His True Servants

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is adapted from a swuhbah by Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.) on 09th March 2010. 

The murid is to cut himself off from all worldly matters when attending a swuhbah.  We are to attend as “empty cups”, not “full cups”.  If our cups are already full, what can be poured into them?  The shaykh is the medium of communication between the Divine and us, so it is the highest adab to give our undivided attention.  The more we focus, the greater the chance of understanding.  It is as if a generous man with a mountain of gold has offered them, and, indeed, we should take as much as we can carry. 

Allah (s.w.t.) is al-Karim.  He Gives endlessly without taking from us.  We ask and ask continuously and Allah (s.w.t.) Gives continuously, but why are we stingy and greedy?  Greed is one of the worst characteristics of the ego.  Some keep so much money in the bank while their fellows suffer in poverty and hunger, homelessness and backwardness, in so many parts of the world.  We eat many meals daily, there are many who suffer in hunger every day, they have no means of attaining their next meal.  We must believe in Allah’s (s.w.t.) Promise.  He Repays charity manifold, the minimum is ten times of what we gave to help another.  Maybe we see the physical amount of our money falling from our hoards when we give, but our spiritual savings have increased manifold.  So why are we hoarding money in the banks?  Have we no faith in Allah's (s.w.t.) Repayments? 

This swuhbah is meant to soften our hardened hearts so that we will start to give freely of Allah’s (s.w.t.) Gifts to us.  True believers are people who are tender-hearted so let us be such people.  We will all be wrapped in our white burial shrouds one day.  Before our relatives bury us, they will remove our beautiful rings, stylish bracelets, expensive watches and special-edition earrings.  Not even a king will be allowed anything on the body.  Each of us will return naked save the burial shroud.  Nothing of this worldly treasure follows us on; only what we have Sent to Him by spending in His Way will await us in akhirah. 

We must try to understand the vast difference between earthly treasures and the treasures of the afterlife.  Even if we saved up huge amounts of gold and diamonds and pearls and we managed to stay alive for a billion years, that time would still come to an end, and all that wealth, would be left behind.  But whatever is sent to eternity will remain there, benefitting us forever.  What Allah (s.w.t.) Owns and Rewards us with, is Everlasting and is of infinite duration.  Before your time is up, we must give, give, give.  This is our chance.  We must not let it slip away.  It is no longer just sunnah nowadays; it is obligatory in the light of the number of people suffering all around us.  In fact, it is haram to keep millions and billions in the banks, hoarding the Gifts of Allah (s.w.t.), instead of spending for Allah’s (s.w.t.) Pleasure.  Many of the rich in the Middle East, keep billions in the banks, giving one part out of forty for zakat; such a meagre amount.  One part for Allah (s.w.t.), and 39 parts for us?  Are we not ashamed to stand before Allah (s.w.t.) as his servant, giving him just one portion?  It should be the opposite; 39 parts for Allah (s.w.t.), and one part for us.  We say that we are His servants?  What is ‘abd, servant?  He is one who Belongs to his Master, his Sulthan.  So we and all that we possess are His.  That is the real adab of a servant to his Lord.  What Allah (s.w.t.) bestows, we must give freely, for they Belong to Him. 

We must never fear that we will grow poor.  Whatever Belongs to Allah (s.w.t.) does not diminish by a single atom because if it did, then it would run out one day.  Allah (s.w.t.) has endless oceans of treasures, so we should give freely.  He would never run out of treasures to repay us.  What is Allah’s (s.w.t.), has never changed from pre-eternity to eternity.  We must try hard to weed out miserliness and greed, to attain the level of rashid which is the highest level of good characteristics in mankind. 

There are so many pearls and diamonds in the oceans of the Qur’an, providing us with spiritual refreshments and enhancing our powers of understanding.  May Allah (s.w.t.) Unlock such hidden treasures from the Qur’an for all of us, befitting our journey to maqam ar-rushd.  If we do so, the darkness from our faces will be Lifted and Divine Light with shine forth.



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