Ask & I Shall Give You

“Subhanaka, la ‘ilma lana illa ma ‘alamtana, innaka Anta’l’Alimu’l Hakim...” (Sura 2:32) Allahu akbar... Ya ‘Alimu, ya Hakim, ‘alimna ma yanfa’una wa zidna ‘ilman!

(And the Angels said:) “Praise be to You, we have no knowledge except that which you taught us- You are the Knowing, the Wise One.” Allahu Akbar. Oh Knowing One, oh Wise One, teach us what is beneficial for us and increase our knowledge always!)

This is the most distinguished Naqshibandi Order and its main pillar is Sohbet, association with the Sheikh. We are asking, and they are giving. If we don’t ask, they will not give. Allah Almighty is saying: “Ask, and I shall give to you. “ First you must know what you are asking for.

There was one person that Allah sent to a big Sultan, a great Sultan, and he came to him and brought something so that the Sultan was very happy with him and he said: “I am pleased with you. Ask, and whatever you ask for, I will grant to you. Immediately I will give it to you.” So that person was thinking: What may I ask for? My donkey is very hungry, and I have no straw. “Oh Sultan, give me a big bag of straw.” Allah, Allah, such a clever one. Do you understand the foolishness of that person? The Sultan was wondering: “That person, is he crazy, mad, no intelligence?” “Give him, what he is asking for. Give him ten bags of straw, and let him go.”

The Lord of the Heavens, Allah Almighty, He is watching you when you are asking for something from Him, and most people ask for such like nonsense things. So many people come to me and say: “Tomorrow I am going for an exam, pray for me to pass.” Or: “I am going to graduate, please pray for my graduation” Every day so many people are coming to me and saying: “Oh Sheikh, pray for my shop, no one is coming.” Another one is asking: “Look for a good job for me, I have no job.” Or: “Oh Sheikh, ask for me from Allah Almighty a little bit more money.” Every day one brother is coming and asking me: “Sheikh, pray for me to have 4 legs.” Which means: he wants to get married. Asking me from the beginning of the day until sleeping time.

So many people come and ask me to pray for this and that- all of it is nonsense. No one is coming and saying: “Oh Sheikh, please make Dua for me to be an accepted servant in the Divine Presence.”

“Hello, Sheikh, please pray for me, because there is an election. I am putting my name down also, let peoples’ hearts awake to give their vote to support me, Oh Sheikh!” No one is coming and saying: “Oh Sheikh, pray for me to be closer to Allah Almighty’s most Beloved Servant Seyyedina Muhammad (sal), to be his neighbour in Paradise.” No one is coming and asking: “Oh my Master, pray for me to be closer to Allah Almighty.”

Therefore, you must ask. But you must know what you are asking for, and from whom you are asking. If you are going to a village, you may ask for straw there, but it is not right, reaching a Sultan’s Palace, to ask straw from him. If you are using your mind it should show you what is true. If you are asking in your heart, your heart may accuse you and say: I am ashamed in front of the Lord of Heavens, that you are asking for something that has no value for Him.

Oh people, you must know about the life on this planet, and you must know about the next life of endless eternity. He likes His servants to ask for eternity. It is such a sweet wordeternity. Even in your language I like it... Sermedi, endless eternity. Ask your Lord Allah Almighty for eternity. Never ending favours come from Him. Why are you not asking? What you are asking for? You are asking for something less than straw, much less.

Therefore sometimes I am ashamed to recite Fatiha only for one person’s demand and wish, and I am saying: “Oh my Lord, I am reciting Fatiha on behalf of him, and for what everyone of Your Habib’s Nation is asking for with this Fatiha, grant it to them.” I don’t like to stop and make one Fatiha for one person only, no. Then it would be like a person asking to hunt, carrying a gun and finding a fly and saying: “I must shoot it!” “What are you shooting ? A fly... and it is a shame to shoot a fly and then try to find it. The fly either flew away or it is destroyed and finished.”

You are making this temporary life your target, asking to reach to something and shooting without reaching that target and you are getting old, before you are granted from Allah Almighty what you were asking for: towers of Nimrod, one hundred houses, shops, businesses, companies... Finally, at the final point of your life, what you were shooting at is going to disappear, and you run to look at what you were shooting- looking and finding nothing. “Oh, my shooting was so powerful that the target was finished- no sign of it!”

Therefore it is important for everyone to ask something of value from Allah Almighty which He may grant to you. You must make Him pleased, and when He is pleased with you, He will say: “Oh My servant, everything is for you.”

Why you are not trying to make Allah Almighty pleased with you? Try to make Him pleased, and then He will make you pleased. For every purpose you should be pleased.