
Secrets of Yaqeen (Certainty) Taught by the Men of Allah
Secrets of Yaqeen (Certainty) –
Taught by RijalAllah (Men of Allah)
‘Ilmul Yaqeen, ‘Aynul Yaqeen, wa Haqqul Yaqeen
(Knowledge of Certainty, Vision of Certainty, and Truth of Certainty)
From the Realities of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham as Taught by Shaykh As Sayed Nurjan Mirahmadi
Related Article –
– “What does ‘Abd’ullah mean? Ancient Knowledges”
A’udhu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
Alhamdulillah, a reminder for myself always that any time we ask for permission to move towards haqqayiq and realities, realities of the self: who knows himself, will know his Lord from the holy hadith of Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, that it requires patience. And that patience, from what we don’t understand or our knowledge is incomplete, not to become confused but to have patience and meditate and contemplate.
Allah ‘Azza wa Jal describes that all realities of samawati wal ard are known to the people of mutafakkirun; they tafakkur, they contemplate.
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعاً مِّنْهُ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لَّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
45:13 – “Wa sakhkhara lakum ma fis Samawati wa ma fil Ardi jamee’an minhu, inna fee dhalika la ayatin liqawmin yatafakkaron.” (Surat al Jathiya)
“And He has subjected to you [Ya Muhammad (saws)], as from Him, all that is in the heavens and on earth: Behold, in that are Signs indeed for those who reflect [Contemplate and Meditate].” ( Holy Quran, The Crouching, 45:13)
That nothing will be from just the eyes; that you see it and you understood it, but to use all of the elements to bring that reality for our lives and to make that what we heard to be real for us.
‘ilmul yaqeen علم اليقين – Knowledge of Certainty has to be Experienced
We were talking yesterday about ‘ilm ul yaqeen, ‘ayn al yaqeen, and haqq ul yaqeen. Reminder always that ‘ilm ul yaqeen is a knowledge, but a knowledge based on taste. Whether you read the knowledge and you accompanied the teachers of knowledge, what they want for us is to have real knowledge conveyed by people who are real. And they experience that knowledge and it is upon their soul. They talk to you from their soul and not from their mind. And an example that we gave is an example in our lives.
That it has to be real for the person speaking, not just from books. You can read a book and any book you like, but the mutafakkirun and the people of tafakkur, they have to take that, meditate and contemplate on that and it has to become something real for them. Otherwise you’re not able to convey and in Naqshbandiya, not allowed to convey that which you haven’t tasted, because it’s not real for you, although it’s a reality.
An Example of Teaching From book, without Experience
One example to understand that is somebody giving you a brochure for Hawaii. And we talked about that example the other day. Somebody sends you a brochure, says, “Yes, here’s this beautiful island of Hawaii. The hotel is like this, the sands are beautiful and white, the ocean is beautiful and green and the restaurants are like this,” he’s reading the brochure and he’s never been to Hawaii. So he’s reading this brochure to you to sell you the package to go there, which he has never gone there. Why he’s selling you the package for somewhere he has never gone? That’s one. That’s the understanding because in basic English we can understand it. As soon as you turn it into Islamic terminology, people will get confused.
So you’re now selling me a package that you haven’t gone. “Yeah, yeah, it doesn’t matter. What’s the difference, the sand is beautiful sand. I see the picture, you’ll see that picture when you go there. The ocean is very beautiful. The hotels look marvelous.” And they sell you on that package, having never gone.
For somebody who has gone to a place, immediately he goes into the ocean and finds, hey, this sand that you showed, inside the ocean is all jagged coral. Because Hawaii is known for their jagged coral, that many people go in and they cut all their feet. Many people who surf on those waves, when they have an accident, they can become all cut up. They become shredded and they call it shredding.
People of Haqqayiq swim in the Ocean of Realities
But you had to have been in that ocean to have understood: there’s something in that ocean that’s dangerous. There’s something of other realities in that ocean that’s not visible from the picture that you are seeing. And the people of haqqayiq, means Allah ‘Azza wa Jal took them to that sand and they looked. Allah took them to the ocean and they went in. And in the ocean they discovered what’s happening in that ocean. They understood those are corals, there’s danger, there’s jewels, there’s gems. Means that their life is based on experience.
If you’re selling me a package and a brochure, and reading something and reading it to me by translating it, but you have not yet tasted it and made it to be real for you, that’s not the ‘ilm ul yaqeen (knowledge of certainty) that they’re talking about.
كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ
102:7 – “Kal la law t’alamoona ‘ilm al yaqeen.“ (Surat At Takathur)
“No! If you only knew with knowledge of certainty.” (Holy Quran)
‘Ilm ul yaqeen is to take these realities, these loves, the shari’a, tariqa, ma’rifa, haqqiqa, all these levels of this reality, is then to make this real for ourselves.
So we take a knowledge and we begin to take a path of tafakkur. That, ‘ya Rabbi, I want from these ‘ilm ul yaqeen and I want to be taught from the people of yaqeen’, the people of inner certainty. That the knowledge they convey is not a knowledge that they read. But some of them, you may even find them to be ummi: they are not read people, they are not professionally trained in schools. Means even more a sign, the knowledge that comes is coming from the knowledge of the heart, that: that ‘ilm that they convey to you is not something that they read but Allah ‘Azza wa Jal put them through to taste from that understanding and it became a yaqeen and a truth for them.
As soon as they took the knowledge and they took a path of tafakkur and contemplate, and they begin all their lives to sit and contemplate, and contemplate. And they make a room like a qabr (grave), what we talked before. They cut the lights, they put a candle and they begin to take a way of meditation. And they begin to know all of their defects and all of their characteristics.
Only through all that struggling and striving against themselves, then Allah ‘Azza wa Jal begins to open, that when they have sincerity, Allah ‘Azza wa Jal begins to open upon their heart. They begin to hear what people can’t hear, they begin to see what people can’t see; they begin to feel and taste and smell what people can’t. And all of these are from hadith. These are not from people making up cuckoo stories. This is holy hadith of Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
وَلَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ، فَإِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْت سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ، وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ، وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا، وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا، وَلَئِنْ سَأَلَنِي لَأُعْطِيَنَّهُ، وَلَئِنْ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لَأُعِيذَنَّهُ…” – رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِي
“…, wa la yazaalu ‘Abdi yataqarrabu ilayya bin nawafile hatta ahebahu, fa idha ahbabtuhu kunta Sam’ahul ladhi yasma’u behi, wa Basarahul ladhi yubsiru behi, wa Yadahul lati yabTeshu beha, wa Rejlahul lati yamshi beha, wa la in sa alani la a’Teyannahu, …”
“…My servant continues to draw near to Me with voluntary acts of worship so that I shall love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him…” Hadith Qudsi (Sahih al-Bukhari, 81:38:2)
Allah ‘Azza wa Jal said, “Come with voluntary worship, not your fard. Fard you have to do, Do things on a voluntary basis because voluntary shows love.” That Allah ‘Azza wa Jal is teaching us, “Come with love to Me. If I find sincerity in the love that you are doing and the way that you are performing, I will be the hearing in which you hear.”
That hearing is an eternal hearing; it goes with you to the grave, goes with you to aakhirah that your soul is an open soul. Don’t say ‘I’ll be your ears’ but ‘I’ll be your sifat of hearing. I will dress you from My Sami’ (The All Hearing), that you’ll hear from My attributes, you’ll see from My attributes. You’ll feel and taste and breathe from My Attributes. My Hand upon your hand. Your hand will have power. My Feet upon your feet. (My feet means) the feet of Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam”. Allah ‘Azza wa Jal has no hands and no feet. That dress is the dress upon Sayyiduna Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
‘Aynul Yaqeen عين اليقين – Vision of Certainty
Means that Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam’s madad and support, support us and dress us. That becomes ‘ayn al yaqeen.
ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ الْيَقِينِ
102:7 – “Thum ma la tara wun naha ‘ayn al yaqeen.“ (Surat At Takathur )
“Then you will surely see it with the eye of certainty.” (Holy Quran, 102:7)
That the knowledges that you are being fed are from the people of ‘ilm ul yaqeen. And the knowledges that you are taking and beginning to train yourself with tafakkur to open the ‘ayn, open the eye of the heart.
Ayn ع – Al ‘Aleem العليم – Ancient Knowledges
Even more in depth is Allah’s ancient ‘Ayn ع. Because the ‘ayn عين is not only your eye but Allah’s Sifat al ‘Aleem العليم that: “I’m going to open for you My Ancient ‘Aleem.”
Sifat al-‘Aleem, Allah’s ancient Knowledges, so that to dress you and bless you, “No doubt your soul will be open but what I’m going to grant you of yaqeen, from this ancient ‘Ayn ع ,” that all knowledges and all realities coming from that sifat. If Allah ‘Azza wa Jal begin to dress you from that ‘Ayn, means He’s taking you to become from ibadullah عِبَادَ الله , ‘cause you’ve been in training of rijalullah. You cannot be from rijalullah رِجَالَ الله if you are not sitting in zikr; you’re sitting at home you are wasting your time. If you are going from place to place looking for some authority in dunya, you are wasting your time.
Look for the authority with Allah ‘Azza wa Jal. The olul amr, they are the people who are under Allah ‘Azza wa Jal’s amr. They are taking commands from Allah ‘Azza wa Jal through the heart of Sayyiduna Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: ateeullah attee ar Rasul wa Olul amri minkum.
4:59 – “Ya ayyu hal latheena amanoo Atiu Allaha wa atiur Rasola wa Ulil amre minkum…“ (Surat an-Nisa)
“O You who have believed, Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you (People of Real knowledge). ” (The Women, 4:59)
Means then they teach us: then seek those, seek those who, their knowledge is real knowledge. Their hearts are open, their souls are open means they are training you now to be from rijalullah. Because when we’re asking, ‘Ya rijalullah, ya ibaadullah, ya ibaadullah, ya rijalullah’, ‘ya raijanullah’ they are the ones training.
عِبَادَ الله رِجَالَ الله أَغِيثُونَا بِأَهْلِ الله
وَکُونُوا عَوْنَنَا فِي الله عَسَی نَحْظَی بِفَضْلِ الله
‘IbadAlah RijalAllah Agheethuna bi ahlillah
Wa kunu ‘aunana fillah ‘Asa nahzha bi fadlilla
O’ God’s servants, O’ Men of Allah, Bring relief to us, O’ people of Allah
May we get the favours of Allah, And be our help for God’s sake
And Allah ‘Azza wa Jal describes them in Surat ul Noor that: “Neither business nor merchandising distracts them.”
24:37 – “Rijalun la tulheehim tijaratun wa la bay’un ‘an Dhikrillahi wa iqamis Salati wa eetayiz Zakati,…” (Surah an Nur)
“By men of God (Rijal) whom neither business/trade nor sale distracts (them) from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of regular Charity…” (Holy Quran, The Light)
They are waiting for their covenant from Allah ‘Azza wa Jal. They’re waiting to fulfill their covenant from Allah ‘Azza wa Jal ‘cause they have to work. They have to live in dunya. They’re not hidden in the mountains. Those are a different class of awliya. That they are among people. They are doing their trade, they’re doing their work, they’re doing everything they had to do just like Sahabi (companions of prophet (saws): they had to work, they had to earn, they had to do what they have to do but it didn’t distract them from the remembrance of their Lord and they are waiting for Allah ‘Azza wa Jal’s approval. If Allah ‘Azza wa Jal grant them mawt qabl al mawt that, “You are like a dead one in dunya but you are alive with Us, in Our Divinely Presence”.
Undrestand Reality of ABD عبد (Servant)
عبد = ع ,ب ,د
ABD = DAL, BA, `AYN
Means dressing that ‘ayn upon the servant (‘abd). From that ‘ayn, begin to dress you from the Bahr ul Qudra ‘cause the ‘abd has to have the ba. What is the ba? Means, “All my ‘Ayn is coming onto Holy Qur’an. All My Ancient Knowledges are moving through that Holy Qu’ran. And all of Qur’an in Fatiha, all of Fatiha in Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, all of Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem in ba.”
‘Abd عبد (servant) is not a slave like in dunya: you buy them and release them and use them and abuse them. ‘Abd عبد is someone whom Allah ‘Azza wa Jal taking to His Divinely Presence. Dressing them from Ancient Knowledges, throwing their souls into ba ب – Bahr al Qudra. And the dal د that’s giving to them, that they are the dalil دليل , the guides for all of creation. For their time of earth they are a guide and for their time in the heavens, they will be in an eternal position of guidance under the dress and the lights of the Muhammadiyun.
Means that’s ‘ilm ul yaqeen, that Allah ‘Azza wa Jal wants us to receive from those knowledges. As they train you to become rijalullah means that you begin to train and train that: “Ya Rabbi, what I’m seeking is not here, not in this physical world but in Your Divinely Presence. I’m going to use my physical world in doing hasanat, wa akhirah hasanat. I want to get to the aakhirah and the realities of aakhirah.
2:201 – “Rabbana atina fed dunya hasanatan wa fel akhirati hasanatan wa qina ‘adhaban naar.” (Surah al Baqarah)
“Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” (The Cow 2:201)
I’m going to use my time in dunya to achieve that hasanat of aakhirah, ya Rabbi.” So means then: use your sustenance in that way. Use your time in that way. Use everything that Allah ‘Azza wa Jal has given to you in the way of becoming from rijalullah, the men of Allah ‘Azza wa Jal, those whom Allah ‘Azza wa Jal is pleased with.
Haqqul Yaqeen – Truth of Certainty
When Allah ‘Azza wa Jal, is pleased with that servant, He begins to dress that servant with sincerity. When they train and learn how to block out the dunya (material world) and open up the aakhirah (hereafter), open their heart, then Allah ‘Azza wa Jal begin to dress them from haq yaqeen– the certainty of haq (truth).
إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَهُوَ حَقُّ الْيَقِينِ
56:95 – “Inna hadha la huwa haq qul yaqeen.” (Surat Al Waqi’ah )
“Indeed, this is the true certainty.” (Holy Quran, The Inevitable)
And brick by brick, this haq begins to open because they begin to have visions. They begin to hear the realities, see the reality, taste the reality. It is a haq for them. Then he asked that Allah ‘Azza wa Jal described: “I created the heavens and the earth in haq.” So then they take you into haq.
39:5 – “Khalaqas samawati wal arda bil Haqqi, … ala huwal ‘Azizul Ghaffar.” (Surah az
Zumur)
“He created the heavens and earth in truth. …Unquestionably, He is the Exalted in Might and Power, the Perpetual Forgiver ( who constantly forgives). (Holy Quran)
If Allah ‘Azza wa Jal going to open for you haq (truth), they begin to train you in the way of ma’rifa, that when you say ‘Allahu Haq’, no doubt ‘Allah ‘Azza wa Jal, Allahu Haq’.
But they want to go deep into that reality that Allah ‘Azza wa Jal for us, beyond contemplation.
Don’t contemplate Allah (AJ), Contemplate the Ocean of HAQ حق
Don’t contemplate Allah ‘Azza wa Jal. Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “When you want to contemplate, contemplate creation.”
Don’t look to the whereness, the howness and the whyness of Allah ‘Azza wa Jal– not for us! Allah ‘Azza wa Jal is Owner of the attributes, is a description of attributes for the Divine, but by means of those Divines, you can never attribute them to Allah ‘Azza wa Jal.
You can’t say ‘Allah is Hay’ because we are people of life and death. Allah ‘Azza wa Jal’s not in the ocean of life and death; but it’s a description; that the Ever-Living and everything that’s ever-living coming from the Creator. So they said ‘Don’t go there; don’t try to figure out and to understand Allah ‘Azza wa Jal’.
What Allah ‘Azza wa Jal wants from us is then they teach you to go into that haq; go into that ocean of creation. Learn the oceans of realities that: ya Rabbi, who knows himself will know his Lord.
مَنْ عَرَفَ نَفْسَهْ فَقَدْ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ
“Man ‘arafa nafsahu faqad ‘arafa Rabbahu”
“Who knows himself, knows his Lord.” Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
As soon as I go into myself, I want to know that my soul and my light coming from Muhammadun RasulAllah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. That soul is the soul of haq. That reality and light is the haq of Allah ‘Azza wa Jal. That is the truth of Allah ‘Azza wa Jal ‘cause la sharik: there’s no place that you can go to see Allah ‘Azza wa Jal. When Allah ‘Azza wa Jal wants us to see is look to Muhammadun RasolAllah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
Haq حق (Truth) and Secret of the Ocean of Creation
HAQ حق
Ha Qaf ح ق
Al Hay, Al Qayyum الحي القيوم
That light and that soul is made from ha qaf حق: ha ح from oceans of Hayat حيات (al-Hay الحي) and qaf ق is from oceans of al Qayyum القيوم , from the Ever-Eternal. So what makes the haq حق , and anything to be from the reality of haq, from the reality of Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam’s soul, that, “We created insaan from nafs al wahid,”
… خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا
39:6 – “Khalaqakum min nafsin wahidatin thumma ja’ala minha zawjaha…” (Surat Az Zumar)
“He created you (all) from one soul: then created, of like nature, his mate;…” (The Troops 39:6)
From one soul all creation is coming. All the samawati wal ard has been created by this haq حق and it is hay حي (ever-living). Not like your dunya, where everything comes and goes and destroyed and dead. And Allah wants us to always see it by the seasons. See there’s all these are green, a few months later all of them are dead. “Don’t put your love in that which is perishing, but My heavens and your malakut, the origin of your light, it’s hay حي (ever-living).” And because it’s hay , Allah ‘Azza wa Jal is supporting its life by giving it to be qayyum قيوم . Its sustenance is coming from Allah ‘Azza wa Jal.
Soul is Ever-living and Sustained by Allah (aj)
Means that greater haq and the reality of that soul that is encompassing everything it’s haq. From the drop, Allah ‘Azza wa Jal gives to your soul to be haq. Your soul is alive; it’s hayyul qayyum. You don’t feed your soul and there’s nobody that can starve your soul. Its sustenance comes from Allah ‘Azza wa Jal.
Means that’s the haq yaqeen that they want to take us: is that these knowledges are your hearing, are they going to take you to that destination or they’re wasting your time? The political understanding of Islam is for what? What is it going to do for your soul and is it going to take you any closer to haq? Is it going to open up the reality of al Hayyat and to be from the servants of al Hayyat?
Where Nabi Musa alayhis salaam wanted to meet one of those Muhammadan servants. And the sign from the two rivers were the fish came to life: the dead fish for lunch came to life.. Ajaba, that is came to life and jumped into the water and that was the sign of al-Hayyat.
18:63 – “Qala araayta idh awayna ilas sakhrati fa-innee naseetu alhoota wa ma ansaneehu illash shaytanu an adhkurahu, wat takhadha sabeela hu fee al bahri ‘ajaba.” (Surat Al-Kahf 18:63)
He said, “Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot [there] the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan – that I should mention it. And it took its course into the sea amazingly”. (The Cave 18:63)
And if Allah ‘Azza wa Jal dressed us from al-Hayyat, begin to dress us from al-Qayyum and that that soul is sustained by Allah ‘Azza wa Jal. If we can reach towards the reality of eternity means then we achieved what Allah ‘Azza wa Jal wanted us to achieve in this material world.
Don’t Waste time in Dunya – Spend it in Zikrullah to Reach Ever-living
That we waste out time in accounting, in law, in this and that, everything that we’re doing and think that we are accomplishing something and building something, and all of it is an illusion. You do what you have to do to pay your bills but at night, Imam Ali said, “As if the world is coming to an end; in the morning as if it’s going to be forever.” Work hard, but at night, struggling with our self, our zikr, our awrad and our practices, our tafakkur, our contemplation.
As much as we can, to come to zikr and to majlis an-Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, for the love of Sayyiduna Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, to cleanse and to purify and to be taught from ‘ilm ul-yaqeen. To be trained in ‘ayn al-yaqeen so that Allah ‘Azza wa Jal dress us from that Sifat al-‘Aleem. And then from that, Allah ‘Azza wa Jal dress us from the haq yaqeen, that to reach certainty.
“Ya Rabbi, I want to be dressed from Bahr ul-Hayyat. I want to reach the qayyum, to the eternal souls and springs, that when you quench my soul with that from the oceans of Kawthar, to reach towards its realities and its blessings.”
We pray that Allah ‘Azza wa Jal dress us from these lights, bless us from these lights; and next few months, the opening of the holy month of Rajab, holy month of Sha’ban and the holy month of Ramadaan. We pray that Allah ‘Azza wa Jal give us life to see those months and give us the himmah (zeal) to accomplish what needs to be accomplished for our soul.
Subhana rabbika rabbal ‘izzati ‘amma yasifoon, wa salaamun ‘alal mursaleen, walhamdulillahi rabbil ‘aalameen. Bi hurmati Muhammad al-Mustafa wa bi siri surat al-Fatiha.
[Special thanks to sister Saira and sister Hafsa for their help with transcribing this suhbat.]