Ahmad Arshad – Discourse At Khanqah #22
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AI: Transcript ©
Today's tawari,
we once again hear the creation story of
Fadat Adam
and
the interaction
that shaitan or Iblis had
with him that resulted in his expulsion.
Now we heard that
when Allah
ordered
all the angels
and including
the jinn Iblis to bow before Hata'at alaihis
salam.
There was something that had influenced him so
dearly
that he refused to do it.
And in today's ayah, we hear that he
came up with the justification
that You Allah Kareem Khalaqali minnaar, that You
have created me from fire.
So He goes to very fundamentals
about,
you know, the the nature of his existence,
the nature of his being, his wujud.
And then he says
that you have greeted Adham Alaihi Salam, this
nimuklu from
Teem.
And obviously the way that he says it,
it shows that he looks down upon the
creation
from thin, from sticky clay.
And, you know, this this fact that he
did this,
Nur ulama had written that usually, you know,
for a lot of us, the the negative
influence and,
is our is shaitan. But, you know, shaitan
did not have a shaitan to influence him.
And so what was
within him that
forced him to come up with this justification?
What was within him that forced him to
be disobedient to Allah
What was within him?
And so this is the force of nafs,
and
sometimes it can be so rebellious.
Can you imagine that
going against the group think,
like all the angels are in sajda,
and you are the only ones just standing
apart?
So, Ajid,
this is how powerful the force is. Because
usually, you know, psychology is that if everybody
is doing something, then
people
tend to do the same thing. Right? This
is like the group thing. If everybody is
running in one direction then everybody, you know,
people will start running as well.
So this was so powerful,
you know,
this this nafs of shaitan, that not only
did he refuse
to bow before Adam then
he literally stood up
to his own Creator,
the one that his own Mahbod,
the one that he worshiped, the one that
he did such that to, you know, his
Masjid, all of that.
So, you know, it shows
that the nafs itself
can sometimes begin
can become one's own Lord.
That I'd rather listen to my own self
than to listen to my khalat and wawlik.
And this is exactly what He did.
So we can never underestimate
the
power of our own nafs
and its ability to derail us.
We should never,
ever in our life,
till we enter into our own kaboor,
not be vigilant of our nafs.
People will think, oh, masha'Allah, I'm such a
Sufi
that, you know, I don't have to worry
about my nafs anymore. That's not the case.
Because when you least expect it, it will
come back and
it can bite you in ways that you
never anticipated. I mean I'm sure
at least never knew or never thought in
his wildest dreams
that this would happen to him. Because if
you look at just before that instance,
you know, he is what is known as,
like, the perfect worshipper.
Right? He is
constantly in zikr of Allah ta'ala, constantly
in I bhadha. It is said in some
books that there was not a single place
left, that He had not done such that.
He has amazing ma'raf of Allah,
amazing 'ilm of Allah
Right? So He's an alim, He's an alif,
He's all of those
things. But
if you,
for even a second, become lax with your
own nafs,
it will take you out of that act
of submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
and put you in a position where you
will say And
that's exactly what he did. He stood up
and he says, now this is I don't
care what anybody says, I don't care what
anybody does.
This is my way.
And he's willing to go
to jahannam. He knows about this. I mean
he knows
about jahannam.
And he has access, you know, or he
had access to jannah as well.
So it's
it's a jeed that despite knowing this,
and despite how khabar of this,
that He's willing to go to jahanam for
all of eternity,
all of eternity.
And becoming adhu mumubeen, the worst of enemies
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is this
is how powerful it can be.
And so, you know, as saliqeen, as buridan,
as somebody who seek Allah
we have to be very very careful about
this.
And this is why Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
sent down this blessed sharia through Musurullah to
keep us protected.
And we have to make sure that we
follow it
utterly, and we have to follow it absolutely
in all shape and form. So we can
never say I am beyond this. I don't
need to do this anymore.
We can never say that. This is for
our hifada Allah Ta'ala has given us, so
we don't start to act like shaitan
himself.
So one thing we can never trust,
one entity we can always trust is Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, and one entity that we
can never trust ever,
is our own nafs.
That is why sometimes when children will say,
oh, Abu, you don't trust me? It's like,
sure I trust to you. I don't trust
your nafs.
Because, you know, this nafs is attached to
all of us.
And, again, you know, it's
it has been
it has been trained
to seek
gratification. It has been trained to seek pleasures.
It has been trained right from the get
go to
seek recognition,
acknowledgement,
and, you know, we see that in our
own behaviors, because those are the things we
covered. And that's where the naps is coming
in.
So, you know, it doesn't matter how much
ill we get,
that aspect
is still there because the nafs has been
trained. So we have to deconstruct
that whole kind of thinking and
nurturing that we did for 30, 40 years.
And then really understand what being true
actually means.
And so we have to retrain enough to
really submit to Allah.
That's something we have to learn. What does
it mean to be a true love? I
mean, that is a good question to answer.
This word, Abhisatt, we use quite often. Right?
It's a beautiful word, but what are what
are its, you know, what does it necessitate?
What are its demands?
And are we actually acting like true submitters
and true
ibad of Allah subhanahu wa'ala? Right? So I
mean,
I would invite everybody to kind of think
about that.
Right? Like what does the sharia tell us?
Like what is the true act of Allah
subhanahu wa sallam? And you know, Rasulullah salallahu
alayhi wa sallam,
one of the reasons, and of course not
the only reason,
one of the reasons that we have been
told
in order to follow Rasulullah because he's the
perfect abduf Allah
So if you don't know the answer to
it, here's your answer.
If the answer is unclear, I don't know
what to do, I don't know how to
act,
I've been asked, I've been called 'Abduf Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala, I'd say, well, right there.
Answer is right in front of
us. InshaAllah, this is one of the reasons
that, you know, we have to make sure
that we follow our beloved salawam,
zahiri, batri, and on iqhqila.
Okay?
And, you know,
and, you know, focus a little bit on
how can we resist the temptations,
just like it has been somewhat possible for
us to do that in the month of
Ramadan.
You know arab,
His protection is there, it is us who
become zafir of it.
It's our behaviors that change. You can't just,
you know, say, oh, you know, now Ramadan
is over. Oh, I don't know. And now
I'm starting well, you're we're the ones
who are using our free will to act
the way that we're acting.
Allah tells madad
is always there if you seek
it. You just have to turn, you know,
maybe a little bit more. Right? So let's
say it's a little easier in Ramadan because
of the communal aspect and other things.
Okay. So what if we have to work
a little bit harder?
The madad is still
there. The nusrat is still there.
It is us who become lax.
And so
these are some of the things that we
really have, you know, so one thing is
old enough. Of course, the second is shaitan.
Right? We don't really need to go into
that, how shaitan influences and,
you know.
It's always you know, the Quran tells us
that it will always come and,
you know, present your own 'amal with zenith.
Like, oh, Masha'Allah, look at you. What an
amazing job you have done.
It magnifies our own amal. So, you know,
again,
because it has such a close rishta,
and I look with the nafs, so it
knows that the nafs becomes happy at it.
And a lot of times if you see
that, you know, we'll be sitting there and
we'll
start daydreaming, and we are the heroes of
our own daydreams.
It's so cheap we're sitting there,
and it doesn't matter if it's the career,
all of a sudden we are the CEO.
Right? If it's the alim, it's Mufti Taqi
Usman coming to, you know, coming to us
and asking this question. If
if it's the salvoof, you
know, it's it's it's a jib. It's a
jib. How and, you know, this is how
it just comes and tickles, and then I'm
like, oh, if I do this, and if
I do this, and if I do
I remember there was a student of knowledge
that,
you know, went from here to some city
and
he was spending, you know, not really, you
know, he wasn't really
working that hard.
But the mother was really like ambitious, you
know, and the son as well. You know,
and the idea was, oh,
you know, he's going to do this, and
he's going to finish his study with and
then he's going to get a jazah, And
then he's going to do this one, and
then he's going to get a jazah there.
Then he's going to do this and get
a jazah here. And he's going to get
all of these hijazahs and he's going to
come back and mashallah.
And when I heard this, I was like,
oh, subhanallah. You know, it's a very
interesting way of thinking.
But this is exactly, this is the daydreaming
aspect, this delusion aspect of just coming. You
know, it's
we forget we take Allah
out of the equation altogether.
It's like I'm going to shop right, and
then I'm going to stop by the ice
cream shop, and then I'm going to do
this. It's very easy.
So shaitan will always always, like, put us
in that.
Let's say if we are attentive to a
tawba, now shaitan comes and delays it. Oh,
sir, you have such good niyas. We'll
do tawba sometime.
And when you actually do tawba,
then shaitan will
delay your amalisaal.
This is what happens with a lot of
salikim, you know, they have this initial rush
and, you know, yes, I have to take
bayah, in fala, tariq, and now I'm gonna
letchbendi, in fala, fala.
And then when it comes time to actually
put in the effort,
they delay it.
You know, they they get
very much,
you know, distracted, you know. Because again, like,
in the beginning, you have to put in
the effort. You have to
collect your thoughts, you have to be able
to, you know, sit down and do certain
mashahul and ma'amullah.
And so, you know, it delays the ama
alisale. And let's say, even if we force
ourselves to do it, now the opposite starts
to happen. That, you know, shaitan will start
to put her riyyah in her armah.
That you'll start thinking about others.
Being as intesia is showing up,
Okay. You know? When somebody's there,
make sure your extra head is, you know,
lowered
and you know? So everybody can notice me,
everybody can see me.
And so it starts to taint our amaz.
And before you know it, that ujib starts
to creep in very and it's the same
takkadbu
that shaitan had.
Ujjib starts to vanity, you know, that self
love.
We become so comfortable with our own existence.
So confident. Right? Comfortable and confident
in our own existence and what we do.
Again we take
Allah out of the equation. That we are
ultimately the fukurah of Allah
and need him
every second and microsecond of our life, in
everything that we do.
And so people will, you know, become a
little lax there. And masha'Allah,
wuja bintakabbu, you know, become mutakabbe.
Now what is mutakabbe? You know? Looking down
upon exactly what shaitan did.
You want me to do this?
But I have made from fire
that
Allah,
looking down upon others.
And and, you know, gibber is
al gibber al lidda'i. You know, al gibber
is the cloak of Allah
And that is why there's some behas about,
is it better to be a humble
sinner than to be a mutakab beh worshiper?
So, you know, these are things we have
to reflect on this month.
Last thing, inshaAllah, is
that one of the other things that influenced
so it was just like what what things
influence us,
really, is also, you know, what
we have kind of been talking about in
the
the selected ahadith that we are looking at,
is the
is the companionship. It's not only our own
nafs, but it's the nafs of others.
And so that influences us a lot,
a lot of times in a negative way,
and so we have to be very careful,
like, who we are spending time with.
That whoever we make our khalil, ultimately we
we will be upon their deen.
And whoever we
feel that our qalb is attached to,
we will find that our hasra is going
to be with them as well.
So we we have to be very careful
with that.
Like, who do we open up our heart
to? Who do we spend our time with?
It's very valuable time
Allah Tala has given us because this again,
it's the same influence.
You know, it is written that Fir'aun,
you know, actually,
on the encouragement of Bibi Asiya, may Allah
have mercy on her.
He actually decided that, Yes, I'm going to
go and and
believe in Hazrat
Musa alayhi salaam.
And while he was making his way he
came across kaman,
and one of his ministers, right? And he's
like, you are going
to bring iman and you're going to accept
the authority of the slave.
Bani Israel.
He's like, no. You can do that. He's
like, yes. I can do it. And he
said, like, one word, one bad word,
it can crash and burn like years years
of progress.
That's why we have to be very careful.
And this is again, like, you know, our
nafs wants to listen and wants
to indulge in,
you know, gossiping and, you know,
Tell me about that.
Too much and,
yeah, too much, like, you know, just being
nosy about things. It's just like, I don't
I don't
I don't want to hear any of this.
But we want to be, you know, we
want to be like Twitter,
that we have information about everything that is
happening
everywhere around the world.
And so what that does is it really,
a, brings destruction. And, b,
the husni zal that we might have towards
certain things,
our own tariit, our, you know, our own
mabulat, and, you know, things like that. You
know, things that really bring us progress,
we will start to develop su'ezat. Right?
And it's very difficult. So for example, if
I keep telling, you
know, Jamat, the Falar person is so bad.
If I just say that, of course, we
have some Manus. It's a even if you're
like, you know what?
I can't believe it. Now it has entered
your ears, into your mind, into your heart.
Next day, if I say it again, a
person is so bad. Same person.
Again, you'll try to resist it. No. No.
No. I don't want to listen to riba
that'll
3rd day, 4th day, 5th day.
And now you start to reinforce it. How
do you stop yourself?
You reinforce it. And if the other person
even like cuts you off while he's driving,
he's like,
This person is so bad.
I knew it.
And this person becomes like a kafir in
our eyes.
And so it's that's how we are.
And that's why it's important not to listen
to gossiping and not to indulge in it.
So the third influence is the influence of
the whisperers.
Not the shaitan's whisperers, but it's the,
you know, the WhatsApp whisperers.
That, you know, that will say things. And
and I I personally know so many people
who got derailed from their tariq, and, you
know, it's just so many people. You know,
it's it's it's actually like
it's baffling.
It's baffling that it happens.
It's just that, you know, it's just, wahakki,
yaha, yaha, yaha, wahakki, yaha, it's like from
there. Like, what do you call it? Jolija,
I guess? Or, like, what's the word for
it? So it's like always like, it's the
gossiping. That's
the joluli aspect of things.
And so for the sake of our own
development, you know, this is something that we
need to kind of put a stop. I'm
not going to listen to this. I think
I've shared this story about doctor Salim Sab
once.
You know, he was visiting
and,
you know, we were sitting in a majlis
and, you know, I was doing his hudmat.
Well, this person came, very senior person in
terms of ill
and spirituality,
this, that, and the other.
And, you know, they were having some, like,
family issues. So he comes and he gives
doctor Salim Sub a very, very one-sided
story.
Very one-sided.
Like he just put the blame on somebody
who was really like a Muslim.
And
he just told that story, and he had
a doctor's name plate to you.
And, you know, the person left, and I
just couldn't take it, you know. And it
was it was out of, like, concern for
the Muslim. I was like, you know, Hizud,
I just wanna
let you know that, you know, what you
have been told is very one-sided.
And,
you know, there's the other side of the
story. And, you know, before you make a
judgment, you should really have the full story.
And Hazratullah said, what are you talking about?
Like, Hazrat, you know, this person came, and,
you know, he's talking about so and so.
And I was like, oh, when somebody comes
to me and starts talking about a third
person, I just go into my zikr and,
you know, I just shake my ideas.
And, you know, it's like I cannot have,
you know, I cannot afford
to have all of this
extra baggage baggage probably why don't you know?
Imagine if we had accepted all of that.
Right?
Now that impression is there,
and now, like, how do you take that
out? How do you scrub it off? How
do you rub it off? I was like,
so I just go like this. And I
was
like, Alhamdulillah. You know, that's that's how I
want to be.
I just I I don't wanna hear about,
like, what what everybody says or does or
whatnot. You know?
Our life is short as it is
to get close to Allah
How can we afford to just be like,
I'm about this, and this, and this?
These three things we have to be really
careful. Don't don't be lax with your own
nafs, especially with your own nafs.
Don't be lax, you know. Nafs is much,
much strong. Shaitan is very feeble,
but the whispers we can't hear, and he
has millennia of experience tickling the fuz.
So he knows. It's just experience, nothing else.
And he uses the same trickery on every
single person.
Same. It's just that he he doesn't even
change his, like, you know, strategy.
It's the same tactics, And it always
works. Just because we we don't,
you know, we don't put a shield up.
And so we have to
be a little careful, you know, with which
shaitan asked Allah Ta'ala's madad with all of
that. And and also
when it comes to who we spend time
with, you know, we have to, like, put
a stop to
something that that
takes us or derails us from the path
of Allah
So may Allah
make it easy. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
bless us in the remaining days of Ramadan.
This.
May
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
make us atik like Hazrat Abu