Sufi students standing in desert looking in the distance at Madina Sharif

Traversing Ashura Through the Six Prophets

July 4, 2025 July 4, 2025

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

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

A’uzu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

I seek refuge in Allah 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)

The Most Powerful Point in the Lataif is From Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ

Beyond the understanding of time that in the understanding of the levels of the heart we have from Sayyidina Adam (as), Sayyidina Nuh (as), Sayyidina Ibrahim (as), Sayyidina Musa (as), Sayyidina Isa (as) and the most powerful point in the lataif (subtle energy points) of the heart is from the understanding Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ. We talked the other night about the pursuit of the Divinely fire, what they call “Shamsun diya wa qamaron nooran”.

﴾هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ… ﴿٥

10:5 – “Huwal ladhee ja’alash shamsa Diya an wal qamara Nooran …” (Surat Yunus)

“It is He who made the sun a shining glory/splendor and the moon to be a light (of beauty) …” (Jonah, 10:5)

Rabbaniyoon are Moons Giving Out Light

It’s the difference between the diya (fire) and the nur (light). The diya is a Divine light and what grants someone rida. Allah’s (AJ) satisfaction is the ra next to the diya. It means these are the Rabbaniyoon (Lordly Souls) to whom Allah (AJ) is rida, is satisfied and has granted them an eternal light. They reach towards their eternal reality. As a result, they’re like shining moons, they’re giving out nur. So, they are teaching us that to open the heart, “Qalb al mu’min baitullah”.

قَال رَسُولَ اللَّه ﷺ، قَالْ اللَّه عَزَ وَجَلْ: ” قَلْبَ الْمُؤْمِنْ بَيْتُ الرَّب.” [حَدِيثْ اَلْقُدْسِي]

Qala Rasulallahi ﷺ, Qala Allah (AJ): “ “Qalb al mu’min baytur rabb.” [Hadith al Qudsi]

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, that Allah (AJ) said:“The heart of the believer is the House of the Lord.” (Holy Hadith)

Sayyidina Adam (as) Spent 40 Years Asking for Forgiveness

It means then for everything for us is how to bring this light and this love, this submission, this way, this faith – everything into the heart. Opening of the holy month of Muharram, the first ten days of Muharram and then the reality of the opening on Ashura. That every Prophet (as) has an eternal reality for us and starting from Sayyidina Adam (as). Because Sayyidina Adam (as) was sent onto this dunya (material world) because of a sin within paradise and he begins to teach us, ‘I was saved on Ashura’.

That after how many years, awliyaullah (saints) say 40 years on dunya of crying and in sajdah (prostration) making du’a (supplication) to Allah (AJ) that that du’a (supplication) was accepted. Then they begin to inspire then the first understandings of Ashura. It means in this pursuit of the heart when we’re sitting with the openhearted and we’re asking, ‘Ya Rabbi, grant us an open heart. Grant us the lights within our heart.’ Then Allah (AJ) inspiring that you all follow the way of all the prophets (as). They will inspire within us our path and our understanding.

There Must Be Tawbah for Us Coming Onto This Earth

It means then the first door of opening is that Allah (AJ) has to accept our tawbah (repentance), that our forgiveness. That there has to be a tawbah for coming onto this Earth and the sins that we either inherit or we begin to accumulate because this is the abode of sins. We left the clean of paradise and now destined to head onto Earth.

So, it means then Sayyidina Adam (as) is teaching us that Allah (AJ) has to grant your maghfirah, your forgiveness. The tawbah has to be accepted and as a result of Allah (AJ) accepting forgiveness, “Allama isma kullaha”.

﴾وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا ﴿٣١

2:31 – “Wa ‘allama Adamal Asma a kullaha…” (Surat Al-Baqarah)

“And He taught Adam the names of all things…” (The Cow, 2:31)

Muharram is the First Month in the Hijri Calendar

It means that Allah (AJ) will teach you all the names. So, Sayyidina Adam (as) is that the nobility of our creation will begin to open within the heart. The first step is that Allah (AJ) has to accept your forgiveness, has to accept our repentance. That we’re asking to be forgiven. As a result of being forgiven, Allah (AJ) will begin to grant Divinely knowledges. “Isma kullaha” means all the realities of the heavens and the Earth.

That’s why Muharram begins at base 9 for awliyaullah (saints). We move 1 through 12. First month – 1. Second month – 2. They’re at base 9 because the superiority and the reality of 9. The numeric 9 is the sultan (king) of numbers. It’s the submission of numbers so the ninth surah (chapter), Surah Tawbah. No “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem means” that you have to enter into tawbah with Bismillah Allahu Akbar”. ‘Ya Rabbi, let me to be halal for You, let me to give myself entirely for You and that accept my repentance and my forgiveness and begin to grant me from Your knowledges and Your Divine realities.’

If Dunya Knowledges are Powerful, Heavenly Knowledges are Immense

What Allah (AJ) wants for us? He doesn’t want an accounting degree and business degree. He says, ‘Seek knowledge. Seek knowledge.’

قَال رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ: “أُطْلُبُوا الْعِلْمَ وَلَوْ فِي الصِّيْنِ.”

Qala Rasulullahi ﷺ: “Uthlubul ‘ilma walaw fis Seen.”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Seek knowledge even (if it is) in China.” 

That Divine lights and energies, when they begin to dress you, the result of that are Divinely knowledges. They say knowledge is power in dunya (material world). We see that now with some man – he has a little bit of knowledge on people and the whole world is chasing him.

This is a sign for the believers. If you have information on people, they coming after you and everybody now is playing with what knowledge they have for dunya purposes. Allah (AJ) saying, ‘My Divinely knowledges are Divinely power on your soul because My knowledges are eternal. They’re an eternal dress upon your soul. It has no beginning and no end’.

Sayyidina Nuh (as) Built a Ship of Safety With Unwavering Faith

So, the importance of the Ashura is that Allah (AJ) accept our repentance like He accepted Sayyidina Adam’s (as) repentance. That Allah (AJ) begin the process of opening of all the names, all the realities, Divinely knowledges. We begin then to move and Sayyidina Nuh (as) from the qalb (heart) to the sir (secret). At the level of the sir, Sayyidina Nuh (as) begins to inspire, ‘You’ll be given a task in your life and you have to complete that task no matter what anybody says’. That every test is going to come to you to take you off your path, to make you be distracted from your path and then the whole example of Sayyidina Nuh (as).

40 years, build a ship on a mountain with no rain and his community tortured him, antagonized him, came against him so that he would stop. Sayyidina Nuh (as) comes and teaches: this is the ship of faith. Allah (AJ) will give everyone a task that you have to do in your life. Maybe nobody understands why you’re doing it, but you are doing it to complete your faith. Sayyidina Nuh (as) was saved on Ashura. His ship was saved from the flood of ignorance and was granted a docking. It means a new reality that that ship that we build is the soul and the reality of the soul.

Guard Your Soul and Keep It Safe When Allah (AJ) Forgives You

Then we’re asking, ‘Ya Rabbi, that you accepted my forgiveness.’ It’s ongoing, this is an ongoing. You don’t leave one and then you just go to the next. Ongoing, asking for maghfirah (forgiveness), ongoing asking, ‘Ya Rabbi, save me from the flood of ignorance.’

Allah (AJ) says, ‘If you know if ignorance is all around, don’t play with fire. Don’t keep going to where you know is going to be bad. That once I save you, keep yourself saved. Build your ship which is your soul. Your soul knows how to return back to Me and I will grant it an ease on Ashura where that soul lands on Divinely oceans and Divinely oceans and safety.’ It means the Divinely land of safety. When Allah (AJ) saves and then we land, landing on the oceans or the lands of safety, the island of safety to be granted our forgiveness and our safety.

Sayyidina Ibrahim (as) Reached the Station of Khalilullah, Friend of Allah (AJ)

Then Sayyidina Ibrahim (as), at the level of the Sirr e Sir (secret of the secret), begins to inspire that if Allah (AJ) is granting safety and bringing you on to the shores of safety, then you must know that you are moving now towards His Divinely fire. Sayyidina Ibrahim (as) was saved when the fire of Nimrod. He built a fire to burn and to destroy Sayyidina Ibrahim (as).

Sayyidina Ibrahim (as) has the quality of Khalilullah (friend of Allah (AJ)), that he has an intimate relationship with the Divinely Presence and the Divine teaching us that, ‘If I’m accepting your forgiveness and saving you and granting you to a najat (salvation), to a safety, most definitely you have a very intimate relationship with Me’. Because you’re always praying, always crying unto your Lord. Sayyidina Ibrahim (as) comes and begins that is the friendship with the Divinely Presence. Then on Ashura, he was saved from the fire of Nimrod. It means, “Qulna ya naaru, kunee Bardan wa Salaman ‘ala Ibrahim.”

﴾قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ﴿٦٩

21:69 – “Qulna ya naaru, kunee Bardan wa Salaman ‘ala Ibrahim.” (Surat Al-Anbiya)

“We said, O fire, be cool and Peaceful upon Abraham.” (The Prophets, 21:69)

That we’re praying that, ‘Ya Rabbi, that the fire of Nimrod is the fire of everything around us that constantly throws to us to make us to be mad, to make us to be angry and to make us to leave our path.’ When Allah (AJ) grants the reality, “Qulna ya naaru, kunee Bardan wa Salaman ‘ala Ibrahim,” it means that, ‘Don’t worry. That when you’re coming into My intimate fire and to My intimate love, coming to My Divinely Presence…’ which is the love of Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ, love of all the prophets (as). They’re now inviting us onto their shore.

All Bad Characteristics Fall Under the Guise of Anger

We’re asking to leave the shores of the dirtiness of this dunya (material world) and be granted movement towards the safety. Then they begin to describe that this safety, this Divinely fire, Allah (AJ) has to grant a safety against ghadab and anger. The number one root of every sickness and every bad characteristic is anger. You say, ‘Well, Shaykh, there’s jealousy. There’s envy. There’s enmity.’ There’s all these different characteristics. But they’re only bad because of the anger. Because the fire of anger will come out and then jealousy will make you to ignite and burn everything. Every characteristic, its dirtiness is based because of the fire of anger. It brings out the flame and begins to attack.

If the fire of anger is not there, then what’s the difficulty of jealousy? It means it becomes non-existent. The bad trait comes, there’s no fire and goes. ‘I don’t really care.’ All the characteristics, they don’t take root if there’s no fire of anger. That is the fire of Nimrod. It means everything around us is like a Nimrod trying to throw and see if you ignite, throw and see if you ignite. As soon as you ignite, Prophet ﷺ taught ghadab (anger) is kufr (disbelief). As soon as you become angry, you left belief. You become angry enough all the time. You find yourself all the time outside of belief because in a moment of anger, you leave your faith. You can do horrible things that you never thought would be a part of a person with faith.

Real Wudu is to Purify Within

So, Sayyidina Ibrahim (as) is teaching that constant washing, constant wudu (ablution), constant thought that, ‘Ya Rabbi, Qulna ya naaru, kunee Bardan wa Salaman ‘ala Ibrahim. As you saved Sayyidina Ibrahim (as) on this Ashura, save me, ya Rabbi, from ghadab. Save me from anger.’ That every time I’m making a wudu, that this wudu to be a real wudu. “Bardan wa Salaman”. Let it to be a coolness not that I’m only washing my worthless body. It’s not about washing the body. The body going into the grave. The body has to be washed but the reality of that wudu is that, ‘Ya Rabbi, let my heart to be washed’ because every action has a reaction. Allah (AJ) is by cause and effect. We’re washing to show Allah (AJ) that, ‘Ya Rabbi, wash my heart. What’s the purpose of my clean body with a horrible heart?’

It means zahiris (external understanding), they’re only worried about washing with wudu. The body is going into the grave. But the people of internal reality are teaching, ‘Ya Rabbi, grant me a real wudu.’ When I’m washing that my heart to be washed, my bad characteristics to be washed. I know and I’m identifying this fire. It means this Ashura, let me to be saved from the fire of my own ignorance, the fire of ignorance all around and make that fire to be the ishq of love, Divinely love. That give me a control on that anger so that it doesn’t explode and harm but that I’m able to contain it, contain and contain it.

Nabi Musa’s (as) Nation was Saved By Running From Fir’aun

Then Nabi Musa (as) steps in and Nabi Musa (as) describes that, ‘Ashura I was saved from Fir’aun (Pharaoh)’ because all of them are teaching us. That, ‘As you have difficulty around you, we had the same difficulty, even thousand times worse’. If they describe the tortures of Fir’aun is unimaginable, unimaginable.

It means that everyone has a difficulty and Nabi Musa (as) comes and begins to inspire within the heart that, ‘You have to run from Fir’aun and that I was saved. My nation was saved. The oceans were parted and I was granted an intimate dialogue. Kalimullah (the one who speaks to Allah (AJ)), that had an intimate dialogue in the presence of Allah (AJ).

Nabi Musa (as), Kalimullah, was Asked to Remove His Shoes Representing Dirtiness and Ignorance (Holy Qur’an, 20:11-12)

That’s the surah (chapter) where Allah (AJ) called Nabi Musa (as) into the Divinely fire. He said that, ‘This is a holy place. Enter this fire but take off your shoes.’ It means for us the understanding is that Allah (AJ), when we’re running from our difficulties, running from bad characteristics, running from bad people who we know, always take us back into bad characteristics. It means once Allah (AJ) saves us, don’t go back into difficulty. That when we’re running out and Allah (AJ) begins to give a najat, begin to give us salvation, then Nabi Musa (as) is teaching that you’re asking to enter the diya (fire). Allah’s (AJ) Arabic word for that association towards the fire was the diya. That He was granted to see that burning light, that burning fire and all Allah (AJ) asked is, ‘Then remove your shoes’.

فَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا نُودِيَ يَا مُوسَىٰ ﴿١١﴾ إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ ۖ إِنَّكَ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى ﴿١٢﴾‏‏‏‎

20:11-12 – “Falammaa ataahaa noodiya yaa Moosaa (11) Innee Ana Rabbuka fakhla’ na’laika innaka bilwaadil muqaddasi Tuwaa (12)” (Surat Taha)

“But when he came to the fire, he was called: O Moses! (11) Verily I am your Lord! therefore (in My presence) remove your sandals/shoes: you are in the sacred valley Tuwa. (12)” (Taha, 20:11-12)

It means remove your ignorance because your qadam (footstep), it has to be the qadam of Prophet ﷺ, has to be the way of Prophet ﷺ, has to be the qadam of the Siddiqs and truthful servants of Allah (AJ). So, Allah (AJ) draws our attention to your path. When He’s talking about shoes with Nabi Musa (as), why? Because the shoes were made of the hide of a donkey. He says, ‘You’re wearing the hide of a donkey and coming into My Divinely Presence. Lose that dirtiness.’

Keep Your Gaze Upon Your Feet, Nazar bar Qadam, to Stay Out of Corruption

But more deeper is that Naqshbandiya is nazar bar qadam (gaze upon the feet). Keep your nazar (gaze). Keep your focus on your qadam, on your feet, on your where…on where you’re going, where these feet are going in life? ‘Ya Rabbi, I love You but why am I always in the wrong place?’ Then Allah (AJ) says, ‘Your eyes and your feet better match. That you’re saying you love Me, but your feet taking you dancing, taking you all sorts of corruption’. Because we’re running still from Fir’aun. We’re still running from the fire of Nimrod. We’re running from all the desires that are around us. We haven’t been granted paradise. We’re merely running from them and they keep inspiring that every Ashura means Muharram – no haram (forbidden).

Step into the first month with fasting. Understand these ten days are the ten days of dress of light and each nation was saved. If Allah (AJ) going to grant you an honour, begin to grant a knowledge, He going to grant you an action of faith in which you have to complete your faith. You have to complete the project that you set out to do in life. There is no taking your flag and dropping it and handing it to someone else. You saw the picture of the person who handed it to someone else. It became a Halloween mansion.

Lose Your Bad Characteristics to Enter Into the Divinely Fire

From Allah (AJ), from Rahman (The Most Compassionate) to shaitan. You can’t hand your flag to someone else. It means the ship is the ship of safety. The mission has to be accomplished with your last breath, then you left. The rest of the mission is up to Allah (AJ). Begin to teach, so then Nabi Musa (as) teaching that: you want to enter into that Divinely fire, you want to enter into that Divinely intimacy with the Divine Presence, then lose all the bad characteristics and understand the reality of that light.

Now that you’re entering in and Allah (AJ) said, ‘This is a holy light,’ and Kalimullah, there’s now a holy dialogue that Allah (AJ), that that fire and that association is powerful. Every time in zikr (Divine remembrance), every time praying, every time meditating, Allah (AJ), if He granted a repentance and an acceptance, He’s beginning to communicate with the heart. He’s listening to the prayers, then everything in Holy Qur’an now ignited. Where Allah (AJ) says, ‘I’m closer to you than your vein.’

﴾وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ ﴿١٦…

50:16 – “…wa Nahnu aqrabu ilaihi min hablil wareed.” (Surat Qaf)

“…and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein.” (The Letter Qaf, 50:16)

Sayyidina Isa (as) Was Betrayed By His Own Disciple

If all your badness is gone and you’re truly running from shaitan, you must know that whatever you’re asking, of course, I’m hearing. Whatever you’re pleading for, I’m, of course, I’m listening. You have an intimate dialogue with Me. You are on a mi’raj (ascension) with Me. You are on a movement into My Divinely Presence.’ Sayyidina Isa (as) comes and begins to teach, ‘Oh, don’t ever think shaitan leaving us alone’.

All of the nations are describing attacks. Sayyidina Isa (as) comes and begins to teach one of the most important attacks: you’re going to be betrayed from your own people. Twelve that saw all his miracles – his reviving of the dead, giving of food, endless miracles of Sayyidina Isa (as) and in the end, the odds weren’t good. 1 out of 12 sold him for a bag of coins. As a result, Allah (AJ) had to raise him to the Divinely Presence on Ashura.

If You Seek Validation From People, They Will Sell You

It means again they begin to inspire: don’t ever think shaitan is finished with you, that you’re going to be sitting in ease and everything just coming to you from Allah (AJ). Shaitan is relentless on his attack. He’s non-stop attacking and attacking and attacking and attacking until he sends from within your own. Sayyidina Isa (as) comes and teaches: if whatever you’re doing is for Allah (AJ), then don’t worry. But if you’re doing it for people and for the fame and recognition of people, you will be sold out and somebody will sell you. Somebody will disappoint you. Somebody will destroy you and you shouldn’t care because you didn’t do it for them anyways.

But if you’re doing it for them, you will be greatly disappointed in life. [It] Teaches us the most important example that what you’re doing has to have a purity. That is it purely for Allah (AJ)? Then to know the most dangerous are the ones around you in your community – from your brotherhood, from your religion, from your faith and they are going to sell you. Sayyidina Isa (as) comes and said, ‘They sold me for a bag of coins. With all the miracles I showed, they sold me for a bag of coins’.

Are You Worried About Allah’s (AJ) Satisfaction or That of Other People?

Me and you, less than a bag. So, don’t be surprised. You lose all expectations, all concerns. That, ‘Ya Rabbi, everything is purely for you. They like me one day, alhamdulillah. They don’t like me next day, alhamdulillah. Who cares? As long as ya Rabbi, “Ilahi anta maqsudi wa radhaaka matloob”.

اِلَهِى اَنْتَ مَقْصُوْدِيْ وَرِضَاكَ مَطْلُوْبِيْ

“ilahi anta maqsudi wa radhaaka matloob.”

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

That are you pleased with Me? Are you happy with Me?’ What Allah’s (AJ) reaction on Ashura? ‘I’m raising you to My Divinely Presence. Don’t care about them. As much as they give you hardship, as much as this dunya (material world) gives you hardship, My intimacy is all that you need. I will raise you on a mi’raj (ascension) to My Divinely Presence.’ We are not prophets. So, that’s not what we’re trying to say that we have now we can run up and fly. Allah (AJ) merely opens the soul. You sit and you pray and all of a sudden one day, something happens and you find your soul in Divinely lights, Divinely experiences as if Allah (AJ) embracing, Prophet ﷺ embracing, awliyaullah (saints) embracing a Divine ecstasy and light that cannot be explained but becomes so addictive that you chase it for the rest of your life, waiting for just moments or seconds of Allah’s (AJ) rida (satisfaction), of Prophet’s ﷺ rida, awliyaullah’s rida.

Muharram Opens Prophet’s ﷺ Movement to the City of Lights, Madinatul Munawwara

That as soon as they grant a happiness, you find an ecstasy, a light, an experience. Everyone has their own unique experiences. Allah (AJ) says, ‘That is that you have to be concerned. If all the world comes against you, don’t be concerned. Just be concerned that My rida, My satisfaction dressing you and that I’m raising you constantly into My Divine Presence.’ Sayyidina Isa (as) begins to teach us this is the touch-off point of dunya (material world). This is when the body is truly dying and the reality of Asha Nura, the Ashura is the opening of the soul.

That Allah (AJ) granting its maghfirah, granting its knowledges, granting its forgiveness and now begins to let the soul to be free from the body. Then the master of all realities, the arrival of Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ. He’s the seal of that perfection. ‘When Allah (AJ) granted my hijrah (migration)’. Muharram is the opening of the movement to the city of lights. Many, many different realities within just that movement that Prophet ﷺ comes and begins to inspire that, ‘Your movement away from dunya and towards my city of lights.’ That where Prophet ﷺ resides, it’s not a coincidence, these names – Madinatul Munawwara (luminous city of Prophet ﷺ).

Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ is the City of Lights, the Light of Allah (AJ)

That, ‘Come to me where I reside. I am the city of lights. I am the light of Allah (AJ)’ because la sharik (no partner), la shabi. There is nothing unto Allah (AJ). There is nothing like unto Allah (AJ). The reflection, if Allah (AJ) to be known, will be known through the reality of Muhammadun Rasulallah ﷺ. It means that Prophet ﷺ comes and says that, ‘Muharram was granted for me – my calendar, my movement. I moved from one and moved to the next in the opening of the city of lights. I was granted the entry into Madinatul Munawwara and I saw them on Ashura.’

So, Asha Nura means that if Prophet ﷺ happy, if Allah (AJ) granting the movement of the soul up, it’s to the presence of Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ, to be granted an audience with Prophet ﷺ because Prophet ﷺ already in Divinely lights. Prophet ﷺ already in “Qaaba qawsayni aw adna”.

﴾فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَىٰ ﴿٩

53:9 – “Fakana qaaba qawsayni aw adna.” (Surat An-Najm)

“And was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer [to the Divine Presence].” (The Star, 53:9)

Ask to Move From Dark Ignorance to Heavenly Lights

It means the highest that can be reached in creation, Prophet ﷺ is there. So, on Muharram in the opening of the hijrah (migration), we’re always asking, ‘Ya Rabbi, let me to make a hijrah from ignorance towards reality, towards light. Let me to always be in the Sunnah (traditions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ), the way and the footsteps of Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ.’ Then the Ahlul Bayt (holy family of Prophet ﷺ) wa Ashab an Nabi ﷺ (holy companions of Prophet ﷺ) begin to teach us then like the realities of Ashura and Karbala is that you will be trained on how to sacrifice yourself for that reality.

That reality is so high, so magnificent and munificent. Allah (AJ) granting of those lights that what they’re asking is to be given from the Kawthar (the Fountain of Abundance), to drink from the Kawthar, to be dressed from the Kawthar. When all of the Ashab an Nabi ﷺ are in the Kawthar, dispensing the Kawthar. “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. ‘Atayna kal kawthar. Fasali li rabbika wanhar”.

﴾إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ ﴿١﴾ فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ ﴿٢

108:1-2 – “Inna ‘atayna kal kawthar. (1) Fasali li rabbika wanhar. (2)” (Surat Al-Kawthar)

“To thee (O Muhammad) we have granted the Fount (of Abundance). (1) So pray to your Lord and Sacrifice. (2)” (The Abundance, 108:1)

Surat at-Tawbah Contains “Bismillah Allahu Akbar” to Sacrifice Our Bad Character

It means then the Ahlul Bayt and Ashab an Nabi ﷺ teach us if you want to be with that light then sacrifice, sacrifice bad desire, sacrifice the self and all the wants and the characteristics and asking, ‘Ya Rabbi, on this Muharram, that my bad character to be sacrificed’. That’s why we say at the beginning Surat at-Tawbah, no Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem means, ‘Ya Rabbi, forgive me my badness and let it just continue being bad. Give me another day to be alive.’ Okay, Allah (AJ) say, ‘Okay.’ That, ‘No ya Rabbi, Bismillah Allahu Akbar. Let it just end my bad character, ya Rabbi. Let me to be halal (permissible) for You. Let me to leave all these badnesses and begin to learn how to sacrifice myself, my bad character for Your Divinely rida and pleasure.’

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: November 2, 2013

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