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In the Name of Allah Almighty, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent and the Most
Munificent, the Lord of the Heavens and the Creator of all existences. He created
everything in existence and at anytime that He wishes to do so, He can take it all away.
When a certain Saint was asked questions on Marifatullah by some people, he did not
give any answers because he was able to see their level of understanding. He was
saying “leave these questions to us and the answers are not for you.” He who has been
given Hikmah (Wisdom) must before he speaks or addresses people know the general
rule. Kalimannaasa Ala Kadaru Kooli. That is a command from Rasulullah (on whom be
peace), that you must speak to people according to their understanding and the
capacities of their minds. You cannot speak more than this because then you will be
held responsible. Those who speak to ordinary people carry a heavy responsibility and
if they do not give this Hikmah (wisdom) properly, those people will become empty
people. They will become empty because they do not know anything about Shariatallah
or about Thazeem Shariat allah.
There is Shariatallah (Laws) and there is Thazeem Shariatallah which is the order to
respect Shariatallah. Some of the Saints when they get into Jazbah develop a strong
relationship to Alamul Malakooth. They can lose Alamul Mulk and speak of something
that belongs to Alamul Malakooth. Some of them speak about their levels in Alamul
Jabarooth and even Alamul Lahooth. When they speak from their levels it can be
Muhatha, which is their addressing may be above the level of the people whom they
speak to. When one speaks about Alamul Lahooth, Alamul Jabarooth and Alamul
Malakooth in such a manner it is a big mistake, because it can make much trouble
amongst the Muslim community. 83 It can make people to misunderstand and fight with
each other. They might become separated from each other and even become enemies
to one another. Thus the respect for Shariat will be taken away.
Therefore the person who speaks on such subjects openly, may not be doing a good
thing. You cannot give such knowledge to ordinary people because these people may
not be able to understand what the realities of these words are. There must be a
Thahweel for ordinary people and sometimes ordinary people cannot understand even
what Thahweel means. For example, the Holy Quran says Waja’a Rabbuka Wal Malaku
Saffa - it means that Allah Almighty who is your Lord is coming with His Angels with
Lights. What does this mean? How can you see this? What is the meaning of this when
Allah Almighty says that He is coming. But by these translated Arabic words it means
that He is coming, and you may ask with base knowledge, from where to where does He
come, for we know Allah Almighty is everywhere. Does He come with a form or without a
form? Light is Saffa, but how is He coming? You cannot answer this because you can
only believe and also because there are Secret Knowledge’s about this point. Not
everyone can know about such a Thahweel. Those who have been given Ilm ul Yakeen,
Ayn ul Yakeen and Haqq ul Yakeen, (the Certainties of Knowledge), will not doubt
because it is clear to them as to what is the meaning of Thahweel.
Therefore when the Saints say something it is not always for ordinary people. It may be
some form of code for the opening of Marifatullah (Divine Knowledge), like the
combination lock in a briefcase with a digit code for opening the lock. Only the person
who put in that code number may open it, and not another. In the same way if that
Secret is not given to you, you may look but you cannot open it. For example in the Holy
Quran consider the letters at the beginning of a Surah like the letters Alif, Laam, Meem.
Who can give their meanings? Even Angel Gibreel (alai) who brought these Surahs
down did not know their meanings. Once when Gibreel (alai) came to reveal Surah
Mariyam, he said khaaf, then the Prophet (on whom be peace), said, “I know”, he then
said “Ha”, the Prophet (on whom be peace), said, “I know”, he said,” Ya,” again the
Rasool (on whom be peace), said, “I know, he said “Ayn”, the Rasool (on whom be
peace), said, “I know”, Gibreel then said “Saadh”, and again the Prophet (on whom be
peace), said, “I know. “ Gibreel wondered about this and asked the Prophet (on whom
be peace), “Oh! Muhammed, I am bringing this Surah for the first time, but how is it that
I do not know and you say, “I know, I know!” The Prophet (on whom be peace), replied
that he, Gibreel, was only a transmitter of the Revelation and that it was Allah Almighty
who was his teacher.
This was Secret Knowledge that belonged to the Prophet (on whom be peace). Gibreel
(alai), who brought this Revelation gave only five letters, and these five letters gave the
meaning of this whole Surah. Ar Rahman Allama’l Quran. Ordinary people cannot
fathom the Secret Code because they cannot understand the value of the Holy Quran.
The Holy Quran has Oceans of treasures, Oceans of pearls, Oceans of wisdom,
Oceans of Knowledge and Oceans amongst Oceans. However much one may dive into
it, an end cannot be reached. The Saints may speak sometimes from the Secrets of the
Holy Quran but there is no benefit without giving you the key to the code number.
Therefore such an attitude by them is to give some openings to make people
understand, but if such people cannot reach that level of Knowledge what will be the
benefit? We have also been given the Secret Knowledge about this Secret Code but it
is not for ordinary people. It may be for high level Saints and not even for the ordinary
Saints. This knowledge is for the big Ulema and not for every Alim.
We can see this glass of water and the ice cubes that is in it. When you touch this ice
cube it is hard as rock, if you apply pressure to it, it may crack and melt after sometime.
Both are composites of water but the ice cube is not real water. If you put an ice cube
into a pan and heat it, it will boil and evaporate very quickly. Ordinary water however
needs a hundred degrees centigrade to boil. Likewise the Knowledge’s are the same,
but there are different levels of understanding for different types of people.
- The Saints may speak about Wahdat i Wujud. We Naqshbandi’s also have the Zikr - La
Mowjooda Illallah - which means that there is no existence but Allah. Only Allah Almighty
was in existence and even now also there is none else in existence but Him. Every
learned person knows that this World came into existence for some reason and also for
some reason it will disappear and vanish. This is our belief.
- At one time there was nothing in existence and there will come a time when once again
there will be nothing in existence. Mumkin ul Wujud means the possibility for reasons in
existence. What is the reason for this Universe to appear in existence? It is only
Iradathullah. Inna Ma Amruhu Iza Aradha Shayyan Yakoolulahu Kunfayakoon. This is
from Surah Yaseen. Above all reason the only reason is His Will. He just said, “BE” and
the Universe came into existence. Everything in existence does not have any real
existence. “Wahdat i Wujud”, means that only Allah Almighty is “Existence.”
It is an obligatory belief that His Existence does not need any reason. There cannot be
any reason for His Being. He is in existence without reason but everything else, which is
in existence, is with reasons. That means that with His Will, He brings everything into
existence and this is “Iradah”. How can you say that there is a shadow existence to Allah
Almighty. It is only like an appearance on a mirror. Do you think that the one who is
reflected in a mirror is real. No! it cannot be real. The reflection of His existence belongs
also to Him when He is in front of a mirror, and when he turns away there is nothing in it.
The whole existence of Mankind is like this image in a mirror. Allah Almighty created a
Universe so large that the minds of people cannot even fathom it. Even to speak of the
distances of this “Seen Universe”, perhaps from one point to another is impossible. I am
not speaking about the unseen Worlds that belong to the Heavens. I am only speaking
of this Universe that is the World that you can touch and feel, and also what we call
Space. You may reach for astronomical numbers and even then it is only a very limited
area. Who knows where this Universe (Alamul Mulk) begins and where it ends. We only
know a little dot of all this which makes us to wonder, and we can only wonder about the
Endless Greatness and the Endless Power Oceans of the Lord. Where is the Lord?
How can you say that He is in the stones, the mountains and the trees. Allah Almighty is
One and what is His position? Therefore we must keep Maa Al Ilm Adab , we must keep
Adab (respect) with Ilm (knowledge).
Allah Almighty is asking to show mankind His Endless Greatness. We have been only
given small vision and we are looking through big telescopes. We talk about millions
and billions of light years but that distance is really nothing for a Saint who has been
given spiritual power and authority to reach up to millions or billions of light years in less
than a minute or even a second. He is able to travel such distances and even place his
foot on it. This spiritual power is from the Authority of Muhammed (on whom be peace),
and it is faster than the speed of light. If light needs more than ten million years to reach
from one point of the Universe to another a Saint will take less than a second to do so
and even one billion light years is nothing for him. Allah Almighty is asking to be known,
and for us to know something of His Endless Greatness. When you say, Allahu Akbar
through which scale and what measure can you measure His Greatness and Fame.
Allah Almighty therefore created this Sama ad Dunya and filled it up with huge galaxies
that you cannot even see through gigantic telescopes. You can only view the
photographs that have been taken with electronic instruments and you cannot ever see
them physically.
Once an Astronomer was curious and wanted to look through the most powerful
telescope although it was dangerous. He just had one look and the light was so
powerful that he fainted. Even this gigantic telescope is only like a matchstick compared
to the gigantic view of the Endless Greatness Oceans of Allah Almighty, and one day it
is all going to disappear. How can one say that this is Allah Almighty and this is not. No
one can give real value to His Greatness and of His being in existence. None can know
Allah Almighty?s Greatness and it is left for us only to say so much according to the
Marifa or Divine Knowledge that we have been given. We can only say “Subhanallah”.
Glory be to You. Oh Allah, we can never reach completely to know anything of Your
Greatness. Alhamdulillah
| "WAHDAT UL WUJUD" MEANS THAT ONLY ALLAH ALMIGHTY IS "EXISTENCE" By Moulana Sheikh Nazim |
| (There have been many queries as regards to what Sultan ul Awliya Moulana Sheikh Nazim's views are on the concept of Wahdat ul Wujud. Wahdat ul Wujud is widely accepted as the concept of Allah which was propagated and followed by Sheikh Ul Akbar Muhiyuddin ibn al Arabi and is the most commonly followed by almost all Tariqats. Some of Moulana Sheikh Nazim’s prominent Caliphas have gone on record criticizing this concept due to their lack of understanding of the concept of Wahdat ul Wujud and the teachings of Sheikh ul Akbar Muhiyuddin ibn al Arabi. To set the record straight we give below Moulana Sheikh Nazim’s lecture and his stand on the subject matter. The Moderators) |
MUHIYUDDIN IBN AL ARABI (ral)