People understand favours only when they are gone. What should we do? Say the blessed words: “Shukr Yā Rabbi, Al-ḥamdu liLlāh.” They please Allāh ﷻ and are proof of man’s pleasure with his Lord. Favours and shukr are linked. Forget to give shukr and favours depart. Allāh ﷻ will not question those who constantly give shukr.
If a servant expresses “shukr Ya Rabbi” from birth until he departs this world, he won’t be questioned in Allah Almighty’s presence.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim ق
Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim
Sultan ul-Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Al-Haqqani An-Naqshbandi ق
What shall we do? We should make shukr. Is there anything better than shukr? Is there anything that can give more comfort than making shukr? There is nothing. Shukr to Allah Almighty. Shukr is the proof of being pleased with Allah Almighty. Is there anything sweeter than making shukr to Allah Almighty? There can’t be. Saying “Shukr, Ya Rabbi” is a great distinction for us and it is a blessed word that makes Allah Almighty pleased as well.
Shukr Ya Rabbi, shukr Ya Rabbi, shukr, Alhamdulillah
Tawba Ya Rabbi, tawba Ya Rabbi, tawba astaghfirullah
Allah Allah. Allah Allah. A man understands what a favour is when he loses it, when the favour is gone. For example, while he has eyes to see, he doesn’t realize what a big favour his eyes are. When his eyes start to deteriorate, he starts saying, “My eyes don’t see”. Did you make shukr when they were fine? A man with arms doesn’t know their value. And when they’re twisted, Allahumma ‘afina, or broken and tied to his neck, and he can’t use them or when he loses them completely, he says, “what a big favour arms are”. He then starts thinking but doesn’t think and make shukr while he has them.
If you want to keep your favours, if you want to have your favours continuously, make shukr. As long as you make shukr, favours will not go from your hand. If you don’t make shukr, that favour will not remain with you, it will go. Neither with money, nor with rank can you bring back that favour and you can’t get that favour back for any material payment. Shukr keeps the favour. Therefore, always make shukr. Be among shakirs. When you open your eyes, say “Shukr, ya Rabbi. I opened my eyes, I’m getting up and saying ‘alhamdulillah’ I was able to get out of bed”.
Some people lie down and become a lump. There are many people who become a lump in bed till morning. Alhamdulillah, Bismillah, I could get up. And I can put my feet down and stand stable, and I can make qiyam on my feet. I am standing up on my feet saying, Bismillahi r-Rahmanir-Rahim. Alhamdulillah my feet are carrying me. Many people go to bed and become like a lump when their feet can’t carry them. Alhamdulillah, I can walk on my feet. My feet are carrying me, alhamdulillah. Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim. I say ‘la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahi l-aliyyil azim’ and walk. Alhamdulillah, much shukr. My feet are walking.
Shukr determines your favours. Your favours will be lasting if you make shukr. Any favour you make shukr for, it will be with you all the time.
Many people can’t walk when they stand. Their feet can’t carry them. There are so many of them. Shukr that I could get up, my feet listened to me and I was able to walk, shukr to Allah. Allah Allah. What will you do if they become a lump? Many people remain like lumps. Shukr determines your favours. Your favours will be lasting if you make shukr. Any favour you make shukr for, it will be with you all the time. When you forget shukr, it will be lost. It will be gone and you can’t get it back easily.
Which favour will you express? If a servant expresses “shukr Ya Rabbi” from birth until he departs this world, he won’t be questioned in Allah Almighty’s presence. Nothing will be asked. Shukr Ya Rabbi, shukr Ya Rabbi, shukr Ya Rabbi. If one’s life goes by saying so, Allah Almighty won’t ask anything else. He’ll say, “My servant was busy making shukr to Me.” If someone receives something from someone, he says “Thank you,” 10 times, 100 times. If he has the tiniest benefit from someone, he flatters that person much. He thanks him continuously. And Allah Almighty?
If a person has pain in his body, he goes crazy, “How shall I stop this pain? How can this pain be gone? This pain is killing me. What shall I take? What is best? Isn’t there any medicine that can kill it immediately?” He doesn’t want it to stop in 5, 10 minutes. He wants it to stop straight away. And that is according to the degree of pain. There are pains which can drive people insane. Allah protect us. That person wishes that this pain goes away at once. He says “I’d give a load of gold, I’d give a houseful of gold, just let this pain be gone.”
Therefore, favours are connected to shukr. They last with shukr. Forget to give shukr and favours leave you. A government is a favour. It is a favour if the government servants make shukr. That favour will last. If they don’t, they will be swept away. “I have sat on this chair for forty years. How could I leave it? How will I leave it?” You’ll leave just like that. You must leave it.
There is a prayer of the Prophet, alaihi salatu wa salam, “Let this favour reach the favours of akhira, Ya Rabbi. Let me not miss the favours of this world until I reach the favours of akhira. Let there not be a gap, You grant me the favours of dunya, You offered and granted them Ya Rabbi, let me be having these favours until the favours of akhira.” May there be no gap between them as a gap in between means suffering. When a favour stops, suffering comes. Yes. It will be closed.
Therefore, when sufferings come, the taste of all favours you have had will be taken away from you. It will be taken so gently that you’ll say, “I never tasted any favour and I never had any strength, I’ve become so weak. I don’t remember being strong. My life has become so tasteless. I don’t remember my sweet days.” You’ll say so. That’s what they say. When shukr stops, sufferings come. When suffering comes, it scatters everything. Neither in your mind, nor in your stomach will there be favours to make shukr for. When suffering comes, it will burn you like fire and won’t leave you. Allah Allah.
He will ask on the Day of Judgment “Bring to Me the servant who suffered the most in this world. And bring to Me the servant who received the most pleasure in this world.” A person who suffers the most in this world is someone whose body and beauty is broken into parts, someone who’s been through a cylinder, someone who’s been put on sticks and turned on fire. Allahumma ‘afina. Someone who’s been thrown into a mill, someone who suffers because of his faith, who has troubles because of his faith, who’s been oppressed by kafirs.
Allah Almighty will find and bring him. That person will come on the Day of Judgment, the person who suffered the most from his life in this world. Allah will order the angels, “Take this servant close to Paradise and bring him back.” The angels will bring him to the door of Paradise and bring him back and call to Divine Presence. Allah Almighty will ask, in Divine Presence “O My servant, did you suffer much in dunya? What troubles did you have? What tortures did they give you? Did they cut your hands and feet? Did they cut you into pieces and burn you?”
That servant will say “Ya Rabbi, I remember no such a thing. You are Asdaqul Qa’ilin (Most True in Speech) without doubt. However, I, Your servant, cannot remember it at all. I have no such thing in my mind, nor in memory. Ya Rabbi, I would not accept it unless You told me this because I have no such thing in my mind. Nothing in my memory.” Allah Almighty will say to the angel. “Let him smell the scent of Paradise”. He is taken by the hand and returns after smelling. He says, “There is nothing. Nothing from the sufferings of the world”.
The one having the most pleasure in this world, a kafir. “Bring Me one of the firm kafirs. Bring Me the servant who had the most pleasure and enjoyment in this world.” An angel will bring him also. “Take him to Hell and back.” After an angel takes him to Hell and brings him back, He asks “O servant, what kind of pleasures did you have in dunya? What enjoyments did you have? What did you do with all your chances? You passed all your worldly life in pleasure and enjoyment. What do you remember?” He will come reeking of unburnt charcoal.
Sufi Qalam 