living islam _ Islamic tradition

bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem
was-salaat was-salaam `ala Sayyidina Muhammad

Shaykh Hisham Muhammad Kabbani

Sohbat 2-24-2002

The Prophet (s) taught the following: "Kalimataani khafeefataani `ala
al-lisan thaqeelataan fil-meezan, subhanallah wa bihamdihi subhanallah
il-`adheem."[1] [and we add at the end 'istaghfirullah.'] - "Two words which
are light on the tongue, but tremendously heavy in the balance, Glory be to
Allah and to Him is the Praise, Glory be to Allah the Almighty." When Allah
is questioning you and your deeds are placed in the Balance, these two words
will be very heavy in the right side of the Balance .

O Muslims! Don't let yourselves be busy with this dunya. Keep these words,
keep saying them as they will save you in the Day of Judgment. On that day
Allah swt is going to ask His servants what they have done. Are you
prepared for that day?

Today if the IRS, tax people, come to you and asks you about your income,
what do you do? You are shaking. Although you might not have made any
mistake. Or you might have made a mistake without a bad intention, but still
you are shaking.

Forget about income tax - consider immigration. Those who don't have a blue
passport, they are going to question you and you are shaking- if you don't
have a passport. They want it, what do you do? If you can't produce it they
are deporting you.

Do we have a passport for paradise? Did we get that green passport? No?

No we don't have it? There are only 10 who have that: al-`ashara
al-mubashara - the Ten given Glad Tidings from the Sahaba. The rest don't
know. If we don't have a passport for paradise it means we are going to be
shaking.

Why are we afraid of the income tax people, or immigration, Ýbut forgetting
about our Lord? Forgetting how we are going to be shaking in His Presence
on Judgment Day. So to save us, Allah has sent to his Prophet (s) different
ways and means: one that the Prophet taught us is: "Kalimataani
khafeefataani `ala al-lisan thaqeelataan fil-meezan, subhanallah wa
bihamdihi subhanallah il-`adheem."

O Muslims! They are very light on the tongue, they don't take any effort. :
"Subhanallah wa bihamdihi subhanallah il-`adheem."

He is the Greatest, the Exalted One. This is going to save you from
punishment. Are we doing that? No. Why? "Because we don't know that.
No one told us," some say. But the Prophet (s) has mentioned them. So it is
our duty to research and to find them, not to sit and do nothing, waiting
for
food to come, eat then go and waste your time in nonsense. As you eat for
your body, you must eat for your spirit - that is food for the spirit.
"Subhanallah wa bi-hamdihi subhanallah il-`adheem istaghfirullah." Is
everyone doing that ? No. Don't lie.

If you recite it at Fajr time [as Mawlana Shaykh does daily] it is ok. Do
it anytime of the day. It will balance your `amal, your deeds. It will
prepare some files you can take with you. Don't go empty-handed.

If you go for an income tax audit, you take lots of files. They ask you,
"What about this expense?" and you say, "Here it is, I have the receipt
right here." You have notes and receipts and all kinds of documentation you
have kept just for this purpose. Are you preparing any file for akhira? Are
you - O scholar? Don't think you know anything.

Whatever we are doing is not even considered. Don't count how much you are
doing. That is the ego playing with you. Try to always do more.

Sayyidina `Umar (r) was trying every day to do more than the previous day,
making the next day better than yesterday. That is if you like to save
yourself. If not, that is another question.

In this dunya, if you eat rice or you eat meat, both fill your stomach. That
means even if you hold the entire dunya, it is not going to give you any
benefit. But if you are satisfied with what Allah gave you then that gives
you benefit. If Allah gave that much then be happy. If He gave you this much
be happy, then He gives more. Understood?

Never - if you are in the way of Allah swt - will you see one day of
difficulty. If you are on the way of ego and shaytan then "Allahu Akbar!" -
you will always have problems.

Look at animals. It might be there are more animals than human beings? Are
they dying from hunger? No. they are eating. They find something - Allah
gives them. They don't go in the way of shaytan. Their life is tasbeeh. When
their tasbeeh finishes their life ends. They never die of hunger - Allah
sends. They will find something.

But human beings are not submitting; instead they are chasing their rizq -
their provision. If you are in His way, He will open to you more and more,
more and more.

I was with Mawlana Shaykh Nazim in Indonesia. We passed through so many
villages. We had a long way to go to reach the zawiya of Shaykh Aboh Anam.
We used to see on the streets of these remote villages, old men and old
women, as much as 90 years of age, sitting by the rice fields. They have a
little bit of rice and they put it inside a banana leaf, and they are so
happy, so content with that little portion of rice. Saying, "Alhamdulillah.
No complaints." Allah swt is making them happy with a little bit of rice.
Their life is paradise for them. They don't carry any burdens: that one
learned they have to have a house. Their homes are from tin or from hay,
bamboo sticks. They are happy. And when they die they are like kings in
other countries. When they die they are the same.

This dunya doesn't make you important. What makes you important is what you
are doing in your life for akhira. This dunya is ending. You are not taking
anything from it. Not even your turban; not even your clothes; they will
remove even the ring from your finger. And if you have gold teeth, the one
who buries you will open the grave, who cares for you, you are dead, he
pulls the teeth and sells it. No only ceramic, so no more business for these
undertakers.

So what are you taking? Nothing. Don't make the dunya the biggest of your
worries - la taj`al ad-dunya akbara hammik. Look at fulan [a simple humble
brother who is very poor] he does not care, he is busy counting his rings.
Look at him, he is playing, he doesn't hear. He is submitting. If he gets
food he eats. He does not care.

Be deaf, be mute, be blind. Don't hear, don't see, don't speak. Keep your
heart with Allah. You are Muslim. Surrender to Allah swt. Don't surrender to
shaytan. Don't go out here and begin to fight. Don't become arrogant. No!
Remember these words.

Allah swt sent to his Prophet (s) different ways and means to raise His
servants. One that the Prophet (s) taught us is: "Kalimataani khafeefataani
`ala al-lisan thaqeelataan fil-meezan, subhanallah wa bihamdihi subhanallah
il-`adheem." Keep reciting these. You will find them in your death. At that
time you will know how precious they are.

May Allah forgive us. May he show us Eid after Eid.

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[1]Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 8, Book 78, #673. Narrated by Abu Hurayrah (r).