Mawlānā is being questioned about du‘ā’. He gives the beautiful meaning of al-‘afwa wal-‘āfiyah. Then he tells the proper way to ask help from Allāh ﷻ by means of His ﷻ saints.

Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim

Sultan ul-Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Al-Haqqani An-Naqshibandi (QS),

Sohbat of the 12th of December, 2001

SE: The equivalent of absolution. “As’aluka l-‘afuw wa l-‘afiyah” means “I ask for health, for absolution, for being absolved of all kinds of badness. Absolve us of badness, which will cause punishment, ya Rabbi.” 

We use it in other meanings. When we say “‘afiyah”, we mean bon appetit, wishing that what you eat satisfies you and refreshes you and gives you strength. We ask for Your forgiveness, ya Rabbi. Once You forgive us, grant us absolution that won’t let us commit this sin again, so that we don’t come a second time to Your Presence with this sin. When we say – such a person is exempt/absolved from such a law, it means he is not liable for that law. Is it understood? 

The term we use in Turkish has a different new meaning. This “As’aluka l-‘afuw wa l-‘afiyah wa l-mu’afatan da’ima”. The explanation of that “‘afiyah wa l-mu’afatan da’ima” means a lasting exemption/absolution, not a temporary/one time exemption. Give us exemption against committing sins and falling into such badness until we leave this world, ya Rabbi. It means this. It is a magnificent prayer. It means you are in safety. The meaning of being healthy is to be absolved. He won’t fall and be trapped again. And when it is lasting, we’re fine then. We don’t need anything else. Then you achieve the pleasure of Allah, when Allah is pleased with you, you’ve got everything. You will have no deprivation. 

Q: You said either next to the exalted, or next to the rich. 

SE: I did.

Q: What do you mean by saying exalted?

SE: When we say exalted – his provisions, compared to rivers and seas, are wider. He is more peaceful, more vast. The exalted one, is someone, who is broad in terms of knowledge and faith. He is with knowledgeable and virtuous people, next to Awliya/saints and Anbiya/prophets.

Exalted means the possessor of knowledge, possessor of virtues. Rich is the richness of this world. Exalted is the one, who has the richness of akhira.

Exalted means the possessor of knowledge, possessor of virtues. Rich is the richness of this world. Exalted is the one, who has the richness of akhira. People of perfection are exalted ones, like a wide ocean. They’d say “like an ocean” in old times. Therefore, both of them are the proverbs that used to be said after hardship. It has a perfect meaning. Stand by the exalted or by the rich. If not, you’ll be in the desert. You must find someone like the exalted for spiritual perfection and akhira. And if you are close to a rich man for dunya, you will be neither hungry, nor naked, nor unemployed. Both of them carry a perfect meaning. When they say “near the rich or near the exalted”, both are full of meaning. (May Allah be pleased) with all of us. 

It’s important. There were Ahlullah in old times. Of course, they were not worldly rich. Who went to them wanted to swim in their oceans, their seas of perfection. And as they were the seas of perfection, people wanted to dive into them. The sea attracts people, there is an attraction in human nature. The sea is attractive to people. The sea attracts people. We have such a nature. We have a fondness for the sea. We want to swim in the sea. But when you swim too much, it is dangerous. The seas of these owners of spiritual perfection are not deadly but reviving. Moreover, they help to increase the level of perfection. Therefore, when we say exalted, it refers to the sea as well. It means someone with faith like an ocean, knowledge like an ocean, perfection like an ocean. 

Go to them, find them because you will open with them. Your spiritual perfection will reach those oceans. They will open a way and your dry souls will start to become green. They will open. If not, you are like a desert inside. Their oceans are not salty like the ordinary oceans. They are reviving. Each has different qualities. That’s it. Well done. Did you see? 

Q: Can I ask one more thing?

SE: Go ahead. 

Q: When we use ‘means’ (tawassul) in our dua, we make it with Awliya and saints. Do we address the saints? Is our respondent the saint? For example, Allah Almighty is the one, who protects us.

SE: Of course, until we reach Allah, we address Awliya. 

Q: Then for example, we say “Protect me from shaitan”.

SE: When you come to me, you ask: “Sheikh Efendi, make dua for me”. Do you address me or Allah? 

Q: You. 

You ask me. You ask help from me. You say “Make dua for me because Allah does not refuse your prayer”. This is tawassul in dua. 

Q: So we can ask from Awliya anything we want to ask from Janab ul-Haqq up until we reach there?

SE: Of course. Can you drink water from Niagara? 

Q: No. 

SE: It will come to you in a pipe so that you drink. If there’s no pipe, can you reach Niagara? Did you reach Allah in order to address Him? However, these square-headed men are not aware of anything. They don’t think, these idiot-type people. 

Q: When we say, for example… 

SE: You can say, “Ya Rabbi, protect us for the honor of this holy one. For the honor of this holy one, give what I need” or say directly “O holy one, I came to you. You can provide my need because you are the possessor of supplication. Ask for me in the Presence of Janab ul-Haqq.” Whenever he wants, he receives an answer. We will receive. It’s a kind of intercession. He intercedes and his intercession is accepted. Ya Rabbi, forgive this servant. 

Q: All right. If we visit Ayyub Sultan, for example. “We are your children”. How should we address him there? 

SE: You must say what you need there too. Say, “I came to you, I have a problem. Remove this problem”. Don’t fear. Don’t fear at all.