Today our ‘alims have fully covered all subjects. I have hardly anything to add. However, the matter mentioned by Abdulghafuril Muhammad, I heard here for the first time. Till now nobody has ever touched that subject. Verily it is the thing my heart is aching from, which I consider as motto for me, and what I have earlier said about. What is it? - you may ask me. - Reading books or diligent learning of various sciences is not the main thing. Today it was mentioned about it for the first time. University degrees, graduated schools and colleges, quantity of passed subjects and courses - are all what matters in the end? Are these grades and diplomas the things that the angel Azrail going to inquire when he takes our souls away?

Will Munkar and Nakir [1] ask you about grades and obtained titles? The purpose of seeking knowledge is to gain a certain use of it. Quran and hadiths assert that if you lack education but committed to deeds within that limited knowledge you have, then Allah will enrich you with new knowledge [without education]. However, if someone spends entire his life in learning religious sciences but fails to act as the sciences require, then the very essence of knowledge remains undiscovered. He who sincerely seeks knowledge must try to understand its essence.

The fear of Allah

Brother Muhammad spoke about fear of Allah. What is the good of deeds done without any fear of Allah? But in order to possess the fear, some course must be there. That course, or means to possess the fear of Allah comes from Tariqah. A person cannot become Allah-fearing by himself (except for some particular ones, but here we don’t talk about them). The fear of Allah in someone can be achieved save through Tariqah only. To those, who say that Tariqah is not necessary or condemn it, one should reply, - is there belly without back? It is impossible! Or can body live without soul? - Definitely, no! Likewise both, sciences and Shari`a are inherent in the Tariqah. This is the first, I wanted to say.

Secondly, it has been said and written many times, should people not need an intermediary, then Allah would not have sent Jabrail (peace be upon him) with revelations to Prophets (peace be upon them). Wouldn’t Allah be able Himself to make a human being know these revelations [without angel Jabrail]? What other evidences one needs? As to the fear of Allah, lets assume someone gained knowledge of all sciences, he can easily get conceited about it, and from the past we know many such examples.

For example Iblis was worshipping Allah for 70,000 years, so on the surface of the earth did not remain a place where he would not prostrate in prayer (sujud). We know this from books, and it is widely known that having prayed in one place, we pray our next prayer slightly aside at another place, because the earth-spot on which we have made sujud will evidence about it in our favor. Hoping for the would be gain and becoming conceited about it, today we all know the Iblis’ end. How the surface of earth will bear evidences for him? See how it can turn out sometimes?

Lesson for us

Once angel Israfil (peace be upon him) was reading something on the Lawhul-Mahfuz [the Preserved Tablet] which was visible to him only. Its inscriptions said that one of the qurubiyuns [greatest angels] would go astray. Having read the pre-determination, Israfil (peace be upon him) was afraid that he might be one of them because there was no any name shown on it. He told about the seen to other great angels who, in turn, fell afraid for themselves too. They decided to go to Azazil, it is the former name of Iblis. Angels decided to ask him to pray for them before Allah, because Allah used to accept his pleas and du`a. Iblis started to pray, 'Oh Allah, do not make them follow wrong way and mislead others’. So he plead for them to asking to prevent them from going astray. Allah accepted his prayer (du`a) and made him as a wrong-doer himself. Because of his arrogance Iblis did not mention himself in the prayer. He did not even tried to think that he may fall into wrong way so he asked for Allah’s salvation all but for himself. And Allah protected them while the pleader himself became a wrong-doer. This is a great lesson for us. Having learnt this lesson, how can we feel conceited??

If someone would reproach an influential ruler, say, Stalin, even with a word during his lifetime, that someone would be immediately jailed. We know how people lived in continuous fear during Stalin’s reign. We should be much more afraid to leave this world in disbelief. However, if the ruler is merciful, then his people are hopeful for his mercy. The same should be in respect to the hope for the grace of Allah. We must live between fear and hope. To achieve such state a person needs Tariqah.

But as Muhammad was saying, many of those who enter into the Tariqah get few benefits only. And it does not depend on me only, for we all are people. Anyone in my place with the granted iznu/permission [2] can perform his duty, and the difference between us would be in nothing but iznu (permission). Therefore the end result depends on you, murids, yourselves only. For example, even if there is an electricity supply, will the broken lamp produce any light? Or if the water supply is running, can you get water with faulty water tap? The reason lies in ourselves only. The water is equally supplied to all, so open the taps, let everyone use it. Who strives to gain, he succeeds. While if someone fails to try, what's the fault of the one have provides water supply?

Everyone must try his/her best by themselves. We all have a lot of mistakes and sins, so Allah awarded us with repentance which resembles purifying body. But deliberately leaving adab and not paying due attention to it, makes the person to fail unless he rises with commitment and adab. Maintaing adab is very important for Murids.

Advise seeking

It was mentioned today about necessity in seeking advice in all matters from an ustaz. This is a very correct statement. I heard from someone the words of ustaz Shaykh Huseinil Muhammad from village of `Urib, “Ask ustaz even if intending to go to the lavatory”. Ask always, he said. It shows its high degree of importance, and this concerns murids.

But we know what times we live in now. Many hypocrites come to me seeking an advice, and these hypocrite have no i'tiqad (conviction). Moreover, they are not also aware that the lack of such conviction brings no any use for them. Let them know it is useless for them. They superficially ask me, and I answer them superficially in return. The most essential thing is the conviction, while its absence brings waste only.

The tariqah is a great wisdom
Some people create conflict and consider as enemies those who do not enter into Tariqah. How can you blame them? It is better to do shukr express gratitude for having the tariqah, it's not a small thing at all. We must do shukr, be thankful to Allah for all He has been giving and do not blame others. How can you blame them for what is deprived by Allah?

As I used to tell you, in my youth time my late mother often visited the village of `Urib. She was telling me about ustaz, and I used to object her that there would be no ustazes in akhir zaman. But this was until the predetermined moment only. When the moment arrived, I found these ustazes. It is the way life goes. We can not have low opinion of those who are not in the tariqah. And if someone does not want to believe, then pray to Allah for His guidance for him too.

Sometimes it happens that out of two friends one is in a wrong path while another is in a righteous one. And if the latter will fail to call to Islam his friend on the wrong path, then it can be that the wrong doer, being brought in front of Allah, will point to the righteous friend with words, ‘He did not say anything, though being my friend, and he did not guide me to the true path.’ So even for this reason, try to avoid arguing among each other, instead, brother to his brother, neighbor to his neighbor, friend to his friend, please call to Islam, explain and teach it.

Today, despite such hot sunny day, so many people gathered here because of the barakat coming from the great people. Thank you to all who came to visit us and the villagers. May Allah bring us together on the Judgment Day under the banner of Liwaul-hamd [3] like we gather today, inshaAllah! I hope that today here came true believers only. Certainly there are spies everywhere, so if they are here, then let them be. Likewise here may be believers (mu’mins) only. So today inshaAllah, we hope that with the help of Allah we will gather in the Akhirat just like as we did it here.

May Allah accept your ziyarah and amplify rewards thousand fold for those who built the madrasa, who helped it and all the jama’ah! Brother Muhammad was too critical about his madrasa. This is not really so, there is no need to lower your 'alims but yet there is need to make more efforts, and may Allah help in this!

[1]The angels who will question the dead in his/her grave.
[2] Iznu is a permission to teach the Tariqah to others.
[3] Liwaul-hamd is the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) banner on the Judgment Day.

From the speech at the majlis dedicated to the opening of the Islamic Institute named after Shaykh Muhammad Afandi in the village of Nizhny Batlukh of Shamilski district in 2005.