Speech by Honorable Shaykh Said Afandi in Chirkey village mosque, April 2007.

 

Dear brothers in faith, 

the people, who spoke before me, said all, nothing was missed out. May Allah be satisfied with them, and also with those, who didn’t speak.

 

I would like to talk about the most important problem which I see in our murids. When I visited ustaz from Inkho, the murids were less than now. I heard the ustaz words, addressed to murid, who reached the heart zikr level: “If somebody asked you, what [level] you have reached, don’t tell him about it.” At that time murids had the habit of asking each other: “What are you taught?” 

Why do they need it?

 

When the murids come to me, I change the zikr for some and don’t do it for others. And the ones who were not changed their zikr feel hurt, even cry sometimes, especially women. What to do in such situations?

 

I heard that during the days of Hasan ustaz women were taught only till the level of ma’iyat. When we with Arslanali were in Istambul, we met some murids there. We didn’t meet the people of tariqah abroad before. Those were the murids of true tariqah. I didn’t know from whom they had the permission, but the things they were taught were true. They knew muraqabah and lataifs and made the zikr. They said that they were not taught after ma’iyat. I liked it very much, I too would not have taught anybody, if they didn’t want it. I have to teach, because they want. I ask very much the ’alims  and the murids to explain this point to the people.

 

Abdulghafuril Muhammad and other theologians talked that if our aim is the improvement of the level, it means the high level is the object of our worship. It’s the thing what I am afraid the most. I worry that I will be accused of it when I appear before Allah. All murid’s efforts will disappear to no purpose, if their aim is the achievement of higher levels. What’s the difference, where we praise Allah in the low level or on the top? Our purpose is remembrance of Allah.

 

In my opinion Hajimuhammad said: “What is greater happiness than the death of man at the moment when his heart makes the zikr!” I ask ’alims to explain this to the people. Murids, who come to me, often say that they came to take zikr of the next level. I ask: how do they know what zikr will be given next. Zikr cannot be done like that, otherwise it will become a formality or doing it to show off. It is known that ustaz from `Urib made heart zikr for 30 years, not proceeding to the next level. When I ask the murids, how much time they make the heart zikr, they answer: “I have been doing it for a long time”. “How long?”- I ask. “Two years”- they answer. Then I tell them: “To reach Urib ustaz level you need another 28 years.” Somebody likes it, others- don’t, but I am not the man who does murids harm. This is the way, how we were taught. I think, the people, who will be after us, will not teach the tariqah higher (than ma’iyat), except for some ones.

 

We talked a lot about the Prophet [peace be upon him], remembering him. Is there community which does not love their prophet? I didn’t hear of such. Is there ummah which does not talk about the Prophet and does not express their love for him?

The Prophet was sent the following ayat, (meaning): “You are sent only as the favour for the worlds” He asked the Djabrail: “You carried this ayat to me from Allah. Did you get any Barakah from it?” “Yes,- answered the angel- In my ignorance I could not overcome the fear that my end would be sorrowful and I would go astray before the death. After the surah “al-Fatihah” was sent to you my fear receded and I became convinced that my end will be joyous.”

 

We are indeed very fortunate to be able read that surah “al-Fatihah”. It is said that if the surah “al-Fatihah” was in Tore of Moses, his people would not lose the true way; if the surah “al-Fatihah” was in Bible, the people of Isa would not make the error.

 

Once the Prophet [peace be upon him] saw the camel, escaping from someone in fear. The animal appealed to the envoy of Allah (peace be upon him) in human language, asking for help. Someone was chasing after the camel with sabre. He ran up to them like a fierce dog. The Prophet asked him, what has happened. The man answered that he bought the camel for work to get some profit, but the animal refuses to work and obey. He wanted to knife the camel to get any profit from it, but the camel escaped. The envoy of Allah asked the camel, why she acted so. The camel answered: “The envoy of Allah, how can I submit to him, if he goes to sleep, not making nightly prayer and does not go to the collective prayer? All their community ignores the collective prayer. I am afraid that Allah will send misfortunes to them for these sins, and I will be among them at this time, so I escaped. The owner must give the promise to you that he will make the namaz and visit the jama`at, then I will submit to him and do any work.” The man promised in presence of the Prophet to make all the prayers and the camel promised to submit to him. And they went home together.

 

Allah ordered Prophet Musa to beat his staff on the sea to save his people from the pharaoh. He beat 10 times, but nothing happened. Allah said: “Musa read blessings/salawat on Prophet Muhammad and beat the staff again.” Musa did it and the sea parted before him, opening the saving road. 

You see the status of our Prophet? How can’t we praise him? What community are we if we don’t praise him?

 

In addition, I want to tell about the difference between the people of tariqah and others, who don’t follow tariqah. There is big difference between them. Probably you also heard the words of ustaz Saaduhajiyasul Muhammad about the ’alim who didn’t have the things what the simple woman in tariqah had. He talked so, because he witnessed it. I also see that and I want to cite one example.

 

There was very famous ’alim, who himself didn’t follow the tariqah and hindered others, who wanted to be in tariqah, in Dagestan. Once I met him and we talked. He told me about his life from the beginning to the end: his studies, what he could do, what he has got. I felt twinge in my heart from his words. It turned out that he himself had obtained everything in his life and there is nothing, that Allah gave him. He never mentioned the name of Allah, didn’t say: “Praise to Allah who gave so and so to me etc”. The only words I heard was “I, me and myself”. After some time he died, may Allah forgive his sins. 

 

A woman - murid came to me recently. She told me about her life as the same ’alim did. She was very good woman, who strictly observed religion throughout her life. She talked, praising Allah: “My life passed so, praise to Allah…”, “and Allah gave me this…”, “Allah helped me”. She spoke about her life with great gratitude to Allah. Then I remembered that theologian, who never mentioned the name of Allah. Pay attention to the difference between the speech of this woman and the pride of that theologian without tariqah.

 

I give another example. There was a meeting of theologians in Makhachkala. We were performing collective prayer, for which one of the ’alims was late. Finishing the prayer, we began the conversation and he being late prayed alone not far away. Finishing the prayer, he entered into the conversation at once and asked a question as if he shared the conversation from the beginning. He is one of those who refuses the tariqah. One of those present asked him: 

“Did you listen to us or did you pray to Allah? Where is your huzur?” 

That ’alim got up, bent over the inquiring man and declared sharply: 

“Is the huzur such an important thing that you talk so? It’s just sunnah.” 

And here is the ’alim for you.

 

These are the failings of those who don’t observe the tariqah. It’s a big blessing to be in the tariqah for us.

 

Let’s imagine an army of one million soldiers. Not everybody can become a general or hero in the millionth army. Only few will become heroes and generals, and another few captains and commanders. Majority remains as solders. By being an ordinary solder, who saves his dignity, and doesn’t betray the motherland and carries out his duties, he will not be excluded from the people, who are respected and recognized.

 

The murid is not deprived of attention, however weak he is. The ustazes are the people, who educate us patiently. The shepherd is needed to look after the sheep. Everybody can look after the healthy sheep. The ustazes care about us as the shepherds care about the sick and lame sheeps. We don’t understand what happiness is it to be in tariqah. Now is the time that we don’t know whether we will live till the next year and go for mawlid.

 

May Allah reward you for your each step coming here and lead to Paradise. May Allah give health to everybody, save from the misfortunes and may everyone live in gladness! May Allah give us possibility to meet in the future.

 

Please forgive me, but I must say the thing that should have been said in the beginning. I like tawbah, which is recited on Fridays. It is read in Makhachkala and Batlukh mosques, and I didn’t hear that it is read somewhere else. I wanted very much that it is read in our village too, but I didn’t try to pursue it, being afraid of the objections as to innovations. However, I want to say to the present imams that it’s very good thing to do. Reciting the tawbah is a good act.

 

Other speakers mentioned about the tawbah which I wrote. It cannot be preferred to Hasan-ustaz words. If you read, you better read his tawbah. If I knew that Hasan-ustaz had such words, I would not have written my words. Having his tawbah, we mustn’t talk about our. I would like very much the tawbah to be read possibly. Please think about it, it’s a praiseworthy thing. And May Allah help us!

 

والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته