A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is extracted from al-Ibriz , “Pure Gold” by Sayyidi Ahmad ibn al-Mubarak, a pupil of the shaykh , and translated by Shaykh ‘Abd as-Samad Clarke.   Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Mas’ud ad-Dabbagh ( q.s. ), said, “Three days after the death of Sidi ‘Umar, the opening happened to me and praise belongs to Allah.   We recognised Allah by the reality of our selves, and praise and thanks belong to Him.   That was on Thursday, the 8 th of Rajab 1125 H.   I went out of our house, and Allah Provided me with four coins, by means of one of His slaves who give swadaqah .   I bought fish and went to our house and the woman said to me, ‘Go to Sidi ‘Ali ibn Harazim (an area in Fez) and bring us oil so that we can cook the fish.’   I went and when I reached the Bab al-Futuh, a trembling came over me and then many shudders.   Then my flesh began to creep very much and I began to walk in that condition until I ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ad-Dabbagh ( q.s. ) said, “Means of livelihood such as agriculture, trade, and such, are on the level of begging bowls in the hands of beggars.   It has been Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Sunnah not to send down sustenance directly to the bondsman by giving him sustenance in his hand without some device, but He Only Gives it to him when the bondsman begs Him with one of the begging bowls of his means.   So, if he extends the begging bowl before Him, Allah ( s.w.t. ), for his sake, Will Place in it what suits him and is of use for him.   Therefore, the one who makes use of a secondary cause must accord it its proper status, and his gaze when using it must be on Allah ( s.w.t. ), not on the means, just as someone undertaking begging looks at the people who give it to him and does not look at his begging bowl that is in his hand.   If, when receiving means his gaze is on Allah ( s.w.t. ), he is attached to Alla...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Mas’ud ad-Dabbagh ( q.s. ) said, “Do not accord to me the status of a shaykh .   You will not be able to follow the rules of proper behaviour regarding the shaykh ’s status.   Take me to be a brother, and association will persist between you and I.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Mas’ud ad-Dabbagh ( q.s .) said, “The knowledge of the inward sciences is likened to 99 lines written in gold, and the knowledge of the outward sciences is likened to writing the completing 100 th line in black ink.  If this 100 th line does not accompany those 99 lines of gold, they are of no benefit, and it is rare that such a person attains salvation.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Mas’ud ad-Dabbagh ( q.s. ) knew, when he heard a hadits , whether the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) said it or not, and one of them asked him how he did that.  He replied, “You know, how in winter when you speak you see like a steam come out?”   And the other person replied, “Yes?”   He said, “When they speak a hadits , I see light come out of their mouth, and if it is not a hadits , I do not see light come out.”