Seeking the Divine Presence

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is adapted from a swuhbah from Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.) on the 25^th February 2010. 

Allah (s.w.t.) Sends Gifts on His servants, day and night, without fail, though more of such Gifts arrive at night, as compared to the daytime.  Some saints teach of a Special Blessing of Allah (s.w.t.) which Descends at night.  Each night, Allah (s.w.t.) Creates a group of special angels, for a special task, only for that night.  And He Creates a different group of angels each night for this same task.  Each night is different, each Creation is different, even our selves are not the same today, as compared to how we were yesterday. 

In the last third of every night, this group of angels descends to the Earth; they search from East to West and from North to South, for a selected group of people.  Who are these people?  Allah (s.w.t.) Commands these angels to seek His Servants in dunya praying and glorifying His and seeking His Pleasure. 

Allah (s.w.t.) did not Ask for those who seek His Paradise.  Paradise is secondary.  The most important goal that all saints seek to attain, more than anything else, is Allah's (s.w.t.) Pleasure.  Their only aim is to make Allah (s.w.t.) Pleased with them and for them to be pleased with what Allah (s.w.t.) has Set for them.  The most important thing for us to achieve in this worldly life is the Pleasure of our Lord.  Saints do not ask for any gifts from the entire Creation - not even for Paradise.  Compare that to our prayers, which are always for worldly treasures.  The awliya’ are not in the least interested in the treasures of dunya.  They are not even interested in the treasures of akhirah.  They only want Allah (s.w.t.) to be Pleased with them. 

So this group of newly-Created, special angels is Instructed by Allah (s.w.t.) to seek out and look after these Chosen servants of His, servants who desire His Pleasure only.  These angels roam the four corners of the globe, seeking out every one of Bani Adam who stands in worship, seeking to please Allah (s.w.t.) as his only goal.  They record down and confirm the names of these pious servants of Allah (s.w.t.), and they rise through the heavens to their special maqam, to present these names to Allah Almighty.  These angels are special, as not every angel gets to be addressed directly from the Divine Presence.  But these chosen few have that single task on that single night, and they remain in their maqam, with the list of names, after completing their task.  These angels will never come down to Earth, ever again. 

After these names are shown to Allah Almighty, He then Creates a second group of special angels and these angels are laden with gifts – hidayah - Guidance and Heavenly Grants, and they descend to earth bearing these Gifts.  They seek out the servants whose names were on the list, and they place these Gifts in front of these pious servants of Allah (s.w.t.).  When this occurs, these servants’ hearts are filled with Divine Pleasure and Satisfaction, which radiates from their faces, so that a special halo is seen around the faces of the sincere. 

So in every last third of the night, angels seek out those who are standing and crying and begging their Lord, that they be Accepted in the Divine Presence, and Grant them their Gifts.  Hence, the saints say, that those who seek Allah’s (s.w.t.) Pleasure will be granted it.  And this is a never-ending process, to be repeated nightly, in the last third of each night.  Everyone listed in that Special List nightly will Receive Allah’s (s.w.t.) Grants and Gifts.  Those who are in this group can be identified by the contented glow emitting from their faces, for, every action has a reaction, every good deed has a reward. 

سُوۡرَةُ الرَّحمٰن

هَلۡ جَزَآءُ ٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنِ إِلَّا ٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنُ (٦٠) 

Is there any Reward for good other than Good? (Surah ar-Rahman:60) 

Those who seek to please Allah (s.w.t.), Allah (s.w.t.) Rewards them by Pleasing their hearts, and making this life pleasurable for them too, each one according to his level and station.  No two servants Receive identical Gifts of Pleasure from Allah (s.w.t.) - similar perhaps, but not identical - and each Gift is Tailored to suit its recipient perfectly.  We must seek to please our Lord, seek His Pleasure, and be pleased with Him and He Will Fill our heart and life with immeasurable Pleasure. 

The believers do not seek the pleasures of dunya.  They do not chase this worldly life,  The Prophet (s.a.w.) said that this dunya is a carcass.  What is the benefit of having the entire treasures of dunya in our hand?  Or for that matter, the treasures of the whole universe in our hand?  No prophet came to call his ummah to dunya.  We were not Created for the purpose of chasing this temporary life, the imitation ruby.  We must never waste our life chasing this worldly existence since anything associated with this dunya is worthless.  It is sad that billions are chasing dunya today.  May Allah (s.w.t.) Give us understanding, that we love the eternal life and Save us from being cheated by the imitated treasures of this life.  May Allah (s.w.t.) Give us from His Treasures that we may be in His Divine Presence. 

The summary of the teachings of all prophets and of all Holy Books is that we must live in this dunya to seek our Lord’s Pleasure and to be pleased with Him.  That is our sole purpose in life.