This sohbat was recorded at the dining table in Sheikh’s house in Lefke. It is an answer to a question raised by one Iranian guest. (It is from H.Nabil’s collection.)
Darknesses & light, He (swt) made/Ja’la them for His servants to know something from the things that with His Power become manifest.
Sultan ul-Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al-Haqqani ق
Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim
Sultan ul-Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Al-Haqqani An-Naqshbandi ق
Sohbat of the 21st of March 2005
Bismillahi r-Rahman r-Rahim “Al-Hamdu Lillahi l-Ladhi Khalaqa s-Samawati Wa l ‘Arda Wa Ja`ala z-Zulumati Wa n-Nura Thumma l-Ladhina Kafaru bi Rabbihim Ya’dilun” (6:1)
Allah Allah! What greatness! Madad Ya Sultan Al Anbiya’, madad Ya Sultan. “All thanks be to Allah, Who Created the heavens & the earth..” (6:1)
A distinction was not used, because darknesses & light have the same description.
“All thanks be to Allah, Who Created the heavens & the earth and made the darknesses & the light” (6:1)
This points to the darknesses & the light, what is their attribute? Ja’al (making something continuous) what does it mean? From pre-Eternity He “..made the darknesses & the light” (6:1) Did you understand? Yes, insha’Allah. “and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowermost, while the Word of Allah is the uppermost” (9:40)
Like creation. “….Who Created the heavens & the earth” (6:1) To “create” something is one matter, and to “make” something is another matter. He created man & “made” for him hearing & seeing. He created man & “made” for him hearing & seeing.
S.N. Meaning, granted….
M: Not granted.
S.N.: Then what? “Wa Ja’alna Lahum Sam’aan Wa ‘Absaran”(46:26)
M: Did you understand?
G: Today we were saying creation is like the identity for an existence, and “ja’al” is like something that is added on it, is it possible to say this? That it is something secondary to it. That Allah (swt) Created the sun & made (Ja’ala) for it its light? He (swt) Created the moon & made (Ja’ala) for it its light.
M: For the darknesses & light, it is as if the creation of the Heavens & earth became a place for darknesses & light to appear. If not for Allah’s Creation, the darknesses and light would not manifest. But the important…the important point is, are darknesses & light from the attributes of Allah or not? How is it, like Sayyid said, a place for the appearance of darknesses & light is the Heavens and earth. The creation of Heavens was mentioned (in the ayat) before that of Earth. “Khalaqa s-Samawati Wa l ‘Arda Wa Ja`ala z-Zulumati Wa n-Nura”(6:1)
Darknesses are related mostly to the earth. And light is (closest) to Heavens.
G: “Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the earth.” (24:35)
M: Allah (jj) pointed here to light, the Light is for Heavens. Darknesses are for earth. “Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the earth.” (24:35)
But, is the light (part) of His Essence or not? Or is He (swt) of the light or not? Are the darknesses (part) of His (swt) Essence or not? Or is His (swt) Essence of the darknesses or not? It is a deep ocean! It is a deep ocean. The Essence of Allah (swt) is absolutely and completely transcendent, beyond everything that can be described or expressed by the servants whether in Heavens or on the earths. He (swt) Is beyond. Everytime people reach an understanding they find Him Almighty beyond it. Any expression that came in the Holy Quran, do not imagine it can describe Al Haqq (swt). He (swt) is absolutely Transcendent. His Essence Transcends all, whether darkness or light. It is the realm of absolute Blindness, ‘Ama. It cannot be known. There can be no description of Him (jj). No!
Anything that occurs to the mind of the servant, the human beings, He Al Haqq (swt) Transcends every definition or expression. Jalla Jalaluhu. The servant, is a servant. The Sultan, is a Sultan. The attribute of a Sultan it is absolutely impossible for the servant to reach it. Never! Darknesses & light, He (swt) made/Ja’la them for His servants to know something from the things that with His Power become manifest. He made them manifest by creating (khalq) or by making (Ja’l) them? Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.
“yet those who disbelieve hold others as equal with their Lord.” (6:1)
The unbeliever meant originally the one who is veiled. Kafara (arabic verb) meaning covered from the Truth. That it is why it is said also on the “Yu’jibu Az-Zurra’a…” (48:29) In Surat Al Fath “Liyaghiza Bihimu l-Kuffar” (48:29) “that He may enrage the disbelievers with them.” (48:29)
Unbelief is to cover up. An unbeliever covers up the reality from himself. Or covering up The Truth of his own reality because of the intervetion of his ego. Therefore “those who disbelieve hold others as equal (with their Lord)”(6:1) “to hold others as equal (with their Lord)” is to go astray from witnessing the Truth, or accepting and believing in the Truth.
To accept the Truth with all the levels of certainty: The knowledge of certainty (Ilmu-l Yaqin), the vision of certainty (Aynu-l Yaqin), the truth of certainty (Haqqu-l Yaqin). There are levels in certainty. The last level, the Haqqu-l Yaqin/the truth of certainty, there one disappears. Nothing remains. Nothing from his existence remains. Who enters the ocean is (like) the drop of rain from sky to the ocean. It (the drop) becomes the ocean. It is not possible to identify it, to separate it, or to distinguish it from the sea, from the ocean, finish! Allah, Ya Rabbi! Make us understand O Sayyidi, O Sultan of Awliya’!
“Wa Attaqu Allaha Wa Yu’allimukumu Allahu”(2:282) He teaches the Prophet & through the Prophet (ﷺ) it reaches us, from the Awliya’ then to the ones like them, until reaches all the believers.
If there is no opening of the door of faith they would remain under the statement of the verse “Our hearts are wrapped” (2:88). Nothing can reach them. Allahu Akbar! Fatiha.
G: Mawlana can we say that, in this verse you mentioned, we said the darknesses are relatively close to the earth and light is closer to Heavens of course. Can we say concerning mankind: the mind, not just any mind, the Divinely mind is related to the knowledge of Heavens? Could it be like the light is to heavens as the ego of man is to the earth, to darknesses? The mind and the ego, heavens & earth, light and darknesses?
M: This is a matter of a lower level. What we explained is a very high level. What we spoke about is a Maqam of high level. That other thing is known. It is known, well known and it is been made clear. These matters we spoke about reach the limit (al Muntaha), like Sidratul Muntaha, the absolute limit. It is the Maqam of S. Jibril (as), and what is beyond it is the realm of la-kala wa la-mala/ neither existence nor non-existence.
The intellect cannot go beyond Sidratul Muntaha. The intellect stops there, finished. There is no work for the intellect there. Jibril (as) represents the Maqam of the pure intellect. The mind can burn, beyond that limit, it can burn. You understand? May Allah (swt) makes us understand.
G: S.Jibril should he not have kept the company of the Prophet (ﷺ), even if he was going to get burnt?
M: Order is over adab. He (Jibril as) was ordered to stop at that point, he cannot go further. He was ordered, this is the point. To get burnt or not, is not the point. If the matter were in his hand, he (as) would have never left the Prophet (ﷺ). But it was a Divine Order. The Order was to stop at that point. If a Sultan receives his guest, the one who brings the guest to the door of the Sultan, does he enter with him? How is that possible? If the King blames the servant who answers, “it does not concern me”. This is not Adab. The order is above Adab. His duty (as) was to that point, finished! Were the matter in his hands, “Not for you are the decisions.”(3:128)
It was not up to Jibril (as), he was ordered to accompany up to that point. After that point The Lord of Heavens received him (ﷺ). Finish! His question, his idea about before darknesses & light – An explanation, or complete interpretation came even if you did not understand. But Sayyid he understood. Tomorrow, insha’Allah we can explain some more if they give us about the matter of darknesses & light. Our Lord (jwa) used the plural expression “Al-Hamdu Lillahi l-Ladhi Khalaqa s-Samawati Wa l ‘Arda” (6:1)
Samawati/ heavens is plural, Ard/earth is singular. “Wa Ja’ala z-Zulumati Wa n-Nur” (6:1) az-Zulumati/the darknesses is plural & an-Nur/the light is singular. Incredible!
Because Sayyid said that it is not mentioned, neither in the Hadiths nor in the Holy Quran, the word anwar/plural of light. The lights of Haqq we have. But He (swt) used the singular form, for Nur/Light. It was not used for Zulma/darkness, but Zulumat (plural). The power of the singular (in expression) is far more powerful than the power of the plural. In the outward, the plural/the many seems more powerful. But when we speak of the attributes of Al Haqq (jwa) because of His Oneness, everything is singular. This is important also. What Sayyid has pointed to is an important point to understand If we can understand. If there is no understanding, leave it.
Wa Min Allah at-Tawfiq.
Sufi Qalam 