The Garbage Collectors

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is adapted from a swuhbah from Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.) on the 05^th November 2010. 

Every word uttered by Rasulullah (s.a.w.) was recited with honour.  For the entire 23 years that he was preaching, each spoken word brought a rain of endless blessings on all his companions.  The companions were truly Blessed and Honoured to have been with him, the Most Glorified One in the Divine Presence.  Hence, it is only such a Blessed soul today who listens to the teachings of the companions for the rain of Blessings has never stopped; Blessings still raining on those who follow these teachings.  Each time we speak of or glorify the Seal of Prophets (s.a.w.), we are Showered with these Blessings.  We must follow Rasulullah’s (s.a.w.) example, and utter only Blessed words, not waste our breath on a single heedless word. 

We should collect from the treasures of the Heavens.  Instead, humanity collects this dunya.  They are running to collect heaps of rubbish.  That is the reality of this world’s treasures.  Even a pile of gold in dunya is in reality, rubbish.  Like dogs furiously chasing the elusive rabbit, people go out to work everyday with the dream of finally snaring the prey they seek.  This is a generation of people who believe that their goal in life is to collect as many heaps of rubbish and as much sewage as possible.  Every human being, no matter from which strata of society, is heedless, if he is running after dunya.  Humanity has become blind, obsessed, greedily stuffing themselves with filth and excrement. 

As they fight over the scraps, they are dreaming of building a pyramid of never-ending rubbish.  Everywhere in the media, there are seminars and conferences, on how to collect all this rubbish, as quickly and as abundantly, as possible.  Everyone is secretly aspiring to build the tallest pyramid.  When someone builds a seventy-storey skyscraper, along comes another rubbish-collector who builds a higher one.  Everyone is collecting, not just millions now, but billions of dollars.  That is what today’s civilisation is all about.  Not for a single moment do they stop to ask themselves for what purpose were they Created.  They have become drunk with their rubbish-collection.  All else is an unimportant, insignificant blur to them.  Not content with only collecting one type of rubbish, people now want to boast of their wide-collection of trash. 

We have not been Created to collect the garbage of this world.  We have been Created to be obedient servants to the Lord of Heavens and to collect heavenly treasures.  We should not live to collect more of the dirt of dunya.  Allah (s.w.t.) Glorifies those who leave the collection of the garbage of dunya. One whose name is Glorified in the Heavens will never run after the garbage of dunya.  

Shaykh Nazhim (q.s.) recounted an incident when two visitors from India came to visit Shaykh ‘Abdullah ad-Daghistani (q.s.) whilst he was in the midst of his seclusion in Madina during the haj season.  The older man was a hundred and forty years old and his son was ninety years old son.  They hugged and kissed Shaykh ‘Abdullah (q.s.).  Shaykh ‘Abdullah (q.s.) there was a wonderful, heavenly fragrance emanating from their mouths.  Compare that to us.  Even after brushing with toothpaste, flossing our teeth, rinsing with mouth-wash, going for regular scaling and polishing, and chewing on mints; our mouths emit a bad odour.  That is the smell of rubbish; the rubbish that we collect by speaking without care of what is sinful and what is permitted.  Allah (s.w.t.) Said: 

سُوۡرَةُ الذّاریَات

وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِ (٥٦) 

I have only Created jinn and men, that they may serve Me. (Surah adz-Dzariyat:56) 

If just one person understood this ayat, he would be successful.  Such a person would keep himself from the filth of dunya.  We are in an era where people do not run to serve Allah (s.w.t.).  They are actually running to be with Shaythan.  “We must change our understanding about our beliefs.