You are rewarded according to your intention so make big intentions. Find the caravan to the Divine Presence and join it. Find a Murshid who can help train your ego so you can ride it to your Lord. Who is busy with Islām rather than dunyā, will have no problems.
Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim
Allahumma Salli ala Muhammadin wa ala ‘aly Muhammadin wa Sallim
Sultan ul-Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Al-Haqqani An-Naqshbandi (ق ), Sohbet of 15th of June, 1994
Therefore, Allāh Almighty ordered, asta‘īdhu biLlāh, “Lā yukallifu Llahu nafsan illā wus‘ahā” (2:286) according to our capacity. Allāh Almighty is saying according to the adaptation, capacity and strength of His servants. He says “He accepted Me in that station; he prostrated to Me; he accepts Me. My servant accepted Me and I accept him too. He made sajda to Me. I accept his sajda too.”
And the general rule in Islām is “Innamā l-a‘mālu bi n-niyyāt”. And on the Day of Judgment Allāh Almighty will measure our value not according to our deeds but according to our intentions. He will give us paradise and rewards. The deeds we do are so little. Whereas our intentions, the more we increase our intentions, the better it is. Allāh Almighty is not putting you into borders by saying “Make intention until here and don’t intend beyond it”. And what He’ll grant us on the Day of Judgement will not be according to our deeds but according to our intentions. Therefore, you see a servant doing some small insignificant service, however, his intention is big. It will be in enormous size on the Day of Judgement. Allāh Almighty will reward with such a reward that they will be astonished. They’ll say “Yā Rabbi, I didn’t do this. What I did is so little. What You gave is so big.” “O My servant, your intention was big. Your deed was little, but your intention was big”. Therefore…
M: “Is there an opposite of this? One does big things and has little result from intention.”
SN: One does big things. Of course, a big thing… A big thing, in fact, emerges from a big intention. Who does something big has actually done it with big intention. Who has done a lot, did not work to make something small. Now today when the virtues of the first month of the Hijrī year, Muḥarramu l-Ḥarām were being mentioned in the khuṭbah, with the start of this month, if mu’minūn (believers) decorated all mosques from the domes till their doors, it would still be little. Now it passed through my heart during the khuṭbah – if only I had such an authority, I would decorate all the mosques throughout the world from their domes till the minarets both from inside and outside. That intention passed through my heart. However, I don’t have the power to do it. But I have the power to intend it. I made intention. I hope that on the Day of Judgement Allāh Almighty will favour me according to my intention and say “You wanted to decorate all mosques for the honor of Muḥarramu l-Ḥarām. And I reward you as if you have done it”.
“Innamā l-a‘mālu bi n-niyyāt wa innamā likull imri’in mā nawá” And everyone will be given according to their intentions whatever they are. The Prophet said it. Allāh Almighty approves the Prophet and I get from that virtue. I said I would decorate the houses and I would decorate the government offices. In brief, I would decorate the whole world. Allāh Almighty will give favours as if I had decorated the whole world. All right. So I made my intention. If you say so, you’ll be given too. If million, billion, trillion, quatrillion people say “I intend for the same”, Allāh Almighty doesn’t say “I will give only to you. They heard it after, I won’t reward them.” He will give to everyone. Therefore, make intention. They said “Niyyatu l-mar’ khayrun min ‘amalihi”. One’s intention is better than his deed. Because what we can do is so limited. What we do based on our strength or money, physical or financial abilities, is very little. However, what we can intend is unlimited. Therefore, don’t be ignorant. Make intention according to no limit. Think what you can do. What can you do to make Allāh pleased? Yes.
Therefore, I want to work hard for Allāh and to finish unbelief completely. Fatih said so; Sultan Fatih Mehmed who came with a virtue of cleaning the world from unbelief from one end to another end. And I want, yā Rabbi, give me a chance to save this world from the dirt of unbelief, to clean it, to declare tawḥīd to the whole world, to not leave a single unbeliever. This is my intention. Your intention should be so too. Building a factory, gathering dunyā is not a purpose. This is the purpose. What is the intention of the mu’min? To not leave a kāfir first and foremost, to clean out the dirt of unbelief, to clean the world. This is the intention. What will you be? I’ll be an engineer. What will you be? I’ll be a doctor. What will you be? I’ll be a lawyer. What will you be? A businessman. What are these? This is collecting dirt. This is collecting the garbage of this world. The municipalities with clerks for garbage. The garbage collectors named it municipality – garbage collection seamed harsh. Whereas people are fighting over becoming the head of garbage collection. And I’m thinking, what’s the honor of being a head of garbage collection? So many people struggle for it. “You don’t know, Hoja Efendi. You’re not aware of such things. There are many things inside the garbage.”
Every believer must be like a volcano. He should say “I’ll burn the unbelief. I’ll clean the dirt of unbelief out of the world”. When it is so, it will be completely different. Allāh will change everything in 24 hours. Did you understand, my son?
M: “Don’t say so. Some get offended and think it’s wrong. You’ll bring troubles on us and make us uprooted.”
SN: All right. We made intention to sweep them away and to uproot those who say this. What will you be? I’ll be a diplomat. What are the assets of a diplomat? Tell me, what is the capital of a diplomat?
M: “Lies.”
SN: Well done. They say they do master’s, but they don’t realize it. There is no politics in Islām. There is no lying in Islām. However, government is in the field of politics. And if Haji Altan makes intention like “If only Sheikh Efendi came here every evening and I could treat people like this every night and if my house was wider and if I could treat 200 people instead of 100, if I didn’t get tired”. Where is Haji Altan? If he says so, he’ll receive so much reward. “If only I could collect all the classic automobiles of the world like Mehmet Shafkat Efendi. If I could make an exhibition and visit mornings and evenings…” Yes. Everyone has something in his heart. Who’s heart is with Islām, how happy is the one who struggles for Islām. Allāh won’t give other troubles to him. Allāh won’t trouble anyone who’s busy with Islām. He won’t bother them with troubles of dunyā. No. Dunyā will be like a tame dog wagging its tail and following them. Ḥāshā mina l-ḥuḍūr. He won’t have troubles. Who’s not worried about anything but Islām, Allāh won’t give him any trouble. He won’t give either to his body, or his children, either to his wife, or his parents, either to his work, or his neighbors, either to his farm, or his animals, either to his agriculture, or his trade.
Who’s busy with Allāh, who’s busy with Islām, Allāh won’t give him other worries. Pay attention to it. Hospitals will be closed, jails will be empty, no asylums will remain. The country will be like paradise. Roses will blossom. However, we’re not busy with Islām. Therefore, there are a thousand kinds of troubles. As soon as one ends, another appears. Another trouble appears before the first is over. We are going up for troubles. If you want to live without worries, make Islām your worry. Let Islām be your only worry. You’ll be relaxed. Neither in dunyā will you be troubled, nor in ākhirah will Allāh Almighty give you troubles. However, unfortunately, our worry is not this. Our worry is dunyā. And dunyā is a ball of troubles. It is a ball of problems. Because dunyā has countless problems. They say life has become complex now. It has become very mixed and complicated. Everything is trouble for people of this time. Their refrigerator is a trouble, TV’s a trouble, iron is a trouble, washing machine is a trouble, dishwasher is a trouble, TV is a trouble, video is a trouble, car is a trouble, clothes are a trouble, children are a trouble, wife is a trouble, home is a trouble, furniture is a trouble, car is a trouble, plane is a trouble, government is a trouble, state is a trouble, military is a trouble, school is a trouble, studying is a trouble, classes are a trouble.
Shall we count more? Their eating and drinking is a trouble, sleeping and waking up is a trouble. Isn’t it so? People are over troubled. They are drowning in troubles. Why? If there was only one problem, they would remove others with it. Let your problem be Islām. Allāh Almighty will erase all troubles. What they plant and harvest is troubles. What they plant and don’t is troubles. What they do and don’t is troubles. What they read and don’t is troubles. With or without children it’s troubles. Married or unmarried it’s troubles. Leaving and coming is troubles. Doctors and judges are troubles. Clerks and officers are troubles. Municipality and counties are troubles, ministers and governments are troubles, banks and currencies are troubles. With and without money is troubles. Chemistry and alchemy is troubles. Doctors and engineers are troubles. Architects and lawyers are troubles. Judges are troubles.
M: “How will we turn so much hardship into pleasure?”
SN: Only one way. Haji Yashar is a trouble. If you want to get rid of troubles, if you want to be without troubles, make Islām your worry. Don’t sleep in the dawn. Be awake in the dawn so that no troubles remain on you. It will remove visible illnesses and hidden problems. Be awake in the dawn. Don’t sleep in the dawn. Adhān is called. Sulṭānuka yā Allāh Ni‘mati jalīlu Llāh, barakati khalīlu Llāh, shafā‘at yā Rasulu Llāh. Allāhumma irḥam wa akrim ṣāḥiba hadhā ṭ-ṭ‘āmi wa l-ākilīn. Allāhumma-rzuqnā ṭayyiban wa-sta‘milnā ṣāliḥin. Allāhumma zid wa bārik wa lā tuqallil. Ziyādatan ilā sharafi n-Nabiyyi ṣalláLlāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa jamī‘I l-anbiyā’ wa l-awliyā wa ilā Mashāyikhi l-‘iẓām wa lanā ma‘ahum wa man naḥnu fi jiwarihīm khāsatan ilā ruḥi sibṭi Sayyidi l-‘Aālamīn Sayyidinā ‘Abā ‘AbduLlāhil Ḥusain wa rufaqa’ihi al-Fātiḥa
How did you come? “I came flying”. Then fly and let’s see. “I can’t fly here, I fly by plane.” When we get on a plane, we both fly and reach wherever we want. Therefore, you ask for the Divine Presence. You want to reach the world of angels (malakūt). Of course, you will find a caravan which goes to that world and join them. You will follow them. What did the great ones say? Certainly, they wanted to be with them even in the back of the caravan. You can’t go anywhere without finding the caravan. There is a caravan to the Divine presence. The leaders of the caravan to the Divine presence are the Prophets ‘alayhumu s-salām. The leader of the Prophets is our Master ‘alayhi ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salām. Then come his successors, Awliyā’. Therefore, who looks for the caravan will find them. If you find one of them, you will join their caravan. By foot or by vehicle you will reach where they’re going.
However, it is impossible to do it on your own. No one has reached malakūt on his own. Our Prophet was sent to malakūt by Jibrā’īl ‘alayhi s-salām. He reached it. What is this sign for? If our Master ‘alayhi ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salām was in need of a guide, of Jibrā’īl, how can people like you and me reach it? Can we reach it on our own? No. I wanted to meet the head of municipality here in Izmir and they stopped me at the door. “Who are you? What did you come for?” Ten people stood in a row. They are probably from those who get paid and don’t work. How can you pass through that crowd? And there is also this shayṭān gate which you pass through when entering the plane. They say you have to go through it. “Do you have any weapon?” I looked, there was a lot of formality. Yā Hū, if it is like this at the door of the head of municipality, how is it with ministers? How is it to go to them? They will never allow us. I want to say that there is a protocol in dunyā. The protocol is formality. Isn’t there formality of malakūt? Will you enter with a greeting? What is it? Is it ask-and-enter, this malakūt? Do you think so? You’ll be hit with a stone on your head. They will throw you down. It is seen every night how they stone shayāṭīn (the devils) who want to come closer in the heavens, whoever dares. If anyone daring is from people, he can’t go up from the ground. How can he reach the sky? How can someone who can’t raise and hold his two legs in the air reach malakūt? There is power in jinn, but when they want to approach, shooting star catches them.
Therefore, Metin bey, my son, malakūt has its protocol. You should learn its protocol from Awliyā’u Llah who are the protocol officers. Therefore, they said Adab yā Hū. You must keep the adab of protocol. Then let them take you in. Is it so? Nafsu l-ammārah. Ego. What is the reality of ego? The reality of ego shouldn’t be assumed as something ordering only badness. “Nafsuka maṭiyyatuka”, said the Prophet ‘alayhi ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salām. Your ego is your animal for you to ride it and move. If you obey your animal, when you follow your animal, you become an animal too. And if you tame your animal, make it obey you, then it will carry you to the world of angels. Otherwise, Allāh Almighty did not create the ego without wisdom. He didn’t create it without meaning. And He didn’t create it to convict people. Maybe He created it for people to convict their egos. Allāh Almighty is saying “Ride your animal and come to Me. But when you come to Me, leave it and enter.” They used to commute by riding in old times. Now there are cars. Does someone coming on horseback go inside the living room of the house he visits, with his horse? Does he put his animal next to himself when he sits down? I am showing the head of municipality as well. Astaghfiru Llāh. Blessings to Huseyin bey he won’t be offended by such things. The sign isn’t for him. Can we seat him together with animals? Let it sit in front of you. Can it be? Can you enter with an animal? He says “Leave the animal and enter.” Therefore, no one can enter the Divine Presence without leaving his ego. You can waggle as much as you want. Is it good? Yes.
These things we told about, they are all known. Almost everyone knows it. However, its application… When you become a doctor or a chemist, you must work next to another chemist to learn its application. Or you must be an assistant for another doctor so that he teaches you how to apply what you learnt. Without learning the application, the information you read from books doesn’t make you ready. Therefore, someone taking religious lessons by reading religious books cannot control his ego. Because the matter of controlling the ego is different. It’s possible that someone can control his ego without reading anything and the one who reads all the books cannot. He must come down. Then he says “Yā Hū, how do you control yourself? I read so many books and can’t do it – still looking at people coming and going.” “You are a scholar. How can you look?” “I do. I look despite having studied.” And the other one doesn’t look, though he didn’t study. He is the one who knows the application. You must follow him so that he teaches you how to use your will power. Otherwise, you should do it on your own. Is it ok, my son? Or I will explain in another way. Eventually you need someone, who will teach you. You know for yourself. If you need, you’ll search and find. If you don’t, you will act as you like. However, your actions then will be like those of a blindfolded waterwheel horse. They blindfold the horses, otherwise they won’t turn around, they will turn once and stop. When they’re blindfolded, they walk in a circle all day long thinking they have reached Uskudar from here. When they open their eyes, they see they’re still here. Likewise, you have to follow a man with open eyes so that he shows you the way and is your guide.
Thanks to Metin bey, you’re hearing many things too. Of course, we’re not created as angels. If we were created like angels, we wouldn’t carry responsibility. We wouldn’t have sins and step into wrong. It is in order not to take wrong steps – all these matters that we spoke about. It is to take the right steps. The guide is to teach you that you can take the right steps and how to take them, the guide who will be next to you. Otherwise, of course, we are sinners. We make sins, then we need someone who will guard us from falling into sins and teach us the way so that we don’t fall into that dirty hole again, so that you know that a sin is a dirty hole. And does anyone throw himself down into the toilet hole? Will anyone do it on purpose? Even if they force him, he’ll resist strongly not to fall into it. What is the value of someone who throws himself into it? He has the same value as what is inside that toilet. We are not infallible. However, if we repeat the sin we commited 1,000 times and repent for it, Allāh Almighty will clean us and we’ll be ashamed for throwing ourselves into that dirty hole again and again and then ask to be cleaned by the Lord. “O My servant, I’m telling you, don’t fall there. It is dirty there. I cleaned you, be careful.” We go again, fall, come out and ask again. But Allāh Almighty doesn’t get tired.
When a servant says “tawbah yā Rabbi”, Allāh Almighty forgives him and cleans him But the thing to fear is, we don’t know when death will come. If it comes while you’re in that dirt, you’ll depart without faith. He becomes dirty. If someone is inside spiritual and physical dirt, his end will be problematic. Therefore, don’t stay without wuḍū. Keep your wuḍū’. And don’t be inside spiritual dirt. Don’t make sins. When you know you commit a sin, immediately say “Tawbah yā Rabbi, tawbah yā Rabbi, astaghfiru Llāh”. You’ll be saved from that dirt immediately. Wa min Allāhi t-tawfīq. Is there anything else, my son?
M: “Regarding eating and sleeping less. What Allāh Almighty and our Prophet loves…”
SN: It’s up to the doctors. Some doctors tell to eat. For example, like Omer bey. A doctor tells him to eat because he’s thin and needs strength. And to someone like you, he tells not to eat. Isn’t it? The one who cures knows your situation. Eat less, sleep less, speak less. Not always does a doctor keep his patient on a diet. There is a period when he keeps him on a diet. And when the illness is gone, he’s not going to keep him on a diet anymore. He orders a diet until the spiritual illness is gone. He tells some not to eat fat, he tells some not to eat sweet, he tells some not to eat salt, to some not to eat meat. He tells some to eat vegetables like this ox. The person who is a murshid of the patient knows his situation and condition. He tells accordingly. If you decide to eat less and sleep less by yourself, your ego will kick you. You won’t know where you come from. And you won’t be able to come near there. A man cannot rule himself on his own, only with the skill of a murshid. Did you see a patient who makes his own diet? No. He does it when a doctor says it. No one does it by himself. What a doctor says is accepted. A patient doesn’t say “I shouldn’t eat this or that”. He waits for a doctor. And when he tells you to sleep less, you must sleep less. When he tells you to speak less, you must speak less. When he tells you to eat less, you must eat less. When he tells you to fast, you must fast and not when he tells you otherwise. If he wants, he can tell you to break fast 1 hour before sunset. “Only 1 hour left, how will I break it?” Break it.
M: “We came to you as if we came to a doctor now. What can you say about this?”
SN: I say Fātiḥah.
Fātiḥah.
Sufi Qalam 