Address by the venerable Shaykh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi at majlis of ‘alims in the Juma mosque,

village of Chirkey of Buynaksk district.
July 3, 2004.

Dear brothers,

Frankly speaking, ‘alims have pleasantly surprised us today to the extent that no more things left to discuss.
It is often said that since the creation of Adam (peace be upon him) Allah sent prophets to all nations with the call to Islam. Much has been said about the prophets, as well as those who opposed them and who followed them. It was the way Islam reached the ummah of our Prophet (be peace upon him).

Quran is a word of Allah

Today, editor of the Nur-ul-Islam newspaper told us about the Quran and its miraculous signs. We often pay attention to the little things and are surprised for example when we see lettering “Allah” or the like, say, on an apple or on something else. I assert that we do not need it, rather it is for those who do not believe in Allah. Well, why should I need it? As to me, I know Allah exists because I exist, and I meditate on how I came to the world. That is how we should come to belief in the existence of the Creator.

As to values of the Quran, they are in reading of the Quran and following of what is written in it. There were many unknown things we did not possess knowledge about but now they are proved to be true by science. Just imagine a great scholar who had devoted all his life to a science, suddenly discovers an information in the Quran, which was sent down as far as 14 centuries ago, and being shaken by the fact, embraces religion of Islam, and then wholeheartedly argues that his life without Islam was in vain! We should be thankful we are the Ummah which was honorably granted the praised and venerable Quran! Who else were exalted more than us in such a way in the world? As far as I know, nobody.

There is nothing to add to the alims’ words but I would like to mention few words about the Quran. It was already said on its interpretations. Once somebody brought me a book with the text of the Quran translated into the Avar language. They asked me, if it is possible to read or not the book? I was earlier asked the same question many times that put me in a very awkward position.

To answer, whether one can read the book or not, it is necessary to read its text first. But unfortunately I am often lack of time. So I questioned the origin of the book, and I was told it was a gift. Opening the book proved that it had no any references, neither to tafsirs nor to author’s name. So why does the book have no author? Should any mistake be discovered then who will be responsible for it? It is all signs that the text contains false distorted meaning. I decided to get some evidences of it. In the paragraph that describes the ‘Arsh I found the statement that Allah literally stands on the ‘Arsh. Muslims cannot say so! Few single words distort all translation. A translator has no choice but truthfully write about other things such as the prayer, fasting etc. otherwise readers easily can identify the wrong. The false meaning has been found in few places only and I uncovered it.

Indeed, if someone believes that Allah is on the ‘Arsh then he/she is actually beyond Islam, the foundation of faith is being distorted and resembles a shaky, baseless house built on the sand.

Here is another example which I witnessed. Patal-Haji, may Allah forgive his sins and reward him with Paradise, was my teacher. Once I was reading "Jalalain" [exegesis of the Quran] near him. His relative Nasib, who was from Chirkey, worked as a chief doctor in the village of Dubky. There were also translations of the Quran, so Nasib got one and read through it. Later Patal-Haji told me about his relative with bitterness and sadness for he called the Quran as a primitive and not really meaningful book. But it was not Nasib’s fault because his conclusions were based on the translation only. Today we have already discussed the issue.

The Quran for a Muslim is a very valuable book. When it is named as the Word of Allah, it makes a strong impression on any Muslim. And the Quran, as we can see, was degraded by the translation. This is the real danger of translation. Perhaps from one of them you will find some stories about the prophets but generally, it is very destructive to read them [translations].

Be true murids!

In addition to what has been said here I would like to add few words about Tariqah. Not everyone who is called “murid” is really one, and this is the most crucial thing that we should be aware of. I am an old man, no one knows if I would live tomorrow. There probably will be ustazes after me, inshaAllah. You should strictly adhere to the following: if you are willing to be a murid then do not transgress the boundaries that your ustaz has fixed for you, otherwise you will be “murid” only by name.

Here was a talk about the man who completed the muraqabah. I should say he is not the only one, there are a lot of like him. I personally know three persons who took offense at my ustaz Meselasul Muhammad when he received the discipleship. They believed the discipleship (ijazah) had to be granted to them instead, and they were the muraqabah graduates. Two of them have left the world and the last one is still alive. To them it looks as if the ustaz took away their discipleship that originally belonged to them! One can meet such strange people ...

When I just joined tariqah I met murids who had completed the muraqabah and claimed that they possessed miraculous abilities (kashfu-karamat). I felt that this was not true although I had no any specific knowledge for I was just a beginner. When I just observed them I got a felling it is false. But many others who met them did not know real situation and therefore were very surprised by their “abilities”. So all what people talk is not to be trusted. People are so different.

One may ask, why are such people taught the muraqabah? But how can we abandon teaching them, when there is a hidden wisdom of Allah in it. Partly I know what is behind the wisdom and the part I don’t know is far greater than the former. For example, if a student studies in the institute, how can he not receive the grades and not proceed to the next level? But once having been trained and receiving degree, he/she loses sense of direction and does not apply the gained knowledge and loses all he has learned, then who is guilty? And this happens quite often. After all we well know an example of Iblis who worshiped the Almighty for many years but eventually fell into confusion. Allah already had knowledge about this but left Iblis till he disgraced himself. And this is our main lesson to keep in mind.

I had a murid who attended my lessons for a long time and was zealous in remembering Allah. He was a perfect murid and I taught him for a long time until he passed all the levels and completed muraqabah. He heard a lot of conversations from different people who came to me. I am often asked about the treatment of diseases in the mystical way. Most of those who involve in this just deceive people. And because people wonder whether the healers have permission for treatment from ustaz, they need my approval since rumors spread rapidly. And in order to obtain such permission they come to me as if they want to join tariqah. And they would somewhat casually mention during the conversation: "I also treat people” with hope of getting my approval at the same time. Whether to a woman or to a man, I say to all of them that I can not give the permission. After all, I do not have it myself. I usually say, “You know better yourself that no one is forbidden from helping people, but the issue is - can you do it?" He says he can. - If you can then do it, after all it is all your business. I do not know it.

So the murid, I was telling before, heard a lot of such conversations. He lives far away. And once a resident of Mahachkala came to me and said that someone (and mentioned the same murid) is ready to cure him if I would give him a permission to do so. Look, how clever he is! He saw how many people unsuccessfully came to me with this issue and realized that he would not get my permission. So he sent the patient himself to me. I replied: "If he can do it, let him do." What can I say? Then he began treating people. Now people keep on coming to me with complaints about him - look, we spent a lot of money, but we are not cured. And the "doctor" has disappeared. I have not seen him already for three years.

And what is the result? He can be compared to a man who with great difficulty mowed all summer long and dried hay with great efforts, and then burned it himself. Now in relation to the tariqah itself, did tariqah teach him to do so? The quality of education depends on your own self, and not on ustaz. Ustaz just passes the knowledge and murids behave really well until they move to the higher level where they begin to change and deteriorate, not all of them of course. Nobody should follow such murids. But we must know them well. And let a murid behave as a murid.

What we have today is a big mercy. You have been explained that the word "Allah", each letter of it has great impact on the heart. And you are taught to remember Allah, day and night. What else is needed? In the end everything depends solely on you. May Allah help all of us!
It was very good majlis. We are satisfied, and `alims also pleasantly surprised us today. May Allah be pleased with them! May Allah raise a house for you in Paradise for each step you made on your way here! May this majlis wash away sins of thousands of sinful majlises! And may Allah help all to continue to attend such meetings!

Allah will save Islam

Once the Pharaoh found out from his dream reader that a boy would be born who would destroy the Pharaoh’s kingdom, and so he ordered to kill all newborn boys. But in the end, Allah made him bring up Musa (peace be upon him) and take care of him, who subsequently turned against him. Allah, Almighty is Ever-living. Islam will not be defeated, Allah will save Islam, it is His way. The scholar Ramadan Buti said that those who try to distort the Quran do not succeed because Allah will save His book, and in the end His enemies will be defeated. Allah, the One who has destroyed all previous enemies of Islam, till today is the same Allah. He sees all, us and them. What we need is just patience.

Our nafs (ego) is ruining us. During prostration Iblis runs away from us as due to the refusal to prostration he fell into error. And once we prostrate, Iblis remembers his fault, and because of the severity of that experience he is not up to us. In other words, should evil thoughts occupy our minds at this moment, it comes from us, and not from Satan. Even at this moment our ego (nafs) does not leave us, it destroys us. May the Almighty help us to take control over it successfully! Amin!