Embracing Difficulties: Being like Dog of Ashab al-Kahf as a Real Ticket to Jannah

April 16, 2026 April 22, 2026

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From the Realities of Mawlana (Q) as taught by Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ ٱلْرَّجِيمِ
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

A’uzu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

I seek refuge in Allah (AJ) from the accursed Satan
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘aalameen, was salaatu was salaamu ‘alaa Ashrafil Mursaleen, Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhammadul Mustafa ﷺ. Madad ya Sayyidi ya Rasulul Kareem, Ya Habibul ‘Azeem, unzur halana wa ishfa’lana, ‘abidona bi madadikum wa nazarekum.

Atiullah wa atiur Rasul wa Ulil amre minkum. Always a reminder for myself, ana abdukal ‘ajeez, wa dayeef, wa miskin, wa zhalim, wa jahl, and but for the grace of Allah (AJ) that we’re still in existence.

أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُم… ﴿٥٩﴾‏ …

4:59 – “…Atiullaha wa atiur Rasula wa Ulil amre minkum…” (Surat an-Nisa)

“…Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you…” (The Women, 4:59)

Cave of Safety and Month of Safar

Alhamdulillah that Allah (AJ) granted us a life to enter into the holy month of Safar and the realities of the holy cave. That cave, alhamdulillah, we described is the cave of safety, the reality of “A’uzu Billahi Minash shaitanir Rajeem.” That before anything of “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem” and every knowledge and every reality can open we have to seek refuge in those whom are in Allah’s (AJ) refuge. We have to be with them – nabiyeen (prophets), siddiqeen (truthful), shuhadayi (witnesses) wa saliheen (righteous) and Allah (AJ) described, ‘This is the best of company.’

وَمَن يُطِعِ اللّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاء وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَـئِكَ رَفِيقًا ﴿٦٩﴾

4:69 – “Wa man yuti’ Allaha war Rasola faolayeka ma’al ladheena an’ama Allahu ‘alayhim minan Nabiyeena, was Siddiqeena, wash Shuhadayi, was Saliheena wa hasuna olayeka rafeeqan.” (Surat An-Nisa)

“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger (pbuh) are in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Favours/Blessings – of the Prophets, the sincere Truthful, the Martyrs/Witnesses to the truth (who testify), and the Righteous, and excellent are those as companions.” (The Women, 4:69)

These are the people whom are with Allah (AJ). If we want to seek refuge from the devil and be with Allah (AJ) then we have to be with those whom are already with Allah (AJ). So this is the month in which to run from badness on this hijrah (migration) into the Divinely Presence. That, that reality opening for us is the holy cave. That we want a life like the Ashab ul Kahf (Companions of the Cave). That the people whom serve the Divinely cave and Divinely Presence and we want to be from amongst them and accompany them.

Enter in The Cave of Safety With Best of Manners

Alhamdulillah we described last night that Allah (AJ) gives for us the entryway. That even a dog taking difficulties and testings can enter into Divine grace. So that the reality is extremely high and entryway is very easy. That’s why Mawlana Shaykh (Q) Sultanul Awliya (king of saints) would describe make your way easier. That the way Prophet ﷺ, the people…. is an easy path. So, it doesn’t mean they have to reach such high levels of academia, such high levels of intellect that makes the path to be easy. If a dog can get in then everybody has a chance and all it requires is a mannerism and the adab and good character.

You’ll be Tested From Every Direction

Then to be reminded that because it hits you in an instant and people lose themselves in a blink of an eye. Because on paper is a philosophy, on paper it sounds good; ‘I should be patient.’ Seconds later they get tested and there is no sign of any patience. Because it hits you from every direction and we say, ‘Well, no this wasn’t a part of that. I was going to accept being tested in other things.’ So, Allah (AJ) is testing in any manner, in any fashion. That test comes at any moment and every rock that comes into our life it is an opening of Allah’s (AJ) rahmah (mercy).

Tajalli (Manifestation) of Divine Might Cleanses Us From the Oppression of Our Ego

If the rocks don’t fly then what happens? Then this tajalli of haybah (majestic power) majestic and the emanations of might and majesty that change the servant. Beatific emanation is something different. Without the emanation of might and majesty, there is no nobility in the soul. They just appear to be kind and that has an illusion. The completeness and the wholeness of the individual is Divine majesty and might. That might comes and pushes away evilness. That might comes and stands for truth against oppression and the oppression of the self – first and then the oppression of others. Because how can we stand for the oppression of others and help others if we didn’t fight the oppression within ourselves?

Fight Your Ego Before Fighting For Others!

So means that’s why emailing, ‘Oh I want to protest in this country. It is so important to protest and people are not allowed to come to protest.’ No, no there is no protest in tariqah (spiritual path). Because the reality is that we have to fight the inner oppression. Otherwise, we become hypocrites. We’re standing on the streets talking for freedom and ‘Don’t oppress and don’t, don’t do this, don’t do that,’ but yet within ourselves we are like an oppressor against our soul. We follow the whispers of shaitan (satan) and every evilness and wickedness and badness at the cost of our soul and the ticket towards the Divine reality.

So, tariqah comes and removes the hypocrisy and say: before we worry about all the people on the street we have to worry about that one who is going into the grave. Because you’re only going to be questioned about your grave. My Grave, your Grave – we only get questioned about our own grave. Not a politician, not a famous person, not anything. That we have to first stand for the truth of our own reality against the oppression of our own demons and devils and bad characteristics.

Destroy Hypocrisy to Reach The Divine

So this becomes an immense reality for the one who wishes to attain these Divine realities. ‘Who knows himself will know his Lord’.

قَال رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ:” مَنْ عَرَفَ نَفْسَهْ فَقَدْ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ”

Qala Rasulullahi ﷺ: “Man ‘arafa nafsahu faqad ‘arafa Rabbahu”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Who knows himself, knows his Lord.”

This is then all of the realities of entering into this cave. Those whom are inspired by Allah (AJ) to seek this particular type of teaching because they’re being inspired by Prophet ﷺ to complete this Hadith. That how would somebody who knows themself to know their lord, to know their authority? Because the correct translation of ‘Rab’ is ‘Authority.’ The only one who knows their nafs (ego) will understand what is authority and rules over them. This becomes the immense importance of reaching any type of Divine reality and Divine grace and the destruction of old hypocrisy. For hypocrisy keeps us the furthest away from the Divinely Presence.

Disbelief is disbelief so that’s in itself has its own reality. But to believe and to live a life of hypocrisy, that hypocrisy has to be shattered. In which we come to the true worshipness of Allah (AJ). To enter into the true grace of the Divinely Presence and to destroy all of the inner hypocrisies of the self. That I have to fight my inner demons, my inner bad characteristics. Understand what is it that governs me, why does it govern me. If it is good, alhamdulillah. It is not that I’ll have to busy myself to attack it, to fight it and to destroy it.

Jihadul Akbar (Greater Struggle) – Fighting Nafs for the Love of Allah (AJ)

Only at the time that those devils and that badness and that idol is destroyed, we step nearer into the Divinely Presence. That’s the immensity of the battle and that Prophet ﷺ described, ‘This is Jihadul Akbar. The fighting of other people is a jihad but the greatest one – Akbar is the one who fights themselves. Because the victory is what? Nothing, no reward, nobody giving your trophies, there is no bounty that you collected. It is a private reward for those whom believe because the reward comes from Allah (AJ).

They do it for the sake of the love of Allah (AJ). The shame that they feel of their character, this Love that they have for Allah (AJ) that they’re ashamed of their character. That, ‘Ya Rabbi don’t give up on me and make me to withdraw from my class. Let me to be inspired to always make You happy.’

Tariqah Has Limited Seats, Those Who Don’t Take It Serious are Replaced

That’s why at the beginning stages, the one of the most important zikrs (Divine remembrance) that Mawlana Shaykh (Q) described, “Illahi anta maqsodi, wa Ridaka Matlob.”

اِلَهِى اَنْتَ مَقْصُوْدِيْ وَرِضَاكَ مَطْلُوْبِيْ

“Illahi anta maqsodi, wa Ridaka Matlobi.”

“My God, You are my aim, and Your Satisfaction is what I seek.”

That, ‘I’m begging Your forgiveness and seeking Your satisfaction.’ “Illahi anta maqsodi, wa Ridaka Matlob” – ‘I beg Your forgiveness and seek Your satisfaction.’ Forgiveness for what? ‘You gave me a seat to the reality and I’m not achieving it and that I want to reach Your satisfaction.’ So that Allah (AJ) doesn’t tire from us and say, ‘You’re not seem like you’re going to take this path seriously and you’re not doing anything about this path. So might as well take you out and bring somebody else.’ Seating is limited. Allah’s (AJ) mercy is unlimited but the seating is limited. There is only so many of these souls that are teaching this reality so that they become stars on a dark night.

That formula signifies that the darkness would be more and the illuminated souls would be less. That’s the reality of why we have dark skies and little bit of stars to illuminate our reality. If Allah (AJ) wanted He could have made every day just daylight. Everybody would have born into these realities. They would have been born purified and that would have been the reality of angels. What sets us apart from angels is our free will. As a result of free will, Allah (AJ) raises the darajah and the station of the servant to be very high. Above the station of angels. Because they have a choice – they have a choice not to participate and not to raise their reality. But when they do, Allah (AJ) grants them an immense reward.

Majestic Might and the Light of Wisdom

We pray in this month of the cave that Allah (AJ) grant us a deeper understanding. Every year is a deeper realities. “Subhana man huwa ‘Alimul Hakim” – ‘The All-Knowing and The All-Wise.’

سُبْحَانَ الْعَلِيْمُ الْحَكِيمْ

Subhanal ’Alimul Hakim
Glory be to the All-Knowing, the Wise

This is a month of majestic might. So then we say, ‘Okay majestic might,’ and then this is the month of ‘Alimul Hakim (The All-Knowing, The Wise). That Allah (AJ) wants to grant knowledges. He wants to make the person from the ancient reality of ‘Alim and the ancient reality of Hakim, hikmah (wisdom). So that they have a wisdom. Because knowledge without wisdom, wisdom without knowledge then is incomplete. So, this tajalli of majestic might and majesty has an immense, immense importance in the way of knowledges and wisdom. So by virtue of those dressings and lights upon the soul, it lays the foundation for Divinely knowledges and wisdom. The wisdom comes from the grace of Divine. Divine wisdom is a humbleness and humility within the soul in which Allah (AJ) inspires every word of knowledge to have the wisdom and hikmah behind it. That its use and its application of the knowledge. That it is not a knowledge that harms but nourishes and encourages the soul, inshaAllah.

Subhana rabbika rabbal ‘izzati ‘amma yasifoon, wa salaamun ‘alal mursaleen, walhamdulillahi rabbil ‘aalameen. Bi hurmati Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ wa bi siri Surat al-Fatiha.

Special thanks to our transcribers for their help with transcribing this suhbah.

Original Date of Suhbah: August 18, 2023

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