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 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

Why Worry in Life?

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

The Seal of Prophets, Sayyidina Muhammad, peace be upon him, imparted this good advice to mankind: "If you awaken in the morning and find that you are lacking nothing in the way of material sustenance, and that you and your family are in good health, then don't burden yourself with worry".

The Holy Prophet advises us not to make problems for ourselves. If there are immediate and pressing problems, that is another story, but so many "problems" in people's minds are not problems at all except in their minds. They are only "projected problems" which may or may not ever materialize. This is the affliction of twentieth century man: anxiety, or suffering inflicted upon oneself over the possibility of future suffering. As a result of this neurotic anxiety people may suffer intensely over a long period of time, although none of what they fear ever materializes This is the epitome of foolishness.

We are shouldering weekly, monthly and yearly burdens each day. Why carry such baggage when you may walk unburdened and find all that you need awaiting your arrival at each station of your journey? You only exist here and now. Tomorrow's "you" is only a fantasy, as you can't even know if you'll live that long. By inventing so many problems for yourself you are only making yourself ill. Is this advice of the Prophet not enough evidence of his adherence to a way that leads man to felicity?

Allah Almighty doesn't want His servants to suffer needless self-inflicted misery, and He says: "Oh My servants, don't load heavy burdens on yourselves by worrying about the future. Just bring yourselves in line with My will; accord with my purposes this moment, and then rest assured that I will help you keep your future moments similarly aligned with My will".

Perhaps you may understand my point from the following example. When a new railway track is laid, before a locomotive and train are ever sent over it, a two-wheeled cart is first drawn over it to check whether the tracks have been laid straight. In the same way, if you can align your will to that of your Lord even for one moment, without carrying a heavy burden, you may be sure that your way is right, and that, even should times get rough, and so many burdens be coupled to your locomotive, your track is straight and true and you will pass along it smoothly and safely. A solution to this moment's problem is the solution to next year's derailment.

When I am here in western countries I daily encounter people carrying the weight of anticipated problems, It is so difficult in the modern world to escape from having this perspective, and to concentrate on the moment in order to put it right. With tens of thousands of problems in front of you all at once how should a solution seem possible?

I often see people running into the mosque, saying the obligatory prayers quickly and running out. Sometimes I ask them: "What's the rush?" Then they nervously look at their watches and say: "We have tarried in the mosque too long already. We have so many things to do today!" I reply: "It is laudable to be industrious and to look after your affairs well, but who would look after your affairs were you to drop dead here and now?"

I am not encouraging people to spend their whole days in the mosque, but only trying to remind people who are not only running after their sustenance, but leaping, head over heels after ambitious all-encompassing undertakings that it is impossible to "master the world", and destructive to devote so much energy to their attempt, and with so much abandon. First of all, the world already has a Master, and addressing Him humbly and with presence of mind (not hurriedly) in your prayers is even more instrumental in attaining your sustenance than rushing through the city. Secondly, far from attending to your affairs more efficiently by running, you are only likely to have a heart attack and die young!

Don't live in a world of great big-time schemes, for such schemes will not save you from trouble, but entangle you in it even further. Simplify your problems so that the solutions may be simple, also don't regard your problems with a magnifying glass, so that they are out of perspective: that habit will destroy you physically and spiritually.

By Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqani

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.