Hatem al-Haj – Manāzil al-Sā’irīn #103 – Chapter on Singling
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
To proceed, welcome back Today is our first session after the COVID-19 suspension for five months. The last
class we had was on March 7. And that's been five months and one day.
Hopefully, we have learned some lessons. And I think these are practical lessons, they should be even more powerful than the verbal ones.
A lot of how fragile the whole human races taught us about our fragility and taught us about the unpredictability of life. And there is nothing called routine and you know, routine is not guaranteed, routine can change overnight.
our whole lives can change overnight if Allah wills and I hope that we have learned this lesson, but we should, it is not always, like doom and gloom and we should always
recognize another lesson here, which is that life carries on life continues until its appointed term. And if the appointed term has not come yet,
life will continue. So don't lose hope and don't despair and
keep your heads down, carry on continue to see without which is of benefit for you, your family, your community and humanity
throughout your life and don't stop.
A believer should never stop and that was embodied in the Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu Sallam with the comments of god it can proceed
our horizons and one of you has like a sprout in his hand. And if he can sow it, if he can plant it, let him do that.
believer never loses hope.
Because we know that this is a just a phase of our existence and we have a mandate we have like a mission to fulfill during this phase we just finish it no matter what the circumstances are, we just carry on
and we finish this phase and hopefully inshallah
Allah will end this phase for us in a good way.
So, going back to
another study and we have finished 97 stations out of 100 and we have finished nine, so nine sections out of 10 and seven stations out of the last section. So the sections if you remember,
Allah tala Ansari,
he
was from Iraq and Afghanistan
he
divided the book for ease and you know,
for like at occasional pedagogy purposes, he divided the book into 10 sections each section into 10 stations, each station into three phases or levels and each level
like you know, usually he did this each level was he like three points to make on each level.
So the first station was diet and the last station is in the first station is that they have the beginnings The second was that of Webb and that would be you know, the gates of the third was Mohammed lat and that would be dealings the fourth was out of luck and that would be advocates. And then
soon What are their foundations in the valleys and then what are
the interstates and what are the higher states of friendship was the divine
and then
was what are the realities and the endings, we are in the last section the endings and today inshallah we will start station 98 which is the eighth station of the last section of the book. And it is about singling or add caffrey at fried or to single allowed per se
Blink
the chicken mo Lata starts as usual, by Anya from the Quran and he chose how the laws are done
with the law, what happened with him and they will know that it is Allah, Who is the supreme the evident truth and they will know they will come to know that it is a law, who is the supreme the evident truth. So he's talking about free singling to singular ly out
and far is the one who is unique in every aspect, alpha, their unique one, swipe generous, sui generis means the unique in every aspect, one of a kind, unique in every aspect. So,
for you know, in, in most of the Sufi discourse, the name and have one of the last names
has basically the limelight on it, why is this and how what means what the real because, you know,
Sufism started as a reaction to indulgence in in life and the pleasures of life
and heedlessness and so on. So, it was like a wake up call for people, particularly when the connection obviously reached its
zenith.
And Muslims were very, very
affluent, powerful, etc.
This was a wake up call for people to basically
go back and
focus on the most important priority, which was the pleasure of Allah subhanaw taala, after people became somewhat heedless, not the whole of the whole oma does not become Hitler's protected on fire on material production as the destination to broadcast to humanity. But when certain trends become prevalent, then certainly the reformers need to be alerted of this and need
to do something about it. So that emphasis on a lot being real and happy means the truth or the real, that emphasis on a lot being the real, it is to downplay the reality of a car, car means all else, everything else.
And this eventually ended up in some problematic beliefs, you know, her Luna had and union divine and wedding and all of that.
But we It was not an inevitable course. And certainly it did not end up in problematic beliefs for the majority of the seekers, or for the greatest or the verifying seekers, absolutely not.
But for you know, some, some people
did not pay enough attention where they were not conscious enough, it ended up in,
in Mormonism, and then you lose the distinction between the divine and the human, you lose the distinction between the creation and the Creator, because you basically stop seeing the creation. And if you stop or stop noticing the creation, observing the creation, that's fine. If this is a mental
exercise, that you're you're trying to not see anyone but Allah subhanaw taala, although you know that they exist if this mental exercise, then it is fine. Once you believe it's an ontological reality, extra mental reality, that there is actually nothing but Allah subhanaw taala and nothing is real, nothing exists but Allah, then it will be very hard to explain what this is. And that is when you start to say, you know, methods of battle of law are there's nothing inside the cloak except Allah problematic. But, you know, the emphasis on a lobbying the real does not have to end up there, we need to make that emphasis, because everything other than law is what, contingent, which
means what unnecessary being, which means what? disposable so here
That COVID-19 to somebody is life you know, myself or anybody
would want life cease to exist will will you know what our stop rotating green? No, absolutely not have the whole planet was to be blown up
you know by like a cosmic catastrophe the rest of the planets and the stars and different constellations will keep going.
So unnecessary beings versus the necessary being quitters, Allah subhanaw taala. And if you compare unnecessary beings, contingent, disposable beings to the necessary being Allah subhanaw taala, then it is almost as if you're comparing real to unreal, almost as if, but we know that the creation is real, because Allah is the real creator. So that's why the check started by this, if you want to single out, then you want to have the sink deep into your psyche, your consciousness, that a lot is the real is the supreme the evident truth and everything else is unreal in the sense of in the sense of being contingent, disposable, unnecessary.
And then the chef carries on and says at three this morning at least a shadow in some of it happened some ad hoc at fried is a word for the exclusive dedication of the illusions to the real than binary and then from the real first phase, you know,
every illusion, every statement, every illusion, every movement should be dedicated now to the real and then in the second phase by the real why in the second phase by the real remember what the second phase is about? The second phase is about realizing that you have no might power or influence to this avow. We are holding on to this vow, your influence and power and realize that whatever it is that you do, you're doing it by him, you know, you're not doing it. It's by him. So you dedicate, dedicate your actions and statements and illusions and everything to the regime. And then in the second phase, you realize that you're not doing anything, you're doing it by the reel. And then the
third phase, he says from the real because you realize that you're not there that he is doing, you're not doing anything, you're not doing anything by him, he's doing
through you. You're the tool is the door, and you are only the tool. So everything is coming from him through you, you're on the conduit for his actions in this universe.
So the chaplain moves on to say if I'm not a free t shirt, I'd have to find a job to free to cost the orchestra, some that are free to have Metallica, some metal free to shoot to solder. As for the exclusive dedication of the illusions to the real. It is three levels. The exclusive dedication of the intent out of thirst,
meaning eagerness, you know you your intent, your cost once you walk out of the door, walk out of the door, you will have to determine your direction. Where are you going? What is your cost? You walk out the door of your home and if you're going to the supermarket, one direction if you're going to work. So cost is extremely important to you dedicated costs. So the intent is completely dedicated to Allah subhanaw taala your life here does salatu salam Sapir Mahayana Mati the length of bellami luxury Kala with a medical note when our comes to me, so my life my salon, my salon, my inner circle, my sacrifice my life and my death is for Allah dedicate the intensity to Allah
subhanaw taala
means out of what thirst thirst is what the use for eagerness because if you lived in the desert,
the you know the most important commodity is water. So the thing that you seek with Argan sincerity when it is lacking is water. That's the most important commodity.
So eagerness thirst usually means a great deal of eagerness.
So you the dedication of
certainly a ship did not live in the desert, by the way, but it is, you know how
the whole vernacular becomes affected by the vernacular of the revelation and the first community, regardless of where you live. So, if you live in Indonesia, you are not living in the desert, but you may use the same vocabulary that is impacted by the revelation and the first community. So, so here the law says the Freedom Caucus the
dedication of the intent out of thirst or eagerness, some matter freedom have better
than the exclusive dedication of the self destructive love.
The freedom Huberty telephone, exclusive dedication of the self destructive love, this is a love that
is self destructive, because it makes the lover dissolve
out of total enthrallment and the love can make one melt, dissolve the filtered enthrallment So, it is self destructive,
but it is self destructive in a good way, because it will destroy the self to earn your salvation through this avowal of the self, this possessing the self because that's what you want to do into freed and freed, it is about st cloud the intended not the intent, the pursuit, not the pursuit, because we finished that in the dream and read which is tripping you know, the previous session was about what the jury that is stripping right. It is this possessing this possess the Siwa is the jury
it is stripping and then to free this vesting did this possess the sailor is read and then to focus on the
sui generis the unique one
the necessary being the divine God is different. So that's the read and then play. So, that read is about your actions
your pursuit and the fleet is about the pursuit one that you read is about your intent to free it is about the intended subhana wa tada tired. So, it is a freedom have Betty Tara is the dedication of the self destructive love and the self destructive love is very important.
It is very important that you lose like a Wizard of Oz Tom is that he has lost mattala how he can come to him. And he's so he said you will not be able to come to me except if you lose yourself lose your ego. So, he said I stripped from my ego like a snake strips from its skin.
So, in that is what is meant by telephone or self destructive love that will make you completely dissolved will make your ego completely dissolve. So that the focus is on the
device
and then the chipsets and meta freedos to the to Sala
so the first one is the you know dedicate all the intent or the thirst for a law. The second one is exclusive to the exclusive dedication of the self destructive love. And the third one and then the exclusive dedication of the witnessing in connectedness. You can go back and review the session on a facade which has connectedness
but why is it this why is this coming after the show didn't matter Mojave the ultimate station the love of Allah be ultimate. Yes it is. And one is saying that he moved away from this to shoot. You're not moving away from hardware to shoot. But the muhabba becomes such the love becomes such that
After a while, you stop seeing any thing but the beloved. You know, initially when you love someone, you're still able to, you know, love someone else and you know, have different types of love and, and so on and so forth. But then in the phase of total enthrallment, when you vanish into the beloved, when you dissolve into the beloved,
your fear absorbed, get absorbed into your focus of attention, your beloved, you stop witnessing anyone but him and that is why the three the shoot comes after the muhabba it is a consequence, but we have not left in the harbor, where it is moving deeper into muhabba to the point where you're unable to see anyone except the beloved. So panna cotta, so meta Fredo Shu Sala and then the exclusive dedication of the show who are witnessing in connectedness.
Then the ship moves on to the second level, which is the freedom genre.
And he says, Well, I'm not afraid of a surety but Happy Father's allottee
to free to the surety belief to her about her with a fee to the surety, Sookie Mottola but afraid of the surety will come to the IRA. So I'm not afraid to
ask for the exclusive dedication of the illusions by the regime. Now you have no power, you have no influence that how eloquent
and you're not doing anything. You realize now that you're not doing anything, you're just doing it by Allah subhanaw taala not through your power, not through your mind not really influenced by a lot smarter than it is three levels. One is the freedom a shoplifter claribel exclusive dedication of the illusions by disclosing one's pride, exclusive dedication of the illusions by disclosing one's pride, with disclosing one's pride should you disclose your pride isn't pride, the problem? Isn't the ego the problem? This is your pride in being his servant. This is not your pride. You're not boasting about yourself, you're not boasting about your sort of virtues, or
excellent qualities or anything. You're just boasting about being a servant of him. You're boasting about him being your Lord. And there are multiple multiple examples when you're boasting about the Nam that he bestowed on you. This will require a great deal of sincerity. And if you're not sure about, don't boast, you know, because, you know, we like if you read the Madame Madame satechi.
Allah mentions many examples of, you know, the good
showing of pride by the prophet sallallahu Sallam said, What are the other motherfuck I am the best or the master of the children of Adam, and that, and he says, No boasting, but he, you know, he was the last prophet to communicate the divine message to us, if he did not tell us about his status, could we have ever known it? No, because there is these the last connection between us and the divine,
and the one who conveyed the last testament, so he needed to convey to us his status. But
in me and there are also many examples of the Sahaba speaking about, you know, their their knowledge or
others
who spoke about their knowledge. And that is basically to speak of the name of Allah. Almighty Allah began to have this speak of the favors of your Lord on you, for Lefevre view, then speak of the favors of a last minute, why? To support others to give others hope to give others strength, certainty, etc. If this is your intent,
or in order to let others know that I know about this subject, you can ask me That's why you know, they say that the mathematic used to dress you know, used to like put the love sort of
focus is for like
a lot of attention to the to his attire and to his looks. Basically to show me the let people know
I am a scholar, I know this. So instead of asking someone who's ignorant, come and ask me.
If If you can, if you can really
be comfortable that you're doing it for this purpose, then you may do it. For the vast majority of us, it is extremely hard to get to that level where we are comfortable
that we're doing it for that purpose. Therefore, don't say, I'm just doing like the mathematic. When you're nowhere near him, when you become close, then you may start because not everyone wants you to be imitated in every respect.
Unless you're close to that hat, you're close to their state or status, then you could imitate them. Because if you like,
run behind, like what is his name, you're saying whatever
Usain Bolt, or jump behind like the best to what what they call them jumper, you may fall and break your neck.
So you have to be humble. Also, you have to recognize that you should not be the same applies to polemics when people involve, you know, engage in polemics, and they say, well, the great imams have always done that. But you're nowhere near them. You're nowhere near them. None of them specialize them polemics by the way. They all constructed their own school, their own constructed their own theories. They, you know, and polemics was a side job for them. They were never dedicated to polemics. So when people do things, and they say that the US we're not the first people to do this, we have a precedent, you have to you have to make sure that the analogy is a sound analogy. Because
if you start to act like the magmatic, when you're nowhere near him, then certainly that's misguided.
Anyway, but certainly like, for each and every one of us that speak of a loss, Nam the loss favors to say, I have given something up for Allah subhanaw taala. And look what Allah has given me. If you're really comfortable that, you know, you could say this, to give people hope, and you know,
certainty and so on, then you can. So that's the freedom genre, but after about what a freedom a charity Sudoku motala by observing one's conduct you exclusive dedication of the illusions by disclosing one's pride by observing one's conduct with knowledge and verification.
With a free to destructible property of IRA and by being in construction how to protectiveness by being in construction out of protectiveness, but comedy via cop this construction via is
it's usually translated as jealousy literally, but it's needed here means what? protectiveness or protective jealousy.
So protectiveness, it means that your protectiveness of your relationship with Allah subhanaw taala makes you mock booth constructed from the people because you are too protective of your relationship with Allah subhanaw taala you are afraid if you are Mombasa expanded if you know
then you will lose that sort of distinction with a loss Kanata you you know that by another sort of relationship with Allah subhanaw taala you become distracted or or this or that. But that's not the last phase by the way because we will talk about expansion right in the following one which is a higher one.
So she actually moves to the third level and the third level is the level of what
I heard this right. Okay, the level of self annihilation, so you are not there. It is not like you're doing anything like the first one or doing it Viola. We know like the second one you're not there. He's doing it. And you're only the conduit through which his work is manifested. So I'm not afraid of the shutdown and happy fun bizarre turn the Boston VA hidden yet Obama no cobden Holly Sunday diety lojack with our T that He has for the exclusive dedication of the illusions from the real it is outward expansion that entails people
Construction and this is the guide to the read and invite
as for the exclusive dedication of the illusions from the real it is outward expansion that entails pure construction. And this is the guide to the read and invite. So what is this how to or the expansion that entails pure constriction,
your outwardly expanded, you're able to now straddle the two states very well and probably will bust your inwardly constricted, like your focus on Allah subhanaw taala is not subject to distraction at all. And you're constricted from the ceiling, you're restricted from all constricted from all ends.
But outwardly, you are expanded, you're easygoing, this your affability,
your humor, all of that to make you a better conduit, because now you are just a conduit. Now you're not there.
Right? You're just a conduit to be a better conduit.
You want to have those qualities to become a conduit through which Allah subhanaw taala guides you humanity and through schelotto Kanata shows His mercy also to humanity
that you don't have it in a and this is the guide to the read and invite him so as a conduit the characteristics he that you will need to have as a good conduit would be affability, easygoing,
generosity, gentleness, kindness, some humor, etc etc.
So that's the last one the last phase the free the shadowhawk the exclusive dedication of the illusions from the real subhana wa tada and this this station of free there's one of the highest station we only have two left
and we will be done inshallah, with a man as I said in the book,
called you have
to panic