The Secret of Sainthood is to be in Harmony With the Divine Will

Knowledge is one thing and to live is something else.

Allah Almighty sent His Prophets to teach people how they must live, how they must live as His servants; the real purpose was not just to give them only books for reciting. When Umm ul-Mu’minin, Sayyidatina ‘Aisha (The Mother of the Believers, the Prophet’s wife, ‘Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr Siddiq) may Allah bless her, was asked about the Prophet’s attributes, she replied, “Khuluquhu-l-Qur’an”, (“His character (or conduct) was the Qur’an”) his attributes were just like the Qur’an. You can’t find the attributes of the Prophet, beloved Muhammad, (sal), deviating from the Holy Qur’an; whatever the Holy Qur’an indicates, you can find his attributes agreeing with it.

Therefore, Allah Almighty orders His servants, believers, to take His beloved Muhammad(sal), as their example. Thus, you must use the Prophet’s attributes as examples for yourself, and you must know that he is the most perfect example for the Sons of Adam. You can look at the Prophet Muhammad (sal), from every direction and you will find him perfect from every direction. If we can be correct from only one direction (not from every direction) –even that is too remote for us, it may be sufficient for us. If we can follow our Prophet, beloved Muhammad, (sal), in even one sunnah, it will be safety and pleasure and happiness and success for us forever. Therefore, insofar as we are trying to learn, that is good, but we must also try to act as much as we are able, and if we can do even one percent out of one hundred, it is a good thing for us. What was our Prophet’s main attribute? His main attribute, according to all the books of our knowledge, was that he was in perfect agreement with his Lord Almighty for everything, agreeing with his Lord on behalf of himself and everyone else. He was the perfect one in m’arifat, knowledge of his Lord; in knowledge of Allah, no one can reach the point that our Prophet, beloved Muhammad (sal), reached. He was an ocean of Divine Knowledge, and if we could take all the Divine Knowledge that all creatures have been given, including the knowledge of other prophets, of awliya, of angels, it is only a little drop in that ocean. They have only a little drop, and that little drop, compared to other creatures, is itself oceans. Perfect knowledge among all creatures is for beloved Muhammad (sal), and therefore he was the first among all creatures to be in agreement with his Lord’s actions and with his Lord’s will in all matters. That is the most important characteristic a servant may have; to be in agreement with his Lord in everything. To the extent that we can approach that point, we will achieve perfect servanthood. But it is difficult. It is not an easy way; it is steep. Whoever is asking for his positions must be tried. Whoever wants easy things, easy is cheap; easy products are cheap products. But difficult products are expensive, precious. Thus, that is our Prophet’s main attribute: to be in agreement with his Lord for every action, seeing it as perfect. And once you step on that path, everything is going to be easy for you; therefore our level is always going to be above that of rebellious people. And people are of two groups, one group seeing, the other group blind people. Those to whom Allah Almighty gives from His Divine Lights can look and see Lawh-hul-Mahfudh, the Preserved Tablet (the heavenly record of Allah’s decrees for all eternity). Those who can see that, are always going to be in agreement with every action of their Lord Almighty; no objection. But those who do not see are always fighting with their Lord. Therefore ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani, our master, may Allah bless him, a “king-sized” wali, said, “The one who makes objections against the divine orders being carried out, who makes objections to the divine will, falls into shirk,” association of partners with Allah. He is going to be like a partner to Allah Almighty because he says, “This is not right. I object to that point, I veto it.” ‘Abdul Qadir Sayyidi means that when someone says, “What is this? This is wrong,” he is going to be like a partner in Allah’s sovereignty, going against Him. Who is he? Why was Satan cast aside? That is the reason: objection to Allah’s will, so that everyone who goes against and objects to our Lord’s will is the same; at that moment he is the same as Iblis, as Satan. Therefore we must say, “Astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah may Allah forgive us. We repent and turn back to you, O Lord. How can I do this?” And ‘Abdul-Qadir Sayyidi said, “Maut ut-tauhid, maut ud-din, maut ul-iman” (“The death of tauhid (belief in the Oneness of Allah Almighty and His will is the sole primary cause of all that is or happens) is the death of the religion, the death of faith”) If someone opposes the judgment of the decrees of Allah – if, when Allah Almighty’s will is working, he tries to keep it back – that is dangerous for a believer because it will bring about the death of faith, the death of upholding the unity of Allah Almighty. We are Ahlat-Tauhid, People of Allah’s Unity. When you say “No” or “Why?” you become divided, without unity, because will and orders come only from the One. Therefore, among the six pillars of faith in Islam, the sixth is so important. (The six fundamental beliefs in Islam are: belief in One God Almighty, in His angels, in His divinely-revealed scriptures, in His messengers or prophets, in the Day of Judgment and Heaven and Hell, and finally, in His decree or will as the ultimate casual force. Nothing can take place without His will and decree, nor can anything hold back what He has willed and decreed.) It shows unity and servanthood: we are servants and we are going to be in agreement with our Lord’s will. But, as we said, at our level, the common level, we are quarreling, we are fighting, and we are not real Muslims. A real Muslim is the one who surrenders to his Lord’s will; no more objections from him to his Lord. As his Lord says, he says. “As You like, O my Lord!” For this reason, it is the highest degree and the main attribute of our Prophet Muhammad (sal), to agree with his Lord in everything. His heart was always in agreement with Allah Almighty, and his body also did as his Lord willed. Everything which appeared from the Prophet appeared according to his Lord’s will. Therefore in Islam, we must practice first to be in a state of islam, to submit, not only to be obedient to orders. We are trying to be obedient to orders, but among orders the most important one is to agree with our Lord’s will. One day Satan came to the Prophet Muhammad (sal), and the Prophet asked him, “Which of my ummah will save himself from you?” Satan replied, “The one who is in agreement with his Lord. If his Lord leaves him in any situation and he says, “I agree with my Lord, no way for me with that member of the ummah.” If anyone agrees and is satisfied with his situation, Satan says, “No way for me on that person.” It means that, that person’s attribute is in line with his Lord’s attribute: if Allah says this, if our Lord’s will orders this, I also agree with it. It may be against our egos because our egos make objections, but our souls are never going to object to anything. Our souls are swimming in our Lord’s Mercy Oceans, and they see everything as a manifestation of our Lord’s Mercy Oceans, everything. They see the whole universe as swimming in Mercy Oceans. Thus, souls are perfect; they are pleased with their Lord. Only our egos are displeased, our egos make objections. Whoever is on friendly terms with his ego goes far away from his Lord Almighty; he is not going to make his Lord pleased with him. He is only trying to make his ego pleased, and you are never going to make it pleased with you. You can’t find any limit to make your ego pleased with you: it always has objections. But if you keep with your soul you are in comfort, you are in peace and in pleasure. Thus the Prophet, (sal), has informed us that there will be group of people among my ummah such that even if there is every fitnah, every trouble, among the ummah, those troubles will never reach them; they are always above troubles. Who are they? They are those people who are always in agreement with their Lord. They always see themselves as swimming in Mercy Oceans. If anyone looks at himself and sees himself in Mercy Oceans, for what is he going to make objections and fall into troubles and miseries and sufferings? Everyone is trying to keep orders, but the first order that makes us Muslim, is agreement with our Lord. We must be in agreement with Him. Our agreement already took place on the Day of Promises; we have already made it but now we are losing it. We gave our agreement that “You are our Lord and we are Your servants, and for everything we agree that it shall be as You like”. No one said, “I am going to act as I like” everyone gave his promise to his Lord that “I am going to be as You like, not as I like”. Happiness and peace is for those who are going to be in agreement with their Lord for everything, here and in the Hereafter. We are practicing, and Allah Almighty is trying His servants. Everything in our lives is going to be a trial from Allah Almighty; by every means He tries us. By every means Allah Almighty looks to see if we are in agreement or are canceling that agreement. If your keep His agreement, He keeps His agreement; if you keep your promise, He is going to keep what He promised you: He tests you, in the mosque, in your home, with your brothers, with your wife, with your children, with your relatives, with your business, with your animals. You are being tried in your cat, in your dog. Yes. You must always be awake; maybe Allah Almighty is trying you with something and asking you to be in agreement with Him. Anything may happen in this Life, to you or to others. You must say, “As my Lord likes, I agree with my Lord.” At night, when you get into your bed to sleep, you must ask forgiveness from your Lord Almighty, saying, “O my Lord, today I was such a guilty servant; I made so many objections to Your will. I ask for forgiveness. I am trying to be as You like, O my Lord. Keep me on my way, as You like.” And whoever keeps that adab, good manners, with his Lord is going to be among His awliya. That is the way of the awliya, because they are wearing the main attribute of beloved Muhammad (sal) . That is the secret of all wilayah, sainthood.