Laden's death.

Here is the Synopsis:

Osama bin Laden has been a controversial figure in the Muslim world. Some view him as a true Islamic warrior, others, as a murderer and terrorist. Is his death that of a martyr or otherwise? Maulana skillfully dissects Osama's actions and motives, explaining to his mureeds a very important lesson as to why Tariqah is so vital, for it is the only means of subduing our marauding Egos. Maulana says, we are all servants – either to our Egos, or to our Lord. One who returns to Allah as a slave to his Ego, has lost his honour, forever. 


Osama followed his Ego and damaged the whole notion of a religion. 

This is perhaps one of the most important Suhbahs ever, it is for anyone who seeks to understand what religion is really all about. The aim of religion is so simple, so fundamental, yet shaitan has cleverly distracted us from our true destination – it is like a Grade-A student who enrolls in the best University, who goes to campus everyday, and participates in so many campus activities (like Sports, Social work, running the Campus newsletter, standing for elections on the Student Council etc) – he does everything -except study - and in the end, he fails his examinations.

Today's believers are doing just that - they are aimlessly going through the motion of performing the religious rituals, but they are not tasting or feeling anything real, for they have left out the most important ingredient of the meal. Food without salt is tasteless, just as drinks without sugar is. Each time we whip up a gourmet meal, shaitan ensures that we forget the salt and sugar. Because religion is so tasteless today, people are seeking to taste from the enjoyment of dunia instead.

Read this Suhbah slowly and with a real desire to understand what has gone wrong in our lives. Maulana has clearly laid out our most important struggle in religion in this Suhbah, "Oh our Lord, do not leave us in the hands of our Egos, even for the blink of an eye." (Hadees).

May Allah bestow us all with understanding and wisdom, ameen!

The full Summary is available at:

http://sufihub.com/?p=5047

Invitation to Spirituality from Shaikh Nazim

One

One is without reason.

Everything needs a reason,but One never needs it.

Every number has a reasonto be the numberit is.

Except One.

Every number is in needfor the number One,but One never needs One.

Two needs Oneto be two.Three needs Oneto be three.One hundred needs Oneto be one hundred.Or it will be ninety-nine.

But One is without reason.

And if there is no One,there is Zero.There is nothing.

But if there is One,everything is going to befrom it.


(Mawlana Sheikh Mohammed Nazim Adil al-Haqqani al-Naqshbandi)

You need a Spiritual Check up!

You need a Spiritual Check up

By Shaikh Nazim

Astaghfirullah, Destur ya Sultanulawliya, medet As salaamu alaykum. Oh our Lord, put your weak servants under Your Divine Protection. Therefore you must try to say as much as possible, more as salaam alaykum, as salaam alaykum. As salaam: peace. When you are saying too much, bringing peace to you and everything around yourself and also spreading that mercy and blessings through east and west. But now people, they are not using too much, to say as salaamu alaykum. Say as much as possible. We are saying as salaamu alaykum.

Allah, Allah... and we are asking Divinely Support, and Divinely Support never coming to people directly, is like a, as we are saying it for understanding, blessing coming like Niagara Falls, you can’t reach to that, but if it is going through pipes, may drink, may use it. Therefore Awliyas, whole Awliyas... Awliya means waliullah, that means friend of Allah, or, who is going to be friendly to Allah. Try to be friendly to Allah. But people running to be friends of shaytan,
because it is last days' signs, that people should run to be friends of shaytan, and very few people running to be friends to Allah Almighty.

And you can’t be friend of Allah Almighty till you are going to be friend to His Most Beloved Servant Sayyidina Muhammad (s), and you can’t be reaching to that point, be friend of Rasulullah (s) till you are going to be friendly to friends of Rasulullah (s). If you are not
reaching friends of Rasulullah (s), you can’t reach to be friends of Allah Almighty. Audhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem . Oh our Lord, please give Your Protection on your weak servants, we are saying we are weak servants, please make Your Divinely Protection on ourselves, not to be friends of shaytan. Friends of shaytan going to be in hells beginning here. They are burning. They are burning. From inside of themselves or outside. Burning. But they’re insisting to be, yet to be, friends of shaytan. Say Audhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem, oh our Lord, we are running to You, not to be friends to shaytan. say, in such a meaning, say Audhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem.

People coming and saying, "oh Shaykh, I am ill, but I am going to doctors, they are sending me to analyst, 'go to that one to make check up for yourself, and bring that to me, to look.', and I am going different analysts, "tahlil", analyzing, saying nothing with you, you are okay". But he is insisting, " I am feeling, that I am not healthy". Yes, but yet, they are not thinking that, that is something not belonging to their material being, no. From inside. Yet they are not coming to say, to accept that we have another being through ourselves, that is our souls. They never going to ask, to make a check up for their souls, but running to make a check up, every organ through themselves. But then, they never going to look, to make a check up for their souls, no. Because people becoming such a materialist, they are thinking only material beings. Material beings
never making a thing to move by itself, no.

Car is a car, but you must put in its box a kind of water and that water changing in another position and moving, making car to move. They always looking, what is water of our car?. can’t walk, we are looking everything okay." Ah, look if it has fuel. -"Our car is okay, for what fuel?" Ya, without fuel, your car can’t move. People running to doctors, doctors say, "you are 100%, you are okay. Okay." "Oh, doctor, if 100% I am okay, why I am coming to you? I am feeling
something in myself, making me not to be rest, disturbing me something from inside". You must go to, Haji Yashar, there is a person, that he may understand such a matters, what is their name? Their name psychiatry. And so many psychiatry coming, saying, "Oh Shaykh, I am
feeling no good". What you are doing? I am asking, psychiatry. Ahh, psychiatry, and you are coming to me? For, for... to treat you? And (I) say first, "jump". If jumping, "you are alright, okay, now go away." Finish. -"I am coming for check up". That is my check up. If do
jumping, then it is okay, nothing with you. If not enough, another check up, run from up, to that side. -"For what?" There is a cat, running in front of you, run and catch it!

I am psychiatry doctors. All psychiatry, they are also {twisting his hand, in Turkish: what do they call it? Antika (=antique)}. Or, every psychiatry, their minds out of their minds, two (piece?)... I am trying you, if you are okay or not. "I can’t do". You can’t do, you must try to do every day, to run 100 meters, to catch a cat. Catch and bring to me. "How? I am doctor of psychiatry!" You don’t know. Come, what I am saying to you, it is okay. Everything check up, but for psychiatry, they are unhappy to be check up. they are making check up for people, saying "nothing with you". But I am looking, you also falling in a deep well, you can’t be able to take yourself out. That is my check up to you. and we are in need, who making check up
for our unknown beings, souls. The authority for that, just granted to Prophets. then Prophets, from Prophets then granted to make a check up, granted what they had been through Prophets' line people, they may do this. Not any, anyone saying, "I can do", you can’t do. But people,
they are running nonsensely, to make a check up to themselves, and it is impossible. really, we are in need a check up for our souls, and who can do that check up for our souls? those whom they authorized, Heavenly Authority. Authorized by Heavenly Authority, they can do only
this, not school, reading, reading, reading, reading. They can’t understand anything. And they are so very rare now. (Those) people, they are running, to make a check up with psychiatries, and their level on same level, and they can’t take any benefit, finish, finish. Mankind just finished. Because they are in ruins, innerly in ruins. they must rebuild their personalities once
again. First, they must try to recognize their real identity. Who are you?! First, for rebuilding his, himself. In, through his life, to recognize himself.

Who are you? Someone must teach him, who are you? Because by yourself, you can’t, you can’t know, who are you. You can see everything except yourself. Your eyes looking and seeing everything except himself. What you are in need? You need a mirror. To say that, "I am this one", you must bring two witnesses, that through that mirror, you that one. By himself, he can’t recognize himself also in mirror. He may think, "that is another one, I am not this one, because
I am not looking myself, putting myself second to that, and to see that this and this the same. No. Perhaps that mirror it is a strange instrument, showing shadows, showing (things), showing something in it, but if no one in that area, you can’t say that this is... "I am that one".

You need two witnesses, that this is you, you are this! You are looking. It is mirror showing to you, therefore man, who is asking, "who are you?" must be a person like mirror, to be able to show, "you are this one". When you accepting, what he is saying, then that person
just permitted to build, to rebuild your existence. To manifest yourself again, as before. Because you are in ruins, destroyed. Your real being destroyed, therefore you are in need a rebuilding.
Rebuilding only those people, whom they have granted Heavenly Lights, and authorized through Heavens, not from earth, no. Earth, our level. Level of hayvanat, zoo level. We are on zoo level. Putting some examples in zoo garden, but not putting one man inside, also, that we are on same level. (addressing someone) You went zoo garden? You have been in zoo garden? Zoo.
I went also, but I was escaping, not to put me also with another place, that is also on that level animal. Our level, first level of animals. only we have granted for speaking. Our animals, they are not speaking. Same qualities, that they have, we have same also. Only they are running on 4 legs, we are running on 2 legs. But we must get up for rebuilding our real personality, if we are not recognizing yourself, you can’t be able to understand anything, coming hayvan, going hayvan. Coming as animal, and going as animal. And this life, that people living now, it is not 2nd level of real mankind. Because first level, they are characteristic on same character, all of them. If they are getting second level, they can’t touch, like this, can’t give, can’t harm anyone.

Once show me, my Grandshaykh, in Mecca al-Mukarrama, Baytullah, sharafahullah, 'Look, azim Efendi", as I am looking, one, first level people, they’re making tawaaf. But they are pulling and making everything, making harm people, pushing them, pulling them, but the second one, I am
looking and seeing a group of people, they are like butterflies (silently making a circular motion with his hand for a while)... no sound, no trouble, no harming. 1st level, level of animals. they are
giving to each ‘other harming, fighting, eating, everything they are doing. Now look, and say truth, what is the level of living people, whom they are claiming, that we are reached, we are reached to top of civilization? They are so big liars! Because that is Shaytan’s teaching to them, to say, "now we are on top, top level of civilization", For what? Because you have so many kinds of weapons, and high technologia, you have... therefore you reached top of civilization. And I am saying yet, you are on same level. Technologia never taking you on second level, only spirituality under can take you, and spirituality under heavy pressure. You can’t be able, to leave it, to reach to that point. And people, they are trying to kill, to harm people, to destroy, what is that? That is the level of mankind? I'm sorry to say that is not level of real human beings level. And I
am sorry to say, that even animals level, they are not accepting that level, and kicking them down! Kicking them down. That is the position, general view of our world, in our days, that it is days, Last Days. And we are reaching to Yamul Qiyamah. Oh people! Come and listen! And
ask Truth! To ask Truth it is your most important characteristic. You must ask truth, and you must try to learn Truth about your life, then you should be up. Never harming, therefore Prophet (s) saying, "surrender, people". That people, they are running away from Islam,
the name of Islam. They are hating and running away. but real Islam, what saying? A real Muslim, who never harming people by his tongue, by his hand, by his power. They are not real Muslims. People, people, Muslim, they are looking and seeing what happening. And people
thinking that Islam ordering to kill people, without any, with reason or without reason.
Destroying every day. And they are saying on it, "the name of Islam".

Audhubillah (I seek refuge in Allah!). Allah take them away. Take away. Don’t be with them, don’t say that they are doing good - that is not Islam, they are not Muslims. Only by name, their names may be written Muslim, but they are so far. As far earth from heavens, they are far away from Islam. May Allah forgives us and blessings you, for the Honor of the Most Honored One in His Divinely Presence, Sayyidina Muhammad, (s), Fatiha.

Wa min Allah at Tawfiq [Transcribed by Arief H.]

The Art of Meditation and its Serveral Levels

The Art of Meditation and its Several Levels

Shaykh Nazim


Most masters today present the method of meditation to you. But usually they do not base it on Christianity, or Judaism or Islam, so many people think that it is a method which originated within other religions. That is however not the case. Meditation was a method which was already given to the first man, within the first message, to the first Messenger.

What purpose does meditation serve, and how can we reach such a state? It is mentioned in all our Holy Books: the Torah, the Gospels and in the Holy Quran, as a method to reach the Divine Presence. When we come face to face with our Creator, we leave everything else behind. Nothing remains except your soul. Even if I tried to cut you with a sword, you would not be harmed. Nothing can touch you physically in such a state, because your physical body will have entered your spiritual being.

Normally it is the opposite: our souls are imprisoned in the physical body. In a perfect state of meditation, your soul covers your physical body and you become a spirit.

There was once a Grandsheikh, Sheik Abdul Qadir al Jilani. While he was meditating he kept saying, “I am the truth!” People around him were offended by this utterance and started attacking him with swords, but nothing happened to him. They could not touch him.

When Maulana Rumi was in real meditation, he would be whirling and take off from the ground. He had full connection with the Divine Presence. According to our traditional knowledge, meditation has so many steps before reaching to the top point. If you keep to those rules, real meditation can come to you at any time. Everyone must try within the rules which exist in their religion, to praise the Lord first, in the way the prophets taught us. We can then sit in a silent place, preferably in the dark, cover ourselves and withdraw from everything around us. We should not hear or feel anything, only think that we are one within the existence of the Lord Almighty Allah in the Divine Presence. Even if it only lasts for 5 minutes, it will give us power. This will then increase and make peace-falcons out of peace-doves. If a terrorist even looks at you, he will fall down. With meditation you can attain ultra-power. Don’t think that meditation is something easy. It is the most important power which has been given to mankind.

Secret of Peace

All masters are moving towards Heaven and through the Seven Heavens. But first you must cut the tunnel of your ego. When you reach out of that tunnel you will find that there are no more bad desires remaining with you. You will be pure. At that moment you will taste the Sweetness of Lights, the Sweetness of Mercy, the Sweetness of Beauty, the Sweetness of Love, the Sweetness of Knowledge, the Sweetness of Wisdom, the Sweetness of Will Power and the Sweetness of Perfection.

Until then you must be patient and follow. You must not say, "Oh, how long do I have to follow without seeing anything?" No, the tunnel is according to your ego, long or short. May Allah grant you to reach your Heavenly Stations; you will then be happy, absolutely happy.

Source: as quoted from the sohbet(discourse)
by As-Sayyid Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqani

The Internal neglected self

When you are occupied with outward forms, you lose the meanings. Therefore, the one who is occupied by looking at outward things by externals is going to lose his inner life.

Religion is not only an external structure which has outward forms but it has an inner reality too. Now in our time our scholars are making Islam, only an outward form and are speaking on and on about those magnificent forms from the outward aspect. But they can’t imagine how magnificent it is inside.

However it is so difficult to enter into the internal side. There are guardians, asking from those who are trying to enter, an identity card and asking them, “To whom do you belong? What is this identity card?” If a person shows an identity card saying, “Servant of his Lord,” and if it is signed by the Prophet Muhammad (sal), and by his sheikh, he may enter; if he has a real identity card of being ‘abd-Allah, the servant of Allah Almighty, then the doors will be opened for him to go in. But if his identity card shows, “This is a worker for devils,” or “A slave of his ego,” or “A slave of this life or of dunya (the material world),” he is refused; he can’t enter. Whoever is sometimes for his ego, sometimes for Satan, sometimes for dunya, sometimes for hawa, a slave to his desires, never gets in.

Therefore it is so difficult for a person to be successful, to make himself free from the hands of his ego and from dunya or from the hands of Satan. Therefore we must consider what is in Islam. We must look at that magnificent structure, the edifice of Islam, to see what is in it and what it is for. For what is Islam, for what purpose? What is the main goal of Islam, of Iman, of praying and of fasting? Are they ends in themselves? Yes, we must know.

Worshipping is not an end in itself. They are not ends but rather they are the means of taking you to your Lord’s Divine Presence by making you His obedient servant. And to be an obedient servant takes you into His Divine Presence.

Shaykh Nazim's Don't Deny the Unseen

Sohbet/Sohba 1 October 2008, Seyh Muhammed Nazim El-Hakkani Hz..

Love - Shaykh Nazim Sohbet

European people are writing, "Love, love." everywhere, - "Love". It means that it is the most important thing for them. But they are not asking for real Love, and how they can reach to that endless Love oceans.

Everyone's soul is asking to reach endless beauty oceans.

Only one drop of the beauty oceans of your Lord is divided between all peoples. So, from that drop how much can reach a beautiful girl or a handsome person? How much? So much that you can be drunk, by just part of that one drop from the endless beauty oceans that are waiting, and expecting you to reach it, and to come into it, and to swim, and to drink, and to be drunk, in it.


You can reach out to the love of your Lord through your wife, And she can reach it through you ---- Because we are asking through her love The real Love of ALLAH Almighty. And it is the most perfect teaching for mankind
To make a relationship from that love and to jump to your Lord's Love.

But people are not taking enough care about that love and not allowing the Divine Love Springs to come out from their hearts. - They are running after some imitation love, for a temporary love that is only coming and going for some occasions, - coming and giving people that love which belongs to our physical desires. It is only temporary and is quickly disappearing, and the quickly arriving satisfaction is going to be less and less, and then it is finishing. .. commonly the interest of mankind is going to be for that love which is going to be less and less and less, and then finishing. Drying up. Physical desires love is going to be less and less and finally to be dry. (ST26)

You may love a young lady for her youth, and when that youth departs you love her no more. That is false love. Sometimes we may have both kinds of love simultaneously, but usually the physical overpowers the spiritual so that it is never allowed to appear. But to reach the ultimate goal of human life we are in need of permanent love, and it is only the Lord of the universe Who can grant it.

But Divine love, that is settled and based through the hearts of mankind. It is not becoming less. As long as you are looking after it, you should find it increasing, giving more, and being more tasteful, and finding it never ending.
This is because your physical being is going to finish, but your real being is never going to finish. Your physical being is a temporary being, but your spiritual being is a permanent one. Therefore that which belongs to your physical being from love is going to finish. But that which belongs to your spiritual being is never ending, is permanent.
You are free to choose between the two. And you are free to look for the one or the other as you like. If you like it to finish, then follow your physical desires and their love. If you are interested in Eternal Love. Everlasting love, then look after your spiritual love - Are you doing so?

When you increase in the love of the permanent life, the eternal life, then ALLAH Almighty gives to your heart from His Divine Lights, and darkness goes away; because the more the love of this life gets into your heart, the more darkness gets in also. In darkness all bad thoughts and fears grow, and dissatisfactions and unhappiness grow in your heart because darkness makes them grow. But if darkness goes away from our heart, then it is lighted everywhere. No more trouble or unhappiness can be in your heart. Lights, divine lights give you satisfaction and peace, and as much as those lights grow in your heart so much peace and happiness and satisfaction will grow in our heart, and hope will grow each day.

Shaykh Nazim

Short history of Shaykh Nazim

SHAYKH MUHAMMAD NAZIM ADIL AL-HAQQANI AN-NAQSHBANDI

Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani is the world leader of the most distinguished Naqshbandi order of Sufis (tariqah an-Naqshbandiyya-t-il-'awliya). Shaykh Nazim is both a scholar of the Divine Law (shari'ah), being the mufti of Turkish Cyprus, as well as the Shaykh of the Way (tariqah).

A resident of Turkish Cyprus, he was born in Larnaca, Cyprus on April 23, 1922 (12th Rabi'ul Awwal, 1341 AH). He is a descendant of the family of the Prophet Muhammad (saws) on both his mother and his father's side, being both a Hasani and Husayni Sayyid. On his father's side, he is a descendant of Sayyid 'Abdul Qadir Gilani, the founder of the Qadiri Sufi order and on his mother's side, his ancestry comes from Jalal al-Din Rumi, the founder of the Mawlawi Sufi order.

Shaykh Nazim finished high school in Cyprus 1940 CE/1359 AH. He then traveled to Istanbul for higher education. He studied at the University of Istanbul, completing an MA in Chemical Engineering. During his years in Istanbul, he also completed the requirements of the Divine Law and Arabic language. He received his "permission" ('ijaza) from Shaykh Jamal al-Lassuni (d. 1955 CE / 1375 AH). Shaykh Nazim then directed his attention to the study of the spiritual path of seven Sufi orders: Naqshbandi, Chishti, Qadiri, Mawlawi, Rifa'i, Shadhili and Badawi. He then increased his study of the Naqshbandi order under his shaykh at that time, Sulayman Arzurumi (d. 1938 CE / 1368 AH). After a few years, Shaykh Sulayman told him, "O my son, the one who is carrying your secrets is not me, but my spiritual teacher who migrated from Daghistan to Turkey and who is now residing in Damascus in the Midan district (sa'ahat il-Midan). He is known as the Master of the Golden Chain of the Naqshbandi order in our time."

Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani then moved to Syria. On the way to Damascus, he first visited Aleppo, Hama and Homs. In Homs, under the direction of his Shaykh, he stayed for one year in seclusion in the mosque and tomb of the famous Companion of the Prophet (saws), Khalid ibn Walid. There he received more intensive instruction in the Divine Law, the Traditions (ahadith), and the Science of the Qur'an (ilm al-Qur'an) under the Shaykhs Muhammad 'Ali 'Uyun as-Su'ud, 'Abdul 'Aziz 'Uyun as-Su'ud, mufti of Homs, Abdul Jalil Murad and Sayyid as-Suba'i, who are all Naqshbandi shaykhs as well as famous scholars of the Traditions (muhaddithun) and religious scholars ('ulama) of the Divine Law (shari'ah).

In 1944 CE / 1364 AH, he moved to Tripoli, Lebanon, where he was the guest of Shaykh Munir al-Malik, the mufti of northern Lebanon and Shaykh of the Qadiri, Rifa'i' and Naqshbandi Sufi orders. In 1945 CE / 1365 AH, he went from Tripoli to Damascus to Ha'i al-Midan where he finally met Shaykh 'Abdullah ad-Daghistani an-Naqshbandi. He stayed with his Grand Shaykh until his Grand Shaykh passed away on October 4, 1973 (4th of Ramadan, 1398 AH). During that period of almost forty years, Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani (may God bless him) continued to receive the heavenly fountain of spiritual knowledge which poured forth from the heart of Shaykh 'Abdullah ad-Daghistani (may God sanctify his soul) into his heart.

Shaykh Nazim continuously traveled to the Middle East and Turkey during these 40 years. Upon the death of his Grand Shaykh and by his spiritual order, he enlarged his scope of travel to include Europe, America and the Far East. He established hundreds of centers all over the world, spreading Islam together with Sufi spiritual knowledge which has brought hundreds of thousands of converts to Islam. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he is the mujaddid of this century as was Sayyid 'Abdul Qadir Gilani, in his time; Shah Bahauddin Naqshband, in his time; Sayyid Ahmad al-Fa'ruqi, in his time; and Jalal al-Din Rumi, in his time.

Shaykh Nazim carries the secret of seven Sufi orders: Naqshbandi, Chishti, Qadiri, Mawlawi, Rifa'i, Shadhili and Badawi, through a chain of authorization from his master, Shaykh 'Abdullah ad-Daghistani, through the chain of 39 Grand Shaykhs linking him to the Prophet l (saws).

He has entered many seclusions during his lifetime ranging in duration from 40 days to one year. These took place in many different places including the Prophet's city, Madinah, Baghdad in the presence of Sayyid 'Abdul Qadir Gilani, Konya in the presence of Jalal al-Din Rumi and Damascus at many holy places. He has written numerous books on spirituality and Divine Knowledge (gnosis, ma'rifah) which have been published throughout the world. He has written many poems on Divine Love ('ishq) in both Arabic and Turkish. He is a source (marja') for many modern juristic matters. He follows a moderate line in approaching people and issues of contemporary life.

Shaykh Nazim has a very charismatic personality which moves people and attracts them to the manifestation of Divine Love which continues to pour forth from his heart. His resplendent smile is ever present. when he speaks, it is as if a Divinely-inspired waterfall had been opened connecting his heart to the hearts of the listeners. It is that nectar of love that draws thousands of new converts to Islam every year.

Shaykh Nazim's Sohbet on Video - Come back to the God

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim - Interfaith Conference.

Fighting your own personal Satan/Devil

FIGHTING YOUR OWN PERSONAL SATAN

Our Grandsheikh was saying about wisdom, that it is the spirit of knowledges; like essence, when you put a few drops into a jug of water; it all becomes colonya.

Wisdom is found only with Divinely people; knowledge is found with everyone. Wisdom is given to Allah’s chosen ones. It needs a pure heart, as it is a precious thing and cannot be put in a dirty cup. No doubt our Grandsheikh was among these chosen ones, he was always giving wisdoms. Now these are his words.

~ Shaykh Nazim

Sohbet from GrandShaikh - The two great evils of the humankind

The Sheikh talks about shaytan being the first and the ego being the second disobedient creature. Lying, slandering, backbiting, and disclosing the faults of others are great sicknesses of today's Muslims. People fighting within tarikat. Grandsheikh Maulana Nazim Kıbrısi is the sultan of saints and can not be limited to having only "two men" as the only doors leading to Maulana. Anyone claiming this and those accepting this claim are working for their egos.

We are Ottoman and we will teach them manners.

[June 4, 2008; 35mins]

Direct link: http://www.nakshibendi.com/audio/Sohbet04Jun2008.wma

Understanding Love

Understanding Love

By Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani

The Lord created us and loves us; that is why everyone loves love. No one complains of love or wants it to be taken from him, but all want to be loved more. Where are you seeking love? Are you taking pure water from the gushing source, or muddy, slimy water from the ditch? You love people, but they will die. Perhaps your love will be unrequited, or because of a small error or indiscretion on your part that person’s heart will harden to you and love will be no more you say that you love him or her, but do you love him or her unconditionally? Is your love permanent – love for the real immaculate divine essence living in that person, or temporary, as a result of some desirable attributes: beauty, youth, wealth, station or wit? When that beautiful, young, wealthy, clever, amiable socialite becomes ugly, old, penniless, senile, grumpy outcast will you still love her? Is your love of the spirit or of the world?

Oh people, seek real love, a love that cannot go astray. That love is the love of God and the love of his creatures for the sake of his love for them. That love emanation may bind a receptive hearts. There is a common saying: “the friend of a friend is a friend”, so love people if you love God, for you must know that He loves them. It is not always easy to love people, even good people, so what about the Korahs of this world?

Love pertaining to the ego is not love, as all the ego knows is to love itself, and what is commonly called love is but mutual understanding to support each other’s egoism. Don’t trust your ego, nor is anyone else’s, for the ego disloyal by nature. When the spirit gains ascendancy the ego may be harnessed and put to good use, as the Holy Prophet said:

“Your ego is your mount”, but left to its whims it will take you many miles from your path in search of herbage.

This discourse is an Ocean, its summary is: what is of the world beware of, and pay attention to the dose. When crossing that ocean embark on a sturdy ship with well – maintained lifeboats and life-preservers, and if you swim in it keep your head above water!

As for the Ocean of Divine Love, dive in and drown – that is eternal life in the Ocean of Unity.

Source: Oceans of Unity, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani, p36- 37

Keep your mind and heart open in life!

If you are coming here like this (filled) cup, then you are not taking anything. This cup is full. Whatever you put in, it is not going to take more.

If you are bringing the cup empty then you are going to find your cup getting filled again, and every time you are tasting from that cup you are going to know that it's different than what was in it before. But if a person is coming with his cup filled, then he is only going to take what he brought. Nothing else.

~ Shaikh Nazim

In my humble opinion, life is a teacher and we are its students. Everything in life can be a lesson and everyone can be a teacher, hence it is wise to keep our mind and heart open and to avoid prejudgment. Let's control our egos and we shall be pleasantly surprised by what life brings in front of us.

Power of Thinking

I received this in an email, loved it. Decided to share it with all of you. Post your thoughts! Bare the translation as I think it was not in English originally.

Power of Thinking - Shaykh Maulana Nazim al-Hakkani

April 27th, 2008 in Thoughts by yursil

Whoever acts without thinking never reaches this real life. Everyone must try to reach real life in this life. It is an important responsibility. We promised to our Lord on the day of spirits that we would try. This is our aim in all actions and all worshippings. Allah is not needing worship. He ordered it to help us. Who reaches this real life has completed his responsibility. We must think for every action, it is a way to reach real life.

What is the highest teaching of the Naqshbandi Tariqat? It is to teach everyone how he can carry disliked things, how to face difficulties. We cannot face them without thinking; thinking that it is the will of our Lord. We are weak and cannot endure difficulties by our own power, but that thinking and surrendering allows His will to carry us. With His Will, we are powerful
to face all difficulties. This point is reached only by thinking about everything.

The plane of thinking is as wide as you can imagine. Thinking is the key to reality. Everything we have now, is the fruit of thinking. Of all religions, the one giving the most value to thinking is Islam. This is by the hadith: «One hour of thinking is worth 70 years of worship.»

The perfection of man is hidden in his words. This hadith is enough for thinking people to know that the one who said it is perfect, of high personality. Our Prophet’s words are worth writing in gold letters everywhere.


Our Grandsheikh is asking: who can understand? Everyone? In an assembly of 1000 people, how many do really understand the speaker? Who is listening and who is understanding?
You may say: «Oh we are listening». Man has two kinds of ears, on the head and on the heart. One only listening with his head, is not listening, Understanding is in the heart. If your heart is in action, you can listen.

-Mercy Oceans

"When i learn to trust in myself,
give love with no need to receive,
to believe without seeing before my eyes,
even then, i need to take a Guide."

Forever Haqqani

20071015 1428.Shawal.02 Mevlana Seyh Nazim: Technology in Service of Sheytan from Osmanli Naksibendi Hakkani.

Bulleh Ki Jaana With English Translation

Seven Internal Disciplines

Discipline is of the utmost importance. There are two types of discipline relating to one?s Sheikh, which the mureed must bring into existence:

i) Internal
ii) External.

In this section we will outline the Seven Internal Disciplines.:

1. Sit with your sheikh with sincere intentions and firm belief.
2. Listen to your sheikh?s speech attentively through the ears of your heart.
3. Keep any hidden issue about your sheikh concealed within yourself
4. Accept and be patient upon any expression or utterance that your sheikh communicates to you.
5. Do not internally object to or criticise your sheikh for any of his actions, conduct or speech.
6. Seal your eyes from glancing at and your mouth from expressing any defects, in deed or in character, within your sheikh.
7. Do not internally question or analyse any command given to you by your sheikh

Why do you need a true guide in this journey of life?

It's impossible to reach the Divine Presence without a true guide

Maulana Sheikh Nazim

This is a very nice discourse by our beloved Maulana Sheikh Nazim Hakkani Rabbani,

God said in the Holy Quran [9:109] that if someone builds the foundation of his house on a cliff without building a good foundation, then it will fall down. But if someone builds the foundation of his house on solid plot or on a solid ground, piece by piece, well placed, then he is going to find that his house stands firm.

But everything requires an expert. If I say to our brother, "Can you build a house for us?" He will say, "No, I am not a carpenter." So we are obliged to call another one and say, "Please, build a house for us, because you are an expert." And he will tell you "All right, this is the plan; here we put that wall, here the foundation, here cement" and so forth.

If you need an expert to build an ordinary house, what about your heart? How do you approach your Lord without the guidance of an expert? You have to look for an expert. You cannot reach Him without one, no matter how much you try to move on this path alone. No one can reach by himself because sometimes even though he knows he is on the right path, he might do something out of place or time. Then he will fail. So we need an expert and that expert is our guide.

Guidance is important. If you do not have a guide to lead you to your destination, then you are going to find many difficulties on your way. When you go into a desert, they tell you "Beware, do not go into that desert because you are going to suffer." They might show you the beginning of the way. Nevertheless you need a guide to show you the rest of the way through the desert. Why is this? Because in the desert everything looks the same. When the winds come, the sand moves; you easily lose direction.

An expert, a guide can take you along the right way even if the winds come and in two or three days you have passed through the desert and reached the other side. Also, to reach your Lord, you can never find your way through the desert of this life except with a guide because the wind of the ego desires, vain passions changes everything. The ego has desires. The wind of the ego is empty desires and vain passions. When desires come to your ego, they veil the right path for you. Then you are lost! You are going to stop and you do not know how to continue. That is why you need a guide who is an expert in the ways of the desert. He is an expert in the roads that traverse the ego.

If you can't find such a guide, then you are wasting your time in trying to reach your Lord in this life. God is Merciful: Because you are trying to reach, you will reach at the end even without a guide, but you will not reach quickly. Now you are losing time, not progressing.

But as soon as you find that guide and you accept to follow him to show you the shortcut through the desires of the ego, and the will of the ego, its vain passions and desires, then you are going to find yourself reaching the other side. Otherwise you will be lost in that vast desert.

When the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam peace be upon him was ordered to emigrate from Makkah to Madinah he said "I need a guide." He is a prophet..! why did he need a guide? To teach us that even though he is a prophet, he still needs a guide, an external guide to show him the way to reach Madinah. For example, say we are showing my son how to go to Niagara Falls. We do not know, so we find an expert God willing, a good expert who will not give us wrong directions! He is a prophet and he asked for a guide. Did he not know? Jesus said "One of you is going to betray me." It is true. As Muslims we believe this. He said "One of you".. did he not know? He knew but he did not reveal it. Prophets know but they wish to show complete weakness and humility. Prophet Muhammad also knew the way to go from Makkah to Madinah but he was teaching us to seek out a guide. They needed a guide to show them the way from Makkah to Madinah; they reached Madinah safely with the help and guidance of that guide.
If we need a guide to cross a desert, what about our spiritual life? it is more difficult.

You certainly need a guide for that, and that is also why the Prophet had a guide, the angel Gabriel peace be upon him, bringing him inspirations and revelation. The Prophet was guided by him into God's Presence on the Night of Ascension, the night when the Prophet went to meet his Lord. So, he needed a guide externally when he migrated from Makkah to Madinah. Internally he needed a guide when he emigrated to his Lord on the Night of Ascension. It is impossible to emigrate without a means. Without a means you cannot reach anywhere! That is why everyone must find a guide to show him the way of Truth and the way of Reality.

Without a guide you will be in doubt as to whether what you are doing is right or wrong; you will not know yourself if it is right or wrong. With a guide, you depend on him because he is an expert. As we said, the Prophet took a guide to show him the way to Madinah. He did not say to that guide "No, you are taking me this way, why not take me that way?" He relied upon his guidance because of his expertise.

That guide who shows you the way must be trustworthy. You can't take a superficial or artificial guide and say "This person is my guide." If you take an imitation guide, he may take you to the ocean of satan you will be lost in the ocean of hallucination. Many people follow such 'untrue' guides! At some time the followers will begin to have hallucinations. They will think that they are seeing something. In reality they are experiencing hallucinations. What they are seeing is non-existent. That is why a true guide is very important..

How can you recognize a guide? Once, Grandshaykh said that if you want to know if someone is a true guide, first see if he has completed his external outfit. If you see that he is incomplete in bearing the externals, it means that he has a defect in his heart. Do not follow him. Anything in a sufi master and we are speaking about sufism, not about anything else that does not conform to the external dress and manner of a true master, betrays a defect. Grandshaykh said "If you have a watch and that watch is working internally one hundred percent but has no needles, it won't show you the time so there is no benefit from it. Also if a watch has two needles but the internal mechanics are not working one hundred percent it will not show you the correct time. So the outward and the inward must both be completely correct for a person to be a guide."
We are not speaking about ourselves. We follow our master; he is our guide. He works one hundred percent both outwardly and inwardly.

As for us, we are trying to imitate. That is why when we want to look at someone and say "Is this person a true guide," you must see that he has completed the externals without any deficiency. If there is anything missing, then you should not follow him. That is, if he is missing something from the externals, then he must be missing many things inwardly, for that is where people can't see. You dress well when you know that people will be looking at you. But when it comes to things people will not see, you say "Never mind. No one will see that." If the outfit which people are going to see on you is missing many items, it means that your "unfit" so to speak which people will not see, is missing even more things. Such a person can't be a true guide; he is a disconnected guide.

He might take you a certain distance in spiritual life but he is disconnected from any further levels. A true guide must have correctly completed his exterior, without missing one thing! This is the first step, Grandshaykh said, in knowing whether someone is a real guide or a false guide. When you see this from him, then you say "He has now passed," not the first test but the first criterion.

Now we think of looking at his inner side. How do you judge the inner side? He said "You must see that person has respect for everyone, without the slightest discrimination towards any human being, without looking at their religion because they are servants of one Lord, the same Lord, and the Lord doesn't change without discrimination for any in his heart. It is not his business, because all human beings are the servants of the Lord. The guide has to respect them; first, because they are God's creation and have that Light/Nur in them. In addition to respect, he must have love for them. To accept what he wants for himself and his children, to be and act also on their behalf, although they are not yet his followers but simply ordinary people. So he must show them respect and love. Thirdly, he must show them humility.

He can't say that he is higher than them; no one is high except God! If he sees himself higher than they are, then he is like Satan who saw himself higher than Adam. These three criteria are the inner accessories of the true guide. For the outfit he must have the complete dress of a Sufi master. If your master is like that, then he is a true guide: Follow him! With him you can find satisfaction and everything that you are missing. If you do not find someone like that, then continue seeking. You will find because God is Merciful. When you look for, God will give. When you do not ask, God will not give. If you really ask, ask from your heart, you are going to find. At that time, He will give you the key to your heart. If you do not really ask from your heart, but only with your tongue, perhaps you might find one, perhaps not.


Ahmad al-Badawi was a very famous saint known in all sufi teachings. He did not accept a guide saying "I have no need for a guide. My guide is the Quran" as the wahhabis say today "and the way of life of the Prophet." He tried to approach his Lord as the Prophet said on his Lord's behalf "My servant does not cease to approach me through voluntary worship or good manners, until I shall love him. And when I love him, I will be, at that time, the ears by which he hears, the eyes by which he sees, the hand by which he feels, the feet by which he walks. If he asks Me, I give to him. If he seeks refuge in Me, I protect him. I will be he, and he can say to something 'Be' and it will be." The wahhabis usually cut off the end of that tradition but we recite it all. Ahmad al-Badawi drew near his Lord until he reached the door of the Divine Presence and said "O my Lord, please open the door for me." He received no answer. He tried again and again until he met someone by chance. We say "by chance" but it was not by chance; it was well-planned, it was God's Will to test him. He saw that person on the street, an ordinary person who looked at him, and said "O Ahmad!" he did not even call him "O Sheikh Ahmad" to give him due respect. He said "O Ahmad! You need the key to God's Divine Presence? I have that key. If you want it, come to me and I'll give it to you." Many people among us refuse to accept facts and truth because of pride, even though they know, as a matter of fact, that this is the right path.. they do not accept because their ego says "No!" So Ahmad's ego said to him "How are you going to accept something from him? Do not accept the key from him. Accept it from God." And he said "O my brother, I will not take the key from you, nor from anyone except the Key-Maker. Who are you? You are nobody."

Then he kept approaching the Divine Presence until he heard God's voice saying to him "O Ahmad, this life is the life of causes and effects. I will not give you the key. My will is that the key to my door, for you is with that person. Go and get it from him." Now, the matter is finished! He heard it from his Lord, and he accepted. Now he had to find that guide. But that guide had disappeared. He had left him. For six months the guide was secretly examining Ahmad's heart, seeing him search for him and pray to his Lord day and night "O my Lord, send that person back to me" until he saw him another time. That person, immediately removed the veil he had been present all the time revealing himself; so the guide removed the veil and appeared to Ahmad. Ahmad said "O my sheikh! I found you!" He had not found him; it was the guide who had removed the veil.. yet he thought he had found him. He said "O my sheikh, I accept you as a guide." The guide answered "If you accept me as a guide now, you must submit, surrender, give your will over to me completely. You can't have a will alongside my will. You have built your knowledge on a cliff; with just one gust of wind from the ego, it will fall apart. I have to build a good foundation for you. So, look into my eyes." Ahmad looked into his eyes and that guide immediately erased all the knowledge that Ahmad al-Badawi had learned through books: "Through books" means that there are many things written that come from the authors' egos; so he removed that knowledge out of Ahmad's heart and disappeared. He left him for another six months not even knowing how to say "In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate" not even knowing how to say the Name of God.. Everyone in the city was now mocking Ahmad al-Badawi who had seemingly become insane after having been a very great scholar; because of their limited spiritual knowledge, they thought that he was mentally ill. All they could see was that he was following someone who was making him crazy but Ahmad al-Badawi knew that he had heard the voice of his Lord saying "Your key is with that person." No one made him crazy; he was following that person. But if he had accepted from the beginning, when that guide came to him the first time by God's Will, he would not have had to pass through this test; so why make yourself pass through a test? When you find the truth, the correct guide, accept him immediately! Do not play games with your ego. So he left him for another six months then reappeared to him another time. In those six months, Ahmad al-Badawi continued to search for him again. When he reappeared again, he said to him again "O my sheikh, I found you another time!" At that time, the guide looked into his eyes transmitting from his heart to Ahmad al-Badawi's heart, through the eyes, internal knowledge the knowledge of the Book, and its secrets. He was giving, giving, giving until Light shone forth from Ahmad al-Badawi's eyes. It was so powerful that anyone who looked into his eyes would die; therefore he covered his face with a veil. At that time he was able to enter into the Divine Presence and he received that key.
Without a guide, it is very hard to reach the Divine Presence! It is impossible to reach the Divine Presence without a true guide who will open the door to you to where you are going. Ahmad al-Badawi was a great scholar who knew many things. He was proud of his knowledge and did not want to accept learning from someone else. Because of his pride, he wanted to take directly from the highest station. He did not see anyone higher than himself except God. How, then, to take from another person? It means that there was no humility in his heart. He was missing one of the three characteristics needed by God's servants. He had respect. He had love for human beings, but he did not have humility in his heart to accept advice from someone else. And because he had left out that one characteristic, it was as if he had stopped progressing. A saint, a master, must have the three levels: Respect, love, and humility. If you find one of them missing, then he is not a true guide; he will take you only a certain distance. Just as we see that Ahmad al-Badawi was able to draw nigh to a certain extent, to reach the door of Divine Presence, he was unable, however, to open it. For he was in need of someone who had the key. He had not accepted this need because he was full of pride in his knowledge.

He thought too much of himself. Later, he accepted but only because he heard it from his Lord. That is why he passed through a test. If he had accepted without self-pride, that door would have immediately opened for him, without need for two years of testing.

When you find a guide and your heart is happy in his presence, do not listen to your ego. Tell your ego "You are wrong! What am I going to lose if I accept that guide as my master?" You will not lose anything. You are showing humility and this is enough for God to raise you up. If I come and say "so-and-so is my sheikh," and take initiation from him, what is wrong with that? I am accepting, I am showing humility: God will raise me up!

Having humility is important. If you are humble, you accept everyone, because everyone, in a sense, will be a guide for you. There is a proverb in our country which says to ask a good person "From where have you learned perfect behavior in society?" He will say "From a wrongdoer. I watched him, saw what he did wrong, and I now avoid doing as he does. Thus I was able to correct myself through the mistakes of others." If you accept any person as your guide, even a bad person can guide you. By observing him and seeing what he is doing wrong, you stop! This comes from humility. Why then do you not accept? Are you proud of yourself? Who are you? You are a creature from among five billion creatures in this world.. five billion human beings and you are one! Why are you proud of yourself? We are nothing in comparison to God. There are five billion living ones other than you, not to mention those that have passed away. And only one of you! So you are nothing! What are you proud of? You do not have a political position. You are not in a spiritual position so who are you to fight, show disrespect and not to love?

On the contrary, you should make friends. Do not be a stupid person by showing pride, anger, and disrespect to people. Out of these five billion, try to make ten, fifteen, twenty, forty friends; they will help you. To God, you are nothing because you are one out of five billion, so it is as if you do not exist. It is like one divided by infinity. What will it be? Like zero.. so you are zero! Why are you proud of yourself? Everyone is so proud of himself, you can't talk to them! Why? Because ego is there, satan is pushing him. We have to try to have these three qualities: respect, love, and humility. When we correct our inner life and our external manner, then we will find the way to God. And since it is difficult to correct ourselves, we have to follow someone who has already corrected himself, to take such a person as a guide.

This piece of advice from my sheikh is also important for me to listen to. I need this because my ego is so high. I am too happy with myself. I have to see myself as less than everyone. That is why Jesus peace be upon him showed us a good sign and until now Christians remember to do it, and this good sign is that you have to see yourself lower than everyone, respecting everyone so much that you have to bend down and kiss everyone's feet, showing humility. This, Christians still do until now because Jesus kissed the feet of his disciples. This is a sign of humility. You do not kiss the feet of someone for the sake of the feet! You kiss them to show humility. You have to teach yourself not to be proud. When you do this, you will win everything! So try as much as possible to break your pride and to increase your humility. Through pride you reach satan; through humility, you reach your Lord.