Lauding His Infinite Praises

Salawat-e-Tunajjina

(Regarded as an important Salawat by Sheikh Effendi, recommending all those who can, to learn it by heart)

Salat-un-Tunajjina

Allahumma salli 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin
(O Allah! bless our master Muhammad)

salatan tunjina bi-ha min jami'-l-ahwali wa-l-afat
(so that by this prayer You will deliver us from all
fears & evils)

Wa taqdi lana biha min jami'-l-hajat
(that you will satisfy all of our needs)

Wa tutahiruna biha min jami'-s-sa'iyat
(that You will cleanse us of all our impurities)

Wa tarfa'una biha indaka al-ad-darajat
(that You will raise us to the highest levels)

Wa tuballighuna biha aqsa-l-ghayati min jami-l-khayrati
(and that You will bring us to the ultimate of all goodness)

fi-l-hayati wa ba'da-l-mamat
(in this life and after death)

---------------------------------

Subhan'Allah for The Mercy for all creation.
Since there is No Limit to that Mercy
How can there ever be a limit to our Love and our Praises?
All of it is merely a drop
in the Ocean...

Ya Rabbi! Guide us to Love Him(ASWS),
He, Who You Love, Ya Rabbi
And as you have favored Him(ASWS) above all your creation
Help us, Ya Rabbi, to favor Him(ASWS) above all else.

Ya Rabbi help us to hold fast to His(ASWS) Sunnah
Even if it is but One
Because this will be the truest rope
to salvage our blemished souls
from the dark abyss of our sins

Ameen, Ya Rabbul Alameen.
For the sake of His Majesty, the Prophet(ASWS)
our Sheikh Mevlana, Sultan ul Awliya (QS),
and our Sheikh Effendi.
Ameen Ya Rabbul Alameen.



 

Sheykh describes how to know the ones that Allah doesn't love:

"The easiest way to know that, is the love of the Prophet (saw). Love of the prophets. Love those who love the Prophet (saw). It is very easy to understand then. You don't have to go into details, - "This one is beloved and this one is not beloved. "

Those who have a drop of love in their hearts for the Holy Prophet (alayhi salatu wa salam) or for any other prophets, it is a sign to us that we must try to have some communication with those. Those who don't love Allah and His Prophet (saw), leave them.

They are not any good for you and not any good for me."

- Sheikh Abdul Kerim al Hakkani al Kibrisi

Mawlid at Dergah

Sheikh Abdul-Kerim Effendi giving Sohbet at the Osmanli-Naksibendi Hakkani Dergah on the occasion of Mawlid:


Click here to download:(Large file - 73 MB - MP3 format)

(Didn't get a chance to post this earlier, but am posting it now Alhamdulillah for all those who wish to listen. It's at megaupload - so click on the link, wait 45 seconds, and close the ad - and there you'll find the link. Phew!)


Beautiful Turkish Poem in Praise of Holy Prophet(ASWS) sung melodiously by a Murid, followed by Salawat:

Click here to download - 22MB, MP3 format: (Same rules as above/@ Megaupload.com)

*Links are down - will refurbish Insh'Allah Rahman.

The Value of Life

Sheikh Effendi on the Value of Life. Subhan'Allah.

There is not much more I can say. Subhan'Allah and Alhamdulillah for Sheikh Mevlana and Sheikh Effendi. Insh'Allah, we are smart enough to apply these sage thoughts into practice for ourselves, for there is success in that. True Success.

May Allah protect the rank and elevate the station of Sheikh Mevlana Muhammad Nazim al Hakkani and Sheikh Effendi. Ameen, Ya Rabbul Alameen. May Allah guide all of us to value our lives and the one who gave us this life above all else. Then, Insh'Allah, His Beloveds may become our beloveds. Insh'Allah Rahman. For the sake of the Holy Prophet(ASWS), Sheikh Mevlana and Sheikh Effendi.

BismillahirRahmanirRahim

THE VALUE OF LIFE

Sohbet given by Sheykh Abdul Kerim el-Hakkani el-Kibrisi

Friday 17 Ramazan, 1426

October 21, 2005

39th Street Dergah, Manhattan, New York.

Medet Ya Syyidi Ya Sultanul Awliya, Medet.

Tariqatuna sohbet wa khayru fil Jamiat.

The meaning of all (heavenly) Books is to teach man to say, “La ilaha illallah.” All Books and all prophets came to teach man to say, “La ilaha ilallah. Falam an-lahu la ilaha illallah.” There is no god and nothing to worship except Allah (subhana wa ta’ala). When man is concentrating, understanding and living according to that then his Dunya becomes paradise, his world becomes paradise, his paradise is paradise and his grave is paradise. Fear goes away. Fear leaves that one and Sheytan runs away. The evils run away and the evil people run away because he is with Rahman. He is with Allah. Those who leave Allah, Sheytan comes near them, all sheytanic creatures come near them, all human sheytans come near him until they make that one to become one of the sheytans.

That is in the hand of man. Allah gave that to our hand saying, “It is protection to you. Say: La ilaha illallah continuously.” Your heart must remember your Lord. If you want satisfaction to your heart, if you want peace in your heart then you must say, ‘Allah.’

This Mankind, the 21^st century people of today are all sick. From the newborns to the ones that are ready to go to the grave, all are sick. All have problems and they don’t even know what the biggest problem is. They think it’s the world but it’s not because everyone has the world. (Sheykh pointing to the heart) The biggest problem is emptiness here. The life is very sour. Anything they touch, anywhere they look and any place they go, after a while it becomes a pain to them. Everything that man is doing becomes very painful. Not satisfied with anything. Men, women, children, adults and elderly. All. Some people are exception. They are exception from billions.

What is the cure for that? They are not running to look for the cure. They are running thinking, “I am going to make more Dunya, more world and I am going to find peace.” If finding peace is with Dunya, with the world then it will be easy. If you have a pair of clothes to wear, a shelter on your head and you can fill your stomach then you should be peaceful. Why then are you worrying? You don’t know if Azrail is waiting behind the door. You are entering here but you don’t know if you are going out alive. Who can guarantee that saying, “I am guaranteed to go out tonight”? Who can dare to say that? They are listening. He (Allah subhana wa ta’ala) may say, “That one is challenging Me? Take him away.” Dunya is finished and Akhirat is finished (for that person).

So when man understands the value of this world, if he thinks that this world is valuable and runs after it for some time then after a while he must understand, “This world has no value. But the life has a value. What Allah has given, what Allah has granted to me is very valuable. Let me hold on tightly to that.” When you are holding onto that life then you would be looking and saying, “Well, this life is going is going to go away from my hand too after a while. What am I going to do?” Then you will be able to concentrate on what is waiting for you on the other side. Otherwise, the majority is running away and they don’t even want to think about death anymore. They don’t want to be around those who are going to remind them about death. They run away. They find it easier, they think that it’s easier saying, “Let me run away from this one and my life is going to become better and easy because this one is reminding me all the time that I am going to die. So let me go far away.” They go far away and if they had one problem then their problems become double. Now that they are not close to someone who is close to Allah, that little peace in the heart is taken away.

You may give them the whole world but they are not going to be satisfied by it. If you don’t believe me then go and look at Rockefeller. They have the Rockefeller Center. The half of Manhattan belonged to him. But he was not in peace. He was running after more. What are you running after? You have everything. Anything you need comes to you. What are you running for? Everything you have is more than enough for you and your children to spend all their lives. He had to run because there was nothing that could replace that emptiness. It’s a big emptiness and if man falls into that emptiness then he disappears. He loses his mind.

So the only way out of that and the only answer is Islam. There is no other answer. You can go to any place. You can go to any rabbi or anything. They have no answer to that. It is impossible. The answer is with those ones who are not walking around with books, (Sheykh pointing at the heart) whose books are there and who are able and capable to read people there (in the heart). They have the answer. They say to you, “You have this sickness and the cure is this. This is what you have to do.” You don’t like it. Who cares whether you like it or not? You got sick. You are going to get the recipe to get cured. Otherwise, you are going to die.

Dying in the spirit is not like dying in the world. (Sheykh smiles). If your spirit is dead then you have lost. You have perished. You are going to be swept away never coming back to existence again. Even Sheytan doesn’t want that. Sheytan is saying (to Allah subhana wa ta’ala), “I would rather stay in the hell-fire forever.Don’t send me to non-existence. Once You gave me a body and once You made me appear, don’t put me to disappearing stations.”

Of course, the ignorant men are saying, “So what?” They are ignorant and complete empty-heads. They are not knowing anything. When they start knowing something then they start worrying. For instance, you have one ring and you lose it. It doesn’t have too much value but you go around looking for it. No? If you think that you left it in the toilet, do you leave it there? You go to look in the toilet. “I left it there. Let me get it.” What’s the value? Nothing. You get another one. But it’s yours. So it’s valuable.

Life is also very valuable. How are we spending that life, in which way are we spending and in what cause are we spending that life, that’s important. If we are spending it in the way of Allah then we must do the work of Allah. If we are doing the work of Allah and we are spending it in the way of Allah then do you think the pain, sorrow and all these worldly disasters are going to come into your heart? No, even if you go through so many incidents in your life, ups and downs, with physical punishments, with materialistic punishments. When Allah remove material things to test your faith, your faith becomes stronger every time it’s coming and you say, “Shukr Ya Rabbi. Alhamdulillah. You reminded me something Ya Rabbi. Thank you. You reminded me that I am a weak servant.” Then faith grows. When your faith grows, grows and grows then everything starts opening.Everything is with faith.

We must concentrate on that faith. Ash-hadu an-la ilaha illallah wa ash-hadu anna muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu. If we concentrate on that then our world becomes paradise and paradise cannot wait for us to go there.Wa min Allahu taufiq

Bihurmatil Habib

Bihurmatil Fatiha.

Transcribed by “Yeni Osmanli”.

Defender of Truth

BismillahirRahmanirRahim,

As-Salaam wa Alaikum wa Rahamtullahi wa Barakatahu,

Subhan'Allah! Posted below is a beautiful Sohbet delivered by our dear Sheikh Effendi in response to the flagrancies committed against Him and the Osmanli-Hakkani order in the New York Times. He reminds us that no matter who may be against us, if we are on the side of Allah, then Allah is on our side. Subhan'Allah. May Allah protect the rank of Sheikh Mevlana and Sheikh Effendi, and elevate their station. Ameen, Ya Rabbul-Alameen. May Allah guide us to always defend truth, with each living moment and until our dying breath. Ameen, Ya Rabbul-Alameen. For the sake of the Holy Prophet(ASWS), Sheikh Mevlana, and Sheikh Effendi.



BismillahirRahmanirRahim

Response to Accusations in the NY Times

Sohbet given by Sheykh Abdul Kerim el-Hakkani el-Kibrisi

Monday 12 Rabi-ul Awwal, 1427
April 10, 2006
Osmanli Naks-i'bendi Hakkani Dergah, Siddiki Center, New York.


Auzu billahi minash shaitanir rajim
BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Hasbinallah wa ni'mal wakeel
Wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil aliyil azim
La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu min az-zalimeen


Medet ya Seyyidi ya Sultanul Awliya, Medet.


We have been created and sent to this world for one purpose. The reason of creation and being sent to the world is to know Allah and to worship Allah. First we have to know Allah to be able to worship Allah. The reason of creation is to worship Allah. Nothing else. If a man is doing nothing but only worshipping, that one is better than anybody else. One day Isa (as) was passing through the mountains and he saw a man in a cave. Isa (as) greeted him and he greeted Isa (as) saying, "Welcome to you ya Ruh Allah." He said to himself, "He knows that I am Isa." Isa (as) said to him, "What are you doing here?" He said, "I am surprised. You are the prophet of Allah and you are asking me what I am doing here? Everyday I am worshipping Allah only." Isa (as) asked, "How long have you been here?" He said, "Only seven hundred years, not moving from here and worshipping only." He said to him, "Ya Isa, your nation and the nation of the Seal of Prophets Muhammad (alayhi salatu wa salam) are going to have such a short life but they are going to run away from the worship of Allah. So don't think that I am doing something big."

There was also a time when Isa (as) was worshipping. All of a sudden he felt hungry and he wanted to have bread. He hadn't eaten for a long time. He just felt inside that he wanted to have bread. As soon as he felt that, bread appeared in front of him. He said, "Thank you Ya Rabbi", he took it and he started eating. He looked that another man was passing from there, and Isa (as) said to him, "I was just worshipping. I desired to have some bread and my Lord just put it in front of me." The man said, "Astaghfirullah Ya Rabbi! It is known to You that I have never desired anything except to worship You." Isa (as) looked at him and said, "Ya Rabbi! Please don't let me desire anything except to worship You." People at that time had peace. They didn't have anything worldly but they had peace.

People in this time have everything but they don't have peace. The refrigerators are packed. The houses are like supermarkets. The bed is made out of feathers. They are living better than the kings' lives. But everyone is in trouble. Everyone is running top-speed for Dunya. And when we are saying to our own selves, "At least, let's escape from time to time, at least for one hour a day. We are living twenty-four hours. Let's escape at least one hour a day from the slavery of Dunya and turn our faces to Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)", then we are finding even the Muslims attacking us. MashaAllah. Leave the non-Muslims. Leave the Christians or others. Muslims are attacking us saying, "They are mad people, madmen. They don't know what they are doing." Huh, alhamdulillah. We are in the Sirat-ul Mustaqim. We are following the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (alayhi salatu wa salam). He said, "Work for this world as much as you are going to live in it and work for Akhirat as much as you are going to stay there." We just finished another Maghrib prayer. We don't know if we are going to reach to tomorrow morning. That's how believers should live, always preparing himself for the journey, the great journey, the big journey that is waiting for us.

Islam is the lifestyle. Islam teaches us how to live, Islam teaches us how to work, when to work, when to eat, when not to eat, when to worship, when to enjoy, what to have and what not to have. Islam is a lifestyle. Without Islam, without the Holy Prophet's (sws) traditions and sunnats we cannot know how to live. What we will learn then is only from television, from media and from other people that we copy. But Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has given a secret to every individual. Every individual has one secret and you have to discover that secret. You have to discover that secret while you are in this world. And you have to discover that secret through the teachings of the Holy Prophet (sws). You cannot discover that in any other places. You cannot buy that with money. You cannot have that because you are famous. You cannot earn that because you reached to high stations in Dunya (in this world) or you have worldly power in your hand. The angel of death is waiting right behind your neck blowing air on you, on me, on those and on everyone.

Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is Merciful, the Most Merciful One. What are we doing? We are trying to give the love of the Holy Prophet (sws) to others, for them to understand the love of the Prophet (sws), for them to reunite themselves with that love, to understand their reason of creation and to turn themselves to their Lord with the love of that Prophet (sws). And that is an obligation to every believer, to share the beauty they have with others, to try to reach to others, to try to reach someway somehow to those who are suffering in the holes of this Dunya. You cannot do that by force. You cannot have people by force. Islam is not a forceful religion. In Islam, you have to take Shahadat willingly by yourself accepting through your heart. You cannot say Shahadat through the tongue and not accepting by heart. Both have to come together. No one can force anyone. But you may just give the message. If the person listens then he may find better in his life. You cannot have forceful ways with your children. Most of you know me. Many of you don't know me (you know me from far away). You are here right now. Do you see my sons here? I have two sons, one is twenty-six years old and the other one is twenty-one years old. I have a daughter who is eighteen years old. I just say to them. I have no way of forcing them.

So I think anyone who knows me and is reading that story in the NY Times newspaper (April 9, 2006) will be laughing at the story because it's all cheating and lying. And yes, as I said to the media, as I said to this person, to this lady reporter, "Why are you running after me? There are so many people in the world. There are so many Muslims organizations." She said, "I am making a story about Sufism. I am researching about Sufism." I said, "I am just a simple man, I have a couple of people around. There are so many other ones, big ones." She said, "I think you are interesting." I said, "No. I think you are already trying somewhere, someway, somehow to put that I am a bad guy. You can try your best but you are not going to be able to do that. You are just going to lie about it."

I am speaking to the whole world. I have her recording. I have her speaking. And I said to her, "Well, of course you can come here. But you already have enough information from here and there, (people that you spoke with lied about me and you lied to me about them) to label me with whatever you are planning to label me with. But you are not going to be able to do that because I am not a bad guy." And I said to her, "Yes, you are welcome. I know your intention, why you want to come here. But you are still welcome." But I said to her, "Don't think that I trust you or any media because this is the same media who is attacking my fourteen-hundred-years old Prophet (sws). You started attacking him non-stop now. You are the same media. If you want, then put this in the newspaper too and I will be very happy." Hmm.

So if anyone is looking to find something other than what they are seeing (at the dergah) then they are going to be very disappointed because we are sitting in the middle and our door is open to the whole world. We have no fear and we are not hiding anything from anyone. Anytime anyone wants, they can come to see what we are doing. Things that we see are right we say that it's right. Things that we see wrong, according to the teachings and traditions of the Holy Prophet (sws), we say it's wrong. Wrong is always wrong and the right is always right.

Fear. Majority of the people are fearful. When you are in the way of Allah you have no fear. Allah sent Yunus (as) to his nation to give them the message. He was addressing that nation everyday and not one of those people accepted him. He was a prophet. Not one individual accepted him. They were attacking him, they were cursing at him andthey were cursing at his Lord, our Lord. He was so fed up with them that he turned to leave away from that nation saying, "These people are never going to get the message. So I am leaving." The story is very long. He was taking the ship, escaping and all of a sudden the sea started moving with waves and the ship was ready to sink. Yunus (as) knew that he was escaping from the job of Allah that He gave to him because those people were tyrannizing him. And he said, "My Lord, I know I was running away. But there is no place where I can escape. You are everywhere." In that dark night he said, "I sacrifice myself to you. Do as You like." And he jumped into the sea. And the big fish came, looked at him and it swallowed him. But he said, "La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu min az-Zalimeen." You are the Subhan, the Most Perfect One and I have become one of the tyrants because I am running away from the job that you have given to me. And You are enough for me." His fear was gone and that darkness of the sea became light to him. The fish became his friend. It came in top-speed and threw him to the shore. He went quickly back to his nation saying, "Oh my nation, leave this foolish lifestyle. Turn your way to your Lord." They started attacking him again. But he never gave up.

He didn't (give up). No prophet did and we are not going to also inshallah. Our job (which I take as a job from my Lord) is to speak to people who come and who want to hear from me. I speak. If you want to take it, take it to yourself. If you don't want to take it, leave it here. You are not under any force or any authority. You are free. If you take it and apply to your life you will win for yourself. If you are not taking it, leaving it here and going, I collect those rewards for myself.

I am not asking any money from you or from anyone and all of you know that up till now I have never asked and I am not intending to ask. We also do not ask for donations on our web site. We are not in need of your money to keep our masjid up masha'allah. We are working and paying for this; but because Allah cc has ordered believers to take care of the masjids, we have a sadaka box there. Otherwise, you know that when you want to make a donation, I check your intention and where the money comes from; and we send it to Sheykh Mevlana.

Most of the people lied in that newspaper. One was saying that he was giving money to us. This message is to him. Most of you know that they went bankrupt and I gave them shelter for months, to their children and to the whole family, and I put money in their pocket. I helped them, I put money down so they could buy a house. `X' is witness. He is one of the guys that signed the papers for an interest-free loan. They left the association because they did not want to pay the loan back. But that shows that they have no fear from Allah. What I do for people, I like to keep secret. But when they start lying and attacking us worldwide in the media, then we have no choice but to clarify for people who may start thinking bad about us. That's why we are opening this up.

So I am clean. Anybody can attack. All those words that are attacking me, I am clean from those words. Allah is my witness. And up till this age I have not put one haram penny in my body. And not to the people around me too. I never gave any food to anyone that is from haram money. If wrong money is coming, then I sent that money to other places. Every food you are eating here are halal and it's always going to be halal inshallah. It's not mine. This is the dergah of our master (Sheykh Mevlana Muhammad Nazim al-Hakkani). I am just sitting here now not knowing what will happen tomorrow. Allah knows. He has the authority in His Hand and I submit myself to Him. Everyone has to know it like this and this is how it is. As long as I live I am a dust under his feet and I am asking Allah never to make me become disobedient to him and always to follow his orders through the tongue and through the heart. So many times he is not giving me any orders through the tongue but I am following through the heart inshaAlalh ar-Rahman.

So, in a night like this, (the most beautiful night of the Holy Prophet's blessed birth,) the world has turned into darkness. Everywhere there is darkness. This is the second Jahiliyya time. Holy Prophet (sws) is saying that the second Jahiliyya is going to be worse than the first Jahiliyya because in the first Jahiliyya time people were ignorant. They didn't know and when the Sahabis were explaining it to them they knew right away. They turned and they submitted. They knew that they were doing wrong and they reached to safety. And with that safety and with the love of the Holy Prophet (sws) they reached to the heavens. Holy Prophet (sws) is saying that the second Jahiliyya is going to be worse than the first because in the second Jahiliyya time everyone is going to be able to read and write and they are going to be very proud with their knowledge. But the sources of knowledge that they are going to have are going to come to them from the wrong places. They are never going to understand the Quran because they are going to interpret the Quran according to what fits to them. And they are going to leave the sunnat of the Prophet (sws). They are not going to carry the sunnat of the Prophet (sws).

So there are some Imams that are attacking us also in that paper who are planting hair into their heads. Yes. I know those Imams who plant hair in their heads. And they are attacking us saying that we don't know Islam. (Sheykh smiles). And the Holy Prophet (sws) is saying to us, "Anybody who puts other people's hair on his head is carrying the curse of Allah on him." Meaning, once you start losing your hair, don't be sad. If you are a woman, don't be sad because you have a hijab and you are covering your head. If you are a man, don't be sad because Holy Prophet (sws) was shaving his head every time he was going to the Kaba. Do it like that. That's how I have been from twenty years of age. Before that I was in the army. That's how I have been there too. I had hair only for a short time when I was working in some places. (Other than that) I always keep my hair zero. And also, the other time when my hair grew is when they put me in jail. They didn't want me to cut my hair. So my hair grew then in the jail. So don't worry if you are losing hair. And my message is to those ones too. They should shave their heads again because they are carrying the curse on their heads.

From that kind of Islam, yes, we are definitely far away from that kind of Islam. We are following the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (sws). Yes, definitely we are far from their Islam.

Wa min Allahu taufiq

Bihurmatil Habib

May Allah give a long life to our master and keep him with us always spiritually and not put any fear in our hearts because we are with him. And everyone of us should know that Holy Prophet (sws) and all the Sahaba-e Kiram went through so many difficulties that we cannot even bear to think. We have good days and good times still, alhamdulillahi rabbil Alameen.

El-Fatiha.

Sheikh Effendi on Manners and Discipline

BismillahirRahmanirRahim

MANNERS AND DISCIPLINE
Sohbet given by Sheykh Abdul Kerim el-Hakkani el-Kibrisi Friday 20 Muharram, 1425

March 12, 2004
39^th Street Dergah, Manhattan, New York.

Selamun aleykum. Meded Ya Sayiddi, Ya Sultan Evliya,
Mevlana Sheykh Nazim al-Hakkani. Meded.


The most important thing that we are concentrating on is good manners. The Prophet (alayh salatu wa salam) said, “I have been sent to complete the good manners.” All the other prophets came to teach people how to have manners; manners among each other, manners with the environment that they are living in, manners within themselves and with their Lord, manners with their holy ones, manners between the women and the men and manners between the children and the adults. If a man does not have these, then someway somehow on the road he will fall to the wrong sides.

Manners and discipline are very important in man’s life. The laws everywhere, in every country, here and there, are to put people into certain disciplined ways. We are not animals. We are humans. We cannot live alone in the mountains by ourselves. We have to live with each other. We have to respect each other’s rights and we have to learn how to love each other. Understand what I am saying to you. Learn how to love each other. We are not loving each other. We have to learn how to love each other.

Holy Prophet (alayh salatu wa salam) is saying, “You will not enter Paradise, you will not be considered as someone who has faith, if you don’t say La ilaha illallah.” He says, “If you don’t say La ilaha illallah you are not entering Paradise,” meaning, if you are not believing in the One God then you cannot enter into that God’s Paradise. I think that’s fair. No? You are not going to accept him and later you are going to say, “I want to enter into your Paradise”? He will say to you, “I gave Dunya. Stay there. Don’t come to Paradise.” Accepting Allah and accepting Dunya and Akhirat gives you the right to enter into His Paradise. Otherwise, you will be knowing yourself that you are not welcomed. If I come to your house and you are the authority in that house then I have to accept the laws that you are putting on me in that house. If not then you
are going to say to me, “You cannot do whatever you want in my house. Get out!” You wouldn’t accept me in your house.

So the Creator Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) is saying, “Your origin,
your reality is from Paradise. You came from Paradise. That’s your
house. The only one thing that you are going to do in this Dunya is
accept Me as your Lord and come back to your house. Otherwise, I
have sent you there, stay there. Don’t come back to your house.” As
much as you can stay in this Dunya, stay. That’s why so many don’t
want to go back to their houses. They say, “There is no God. There
is no creation. We die and we finish.” You don’t finish but your
head is finished there. Your understanding is finished there.

So, you cannot enter into Paradise if you don’t say La ilaha illallah. If you don’t say La ilaha illallah then you will not be considered as a believer. You have to say La ilaha illallah to have
faith. That is the step towards having faith. La ilaha illallah means what? It means, “I believe in a Creator. I believe that someone has created me.” You call Allah, God or whatever you call
Him, He is only One and that One is not sharing that power with anything. The Divine Name of that one is Allah. He is saying, “That’s My name.” For instance, I can call you Hamdi,
Gandhi, Mindi, Bindi, Yandi but you will say to me, “My name is Ali.” I say, “I still want to call you Hamdi.” You are not going to fight with me yet but you will say, “When you come to my house you are going to call me Ali.” So Allah is saying, “My Divine Name is
Allah. You call God, Jehovah or whatever you call, I am the Creator. I have created you and your parents.” He doesn’t finish there. He says, “Not only you but your grandparents and everything else, I am the One who created. So I am the Lord of the Heavens and the earth. If you accept Me then you are entering into My Paradise. If you are not accepting Me then you have no right to ask to be in Paradise.”

So the Holy Prophet (alayhi salatu wa salam) is saying, “Accepting the Oneness of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) is a visa for entrance to Paradise. That’s why if a Christian accepts saying, “Allah is only one God. There is no separation. There is no Trinity or this or that,” then that one has faith. He is entering into Paradise. If a Jew says, “There is a God who created Muhammad (saw) and Moses, Adam and the other ones,” then that one is entering to Paradise too, but they will be questioned according to what they did. But the visa for entering to Paradise is saying La ilaha illallah. That is the visa for entering to Paradise.

So the Prophet (saw) says, “When you say that then you will be
considered to have faith.” But he says (now he is talking to the
Muslims), “But if you don’t love each other then you will not be
considered to have said that La ilaha illallah properly. That means
you didn’t have faith properly.” Islam is not concentrating here (on
one’s self), Islam is not concentrating on individualism. Islam is
concentrating on that one who is in front of you. Concentrate on
that one who is in front of you. You give to that one and Allah
gives to you. So love comes from giving. Not from saying,

”I love you honey.”

”What? You love me and I go to work from this side and you bring
another man to the house from the other side? Mashallah.”

Or, the same thing is true when the man says, “I love you honey.”

”You love me and turning to the corner you are doing foolish things
on the other side?”

It is the same thing with both men and women in these days. Terrible
days. This is the time that is the most ignorant time. This is the
time that is the dirtiest time of Mankind. Of course, the majority
are doing that behind the walls and they are thinking that nobody
knows. But Allah knows. This is the one thing you must know. And the
ones that Allah wants them to know, they know also. Don’t think
about how they know. They know. Your face is your book. What is here
(in the heart) can be read from there. The ones who have a special
vision, the ones who have the binoculars, they put it on and they
read (from your face). When the heart opens you can read what is
there.

Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) is the most Merciful One, especially for
these days, because this time is the heaviest time of ignorance. At
least in the time of the Prophet (saw), in the first ignorance time
people didn’t know. That’s why they weren’t believing. When the
Sahaba went and told them certain things, they listened and they
accepted. Today, the people know and with that knowledge they become
more ignorant because they are stubborn, they are selfish and they
are denying everything because they think that they know. So they
don’t listen to you and they don’t open any ways to realize, “Maybe
it’s going to come to something.” Don’t you see that they say, “What
is your degree? Which university did you finish?” ‘X’ is saying
that he finished Columbia and I tell him that I finished Harvard. So
now he starts listening to me. If I told him that I finished Fordham
University then he was never going to listen to me.

Alhamdulillah. I am saying that in general. But so many people today
are looking at the diploma that others have saying, “I go according
to that.” The diploma can easily be bought too. Don’t make any
mistake. You can buy that diploma very easily these days. You ask
the people working behind the computers, “Put my name in. Put in
this year I studied in this place, da da da da, give me a diploma.”
Tak, it’s printed out and he has another diploma. But having that
diploma is not giving you that knowledge. You are ignorant.

So people today, the majority, millions and billions do not know any
knowledge of the Hereafter life. But they are ignorant. They are
shutting every door to that knowledge saying, “There is nothing.
Nothing exists (after this life).” Do you know why? Because this is
what Shaytan is saying to them, “Don’t accept anything. Live your
life. If you accept then you are not going to live like animals. If
you accept then you are going to live like man. You are going to put
some discipline in your life. You are going to put some authority in
your life. You are going to put some laws.” He says, “No laws. Leave
the laws because all the doors that say, ‘there is no law’ is going
to bring you to the fire where I am entering.” This is the direction
that Shaytan is ordering to the Mankind.

So today’s Jahiliyyat, today’s ignorance is worse than the ignorance
of the Prophet’s (alayhi salatu wa salam) time. Those people were
ignorant because of the knowledge they didn’t know. When somebody
was speaking to them about that knowledge they were sitting and
listening. A couple of the heads like Abu Jahil were not ignorant.
They knew certain knowledge. That’s why they became ignorant. They
didn’t listen. But the ones that didn’t know listened and accepted.
Abu Jahil said, “I know. I have diploma.” Abu Lahab said, “I have
diploma. I am an educated man. You are not educated.” So they became
the fathers of the ignorants.

This time is worse than that. Ten-years-old kid stands in front of
you saying, “There is nothing.” (I say,) “You don’t even know how to
enter into the toilet, kid. From which side is the sun rising?”

”North.”

”They didn’t even teach you that yet.” (Sheykh smiles).

So they don’t know anything and they don’t accept anything because
the parents in the house teach them how to be selfish and how to
give orders. Little kids give orders to their mothers and to their
fathers. Mashallah to discipline. Mashallah.

So Holy Prophet (saw) came to complete the good manners. People
first must have manners and then when they follow the footsteps of
the Prophet (alayhi salatu wa salam) they will be completing their
good manners. Following the Holy Prophet (saw) must bring you to the
highest station which will then make you understand, “Oh, my Lord
created me in Ahsani Taqweem.” Yes, the most perfect creature. Most
perfect in every way, in the shape, in the form, in the material, in
the spiritual, in every way the most perfect. So, that one who is
accepting what Allah is giving to him will become the most perfect.
One day he will reach to that station.

That one who says, “My skin is black and I don’t like it,” your
fight is with Allah. The one who says, “My skin is white but I want
it to be black,” your fight is with Allah. Others look at themselves
saying, “I am too pale, I am too white, I am too green, I am too
this and I am too that, my hair is too curly and I want it to be
straight.” The one who has it straight says, “I wish I had my hair
curly.” The one who has blue eyes say, “I have to have black eyes.”
That’s why they are going, taking these things (contact lenses),
putting them in their eyes, making themselves blind too, getting
chips in their eyes, and when I am saying, “Look, your eyes look
like a cat,” they don’t like it. (Sheykh smiles). When I say, “It
looks like a cat,” they don’t like it. But if I say, “It looks like
a lion,” they (get puffed up and) say, “Ah, must be.” (Sheykh mildly
laughs).

You don’t like what Allah is giving you? How ignorant man is! It’s
granted to you. It’s given to you. Not to anybody else (among the
creation). What a blessing is that! He is giving that perfection
only to you. Your shape and everything is perfect. Are you happy?
(When you understand this) then you will find happiness. Otherwise,
you will not come out from the doctor’s office, pulling here,
putting this, putting that, (I don’t like to use names but it’s
necessary now), later you will become like Michael Jackson, you have
nothing to pull and the nose starts falling and everything starts
falling. Don’t make any mistake. Be happy with Allah has given to
you. Whatever He has given to you, His blessing is in it and He is
happy with you in that form. Be happy with that. Otherwise, you will
never find happiness in Dunya and you will never find happiness in
Akhirat.

Holy Prophet (saw) came to bring the most perfect discipline and the
most perfect station to man. Anyone who is really following the
footsteps of the Prophet (alayhi salatu wa salam), never mind about
going and harming innocent people, they cannot harm an ant and they
cannot harm anything around them. But when those ones will fight for
the sake of Allah under the ruling of that one who is going to come,
then you will have no place to run too. You cannot escape.

Wa min Allahu taufiq

Bihurmatil Habib

Bihurmatil Fatiha.

The Thick Line Between News and Nonsense

Bismillah-hir-Rahman nir-Rahim

As-Salaam wa Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu,


Subhan'Allah. My last entry was a weblog recommendation of a Brother who consistently rises to the challenge of countering today's sensationalized substitute for 'News', by presenting historical facts and on-the-record quotes with their contextual integrity intact. Ironically, The New York Times 's recent decision to peddle fiction of the most pulpy persuasion and pass it off as news, has instead made the newspaper the poster boy for shoddy and irresponsible journalism.

The New York Times has printed Ms. Julia C. Mead's active imagination, in the Long Island edition of its paper, as the supposed expose of the Osmanli Naksibendi Hakkani Order, particulary Sheikh Abdul-Kerim Kibrisi. The title of the story, NY Times: Leaving Stony Brook to Follow a Sheik by JULIA C. MEAD, practically screams, "Scandal", and no doubt, it's just what Ms. Mead had in mind.

It attempts to point a wagging and deliberate finger at Sheikh Abdul-Kerim by touting him as a cultish leader whose aim in life is to steal western education from students, children away from their parents, and then steal money away from said students and parents. This weak theory then labors to heft these wild and serious accusations, while struggling to stand on a foundation of outright lies, hare-brained statements from non-credible sources (while discarding strong testimony from authoritative sources), and the miasmic fantasy of a reporter with a penchant for fabrication and an obvious agenda to malign the character of a true Shaykh.

Is it her own agenda? Is it the paper's? We know from the article that certain individuals were interviewed and their comments were printed. I, personally, know that many other and more credible individuals were also interviewed, but the fact that their statements have been ignored speaks volumes about the paper's intentions. Allah knows best, but it doesn't mean we can't exercise our intelligence and our own investigation to figure out what's what in this situation.

Brother Yursil, at Mind, Body, and Soul has expounded upon the misrepresentations and discrepancies which flood the article with great detail, and the false nature of said article necessitates such a response. I direct you to him for a beautifully written rebuttal to the outrageous story and choose now to appeal to the better judgement of my readership.

Calling all Intellectuals, Intelligentsia, and all those who work hard for a living and want nothing more than to put their faith and trust in something and have it, for once, come out at least equal to their expectations: It behooves our sensibilities to sparingly place our trust in someone or something which has consistently let us down in the past. Be it a friend, a lover, your neighbour who stole your gardening tools four months back and acts now like he doesn't have a clue what you're so angry about. Draw all the parallels you need to come to this conclusion: Your experience should evolve you, keep you on your toes, at work, at play, in relationships, in life. Let's look at the track record for those empowered to give us news-stories. Not very good. The media's tendency to twist the truth is not only well-documented but well substantiated. Be it a blatant bias (here), misrepresentation (here), or confusion through flagrant misdirection, the media is no stranger to lies. The story which has appeared at this time is no coincidence, nor is it an exception to yellow journalism's long-love affair with untruths.

Those who have followed or not, I'll tell you that the primary reason for this blog was always to find closeness to Allah. The path I've tried to travel was beset on all sides with obstacles. When you don't have a map or a guide, it is no cake walk, to be sure. So I will also tell you that since I've met Sheikh Abdul Kerim el Kibrisi, it is getting much clearer, and much easier Alhamdulillah. In the numerous sohbets in which I have had the honour of listening to, He has always guided in the way of truth, in adopting and establishing the practice and sunnah of the Holy Prophet (AlahiSalatWasSalaam) and closeness and nearness to Allah, while shutting out the vices and turning away from the distractions we replace God with in our daily lives. Therefore, I cannot stand by while he is lambasted by those who are opposed to him for their own selfish reasons.

So, I'm going to present you with what I've been given and the content of his speech to all who come his way. Everyone. Find out exactly what the Sheikh is saying and then decide for yourself

* * *















A few facts: Sheikh Abdul Kerim el Kibrisi (His formal title as a teacher, given to him by Sheikh Mevlana Nazim al Hakkani, the Grandshaykh of the Naksibendiyya order, and not just a title of respect) has been authorized by Sheikh Mevlana Nazim to teach tasawwuf.

In a message to Shaykh Abdul Kerim, Shaykh Mevlana, on the night of Friday, December 16, 2005, said in a recorded interview and I quote:


"The service that you do is beautiful, with their baraka continue that service.
Bringing a person to Islam, iman, tarika is more valuable and
rewarding than acquiring all of America in your hands. Continue
it. Do not look at what people say. May you have no business
with gossip. You are with permission, look at your job. If
someone interferes then I will interfere. I have given you the
permission. Gather as much as you can gather. May your service
be accepted, may your body be with health, may your table always
be full, may your door be open to guests. May good servants come
to the place you are. May the evil of sheytan, the evil of the
enemy, the evil of government be distant from you. May your
sustenance not end. May your Nur/Light increase and never
decrease. May your line not be cut off. May your future be
good and selam aleykum wa rahmetullahi wa barakatahu."

In the article, Ms. Mead quoted Peter Sazanoff(Abdul-Haqq) of the Naqshbandiyya order, trying to discredit his validity as a Shaykh, saying:

"On its Web site, Mr. Fuat’s group says that he is a deputy of Grandshaykh Muhammad Nazim, the spiritual leader of the worldwide Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order. But Abdul Haqq, a spokesman for that order in North America, said he is not.

“He has made his own group,”
Mr.Haqq said. Mr. Haqq added that while “shaykh” — the Turkish equivalent of the Arab word sheik — is a formal clerical title among Sufis that can be bestowed only by the grandshaykh, the word is also a common informal term of respect.

Hmmm, well obviously the most important thing to be seen here is that Mr. Haqq has undermined the authority of Sheikh Nazim. So who has made his own group, eh? The other, the linguistic arguement, is so ridiculous it doesn't deserve to be dignified with a response. Two of the three students whcih are mentioned both graduated from the university, while the paper makes it seem that all three left their education. Clearly, these are cheap tactics engineered to fulfill a specific aim. I've mentioned only a few here to highlight the extent of the baseless propaganda. For a more in-depth expose of a faux-expose, go to Mind, Body, and Soul.

Sheikh Abdul Kerim, in the past two months which I have had the honor to know him and sit in his company, has repeatedly said in each and every sohbet, that those who wish to listen may listen. Those not interested, may go. But there is no doubt, that those who are truly sincere, and intent on learning the sunnah of the Holy Prophet, and determined to better the content of their character, will want to be near such a man, and will always try to take and apply what they learn from him. He has brought many Non-Muslims to Islam through the Mercy and Hidaya of Allah, and many, many, muslims back on the path with the same. They have shown their loyalties to him by sticking with him. This is the embodiment of a true teacher, reaching out to the Ummah, and never once taking things for himself, humble to the core, never openly pronouncing takfeer on others as is widely being practiced today. A man living the sunnah, instead of just talking about it. A man clearly rejecting the call to suicide bombing by so-called leaders of Islam, calling them cowards instead, because the Quran and Sunnah clearly are against them. No confusion to be had at all. He has never advocated the rejection of education or professionalism in a career, but rather advised that there must be balance between life as a doctor, engineer, carpenter, gardener - and life as a muslim.

Some jilted parents (Muslim and Non-Muslim) were clearly unhappy that such a path for their children interfered with their own plans, as is the nature of man's focus to line his pockets with the love of the world, rather than lining his heart with the love of Allah. Subhan'Allah. They approached the newspaper in question, which in turn used that anger and the anger and private agendas of others(Mr. Peter Sazanoff, Ms. Sana Nadim, Mr. Nayyar, etc.) to fuel one objective: to depict Sheikh Abdul Kerim as a backward, anti-education, cult leader eager to extort money frim his mureeds. Astaghfirullah. So, Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world, with the second highest number of followers (1.5 billion ) has now been reduced to a cult? Is judaism, because of slightly less followers, now a coven? Well, for those of us using their brains and have sincerity in their hearts, and would prefer fact to fiction, can see that the real crime is in the slander being carried out against the Sheikh's name, disguised as a news-story.

I close this by asking all to open the doors and follow the convictions of their hearts, to find out all the facts before submitting one's will to a newspaper or a journalist(not just this story but any story), and to stand for truth regardless of danger to one's social standing or one's own life. Those not swayed by sensationalism, those interested in listening, those interested in learning: Shaykh Abdul Kerim Effendi continues to give Sohbets and continues to conduct Dhikr circles with his mureedain every Friday with, as mentioned above, the explicit blessing and instruction from Sheikh Mevlana. You can gather the details from the site. May Allah guide us to Love and Ihsan, through his walis. Ameen. For the sake of the Prophet(SAWS), Sheikh Mawlana, and Shaikh Effendi. Ameen. Bi hurmati AllahTawfeeq, Bi Hurmati Habib, Bi Hurmati'l Fatiha.

Was-Salaam wa Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu

-----------


Go here to sign the petition to stop the harassment of Sheikh Nazim by the TRNC(Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) Police - Yes, Sheikh Mevlana is also being harassed - for what? Why, for calling people to Islam of course. Yes, apparently, this is a crime in Turkey as well.

Copenhagen Bound

Bursa tiles

As-Salaam wa Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu,

Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim

Added the following Link:

Copenhagen Interpretation - While close-hitting controversy surrounds the city of Copenhagen, from it's core spring forth Rivers of Insight. A treasured site by a Brother who is intensely prolific and well-versed in the art of digging for the real scoop in the journalistic anathema that is these times, Mash'Allah. Highly recommended.

----> Will update soon, Insh'allah.

Dergah

Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim!

As-Salaam wa Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu,

Subhan'Allah! Just came back from Sidney Center,New York(upstate) where Shaykh Abdul Kerim Effendi and the Osmanli Naksibendi-Hakkani order host their Dergah. Spent the night in Dhikr, Sohbet, was blessed with a delicious dinner, dessert and after-dinner *entertainment as well as Fajr prayer, again followed by Dhikr and Sohbet. Words can not describe the purity of the ambience there. ALLAH has truly blessed that place, and it is only because of the presence of His Walis. My Father, Uncle and youngest brother accompanied me as well. Truly Unforgettable!

* Shaykh Effendi's sense of humor must be experienced to be believed and each of the Mureeds is a Gem unto himself!

Subhan'Allah to the hospitality! Shukr-Alhamduillah! Shaykh Effendi took care of us so well as did The Mureeds. We were treated as honoured Kings. It's so rare to find such love outside of family, or at all. May Allah grant respect to the rank of Shaykh Abdul-Kerim Effendi and all the mureeds. To sanctify his soul and station, and the station of Grandshaykh Nazim al Hakkani, and to protect them and their families and all those who they've touched. Ameen.

Mash'Allah, the sweeping farm-landscape, the scenic valleys, the crisp air, the ice-cold mountain water in which we did wudu, the simplicity and genuinity of all the Mureeds will remain embedded in the innermost sanctum of my heart. Subhan'Allah, that there are still places and people like this left in these times. Last night a baby lamb was born in the manger, while an extraordinary and unexplainable love was born in my heart for Him whose mercy allowed me to experience such a day, and to his close beloveds who carry out the Prophet's example as a way of life.

Wonderful Animals - Horse, Sheep, Turkeys, Geese, Goat, a Jama'at of cats, a cow and even a Donkey in a pear tree ;). Who can say no to that!

Can't wait to go back for Mawlid next weekend, Insh'Allah! May Allah guide us and may we have the sense to wake up, in each and every minute in our life. These minutes are all precious and they will never return once gone. Let us spend them with purpose and wisdom and in the company of those closest to Him. Ameen, Ya Rabbil Alameen.

Was'Salaam wa Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatahu.

Shaykh Abdul-Kerim Effendi with Bilal and Jinnkiz the Cat