Realities of Prophet Ismail [as], Prophet Joseph [as] and The Realities of The Kawthar

From the teaching of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham

"Atii-Allah, atia Rasul wa ulu amri minkum"

"Obey God, obey the Prophet (s) and obey those in authority." (4:59)

hadith qudsî via Abu Hurayra, “My slave does not draw near Me with anything I love more than what I have made obligatory for him. My slave continues to draw near me with super obligatory actions until I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight by which he sees, his hands with which he strikes, and his feet with which he walks. He will become Rabanniya and say be and it will be ” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 81:38:2)

Realities of the 12th month of the lunar calendar, the month of Dhul Hijjah,

the month of Hajj and pilgrimage, and one of the secrets of the lunar calendar that enlightened masters have understood is regarding the moon and the spiritual importance of the moon's phases. The Sufi calendar is based upon the 12 phases of the moon, and each of these 12 phases represents 12 veils, or 12 different emanations that are dressing creation throughout the year.

6. Jumādā al-Thānī (or Jumādā al-Ākhirah) (Jumādā II) جمادى الآخرة أو جمادى الثانية

In this 12th month we are completing one year of Gnosticism, one year of spiritual journeying, and it is the month of pilgrimage in Sufi tradition, in remembrance of the Prophet Abraham (as). According to Sufi teaching we are all pilgrims, we are all seekers, regardless of whether or not we are making the physical pilgrimage, our Masters are teaching us that every moment is a pilgrimage for the soul. In every moment and with every passing day we are looking to make a pilgrimage towards perfected character; we are asking to leave bad character and move towards good character and good actions. Then, as we go deeper into the esoteric knowledge of Naqshbandia, these numbers begin to unlock certain secrets which pertain to our individual spiritual development.

For example, each of the 12 months is dressed from the secrets of the corresponding Surah of the Holy Qur'an, and in this 12th month of Dhul Hijjah, the secrets of the 12th Surah, Surah Yusuf (Prophet Joseph [as]), begin to dress us, as well as the secrets of the 108th Surah, Surah Kawthar.

The Sultan of numbers Why Surah 108 is because as we moved from 1 through 9, with 9 being the highest and most powerful number, Saints are moving with the power of 9 in every moment. They have reached to that authority, to that perfection and that power which is symbolized by the number 9. So as we enter the 12th month, the month of Dhul Hijjah, we are dressed with the secrets of the 12th Surah, Surah Yusuf.

But saints are being dressed with the secrets of the 108th Surah The Kawthar because 9x12=108.

Their Gnosticism is always based on the power of 9 because 9 represents perfection. Anything after 9 becomes two digits comprised of numbers from 1-9, and one of the secrets of 9 is that 9 multiplied by any number will always break down back to 9 - that is why it is the sultan of numbers. Therefore, in the 1st month we are being dressed with the 1st Surah Fatiha , but Saints are taking from the Fatiha and Opening secrets of the 9th Surah Tauba- Repentance.

In the 2nd month, they are taking from the 18th Surah, and so on. So while we are being dressed in this month by the 12th Surah, enlightened masters who have reached to that sultanate are being dressed by the 108th Surah.

Therefore, in this 12th month, a month in which millions are making their pilgrimage and following in the footsteps of the Prophet Abraham - or Sayedena Ibrahim (as) in Arabic - it is important to reflect on his life and his story.

Every Prophet and every Messenger of the Divine was sent to humanity as an example for us. Not only did they dedicate their entire lives in service to the Creator, but they were actually created for no other purpose than to teach us about the Divine and how to approach the Divine Presence. If not for their lives and the stories of their lives, we would have no coordinates, we would have no means to approach - it would like trying to find your way out of a wilderness without a road because this material world is a wilderness and we are lost in its vastness. Things are happening in our lives from left to right and we most likely have no idea why they're happening. Then we open up a Holy Book, any Holy Book, and we read about the lives of the Prophets and we find that they have already blazed a trail for us to follow to quickly get out of this jungle and avoid its dangers, and that these books and these stories contain tremendous sources of wisdom which help us to navigate this life.

So as Sufis, we read about the story of Prophet Abraham (as) and we contemplate about his life. Prophet Abraham (as) was Khalil Allah, the "intimate friend of God", and he was known for his amazing generosity.

Anything that his Lord had given to him he gave back to his community; but from all the blessings that he had enjoyed in his life there remained one thing that he had not been granted. All his life, Sayedina Ibrahim (as) had prayed to his Lord for a son that would inherit his spirituality, until finally his prayer was answered and Sayedena Ishmael (as) was born.

Then an order came to Sayedena Ibrahim that shook his heart - he was ordered to sacrifice his only son. And in the morning he is crying, his heart is breaking, and he wakes up his son and says, "bubba, we have to go for a walk." And Sayedena Ishmael (as) is looking at his father innocently and asking, "what's wrong father?" And Sayedena Ibrahim is not able to answer, but just trying to maintain his composure and not scare his son. He is trying his best to keep Sayedina Ismail (as) unaware of what is going to happen. And at this point in the story, Saints are taking from Heavenly Knowledge, from hidden Knowledge, and are able to explain to us their dialogue that day.

As Sayedina Ibrahim held his sons hand and walked up that mountain, preparing to sacrifice him, his heart was in agony, tears were streaming down his cheeks, but his soul was in submission. And then something miraculous occurred; his son looked at him and said,

"Father, why are you crying? I know what you have been asked to do. Tie my hands and, God willing, you will find me to be peaceful."

Mawlana Shaykh is teaching us that there are tremendous wisdom in this story. All his life Prophet Abraham gave to his community.

The one thing that he wanted all his life was the one thing that the Divine asked him to give up. Divine was teaching us, and Prophet Abraham (as) was teaching us through the example of his life, that anyone can give things that they aren't attached to. Some people aren't attached to their money, and they are very generous with it. That is a good characteristic to have if that money is used in the way of the Divine. However, what is more loved from the Divine is when we are willing to sacrifice those things we want, those things that we struggle to part with.

It means, are you willing to sacrifice your bad character for the sake of your Creator? Would you stop smoking? Stop gossiping?

Stop getting angry? Would you leave your bad character and begin your pilgrimage towards the Heavenly Kingdom? Either way, you are on a pilgrimage to that world because this life is ending, and spiritual teachers are asking us, "what have you done to prepare for that meeting with you Lord?"

In the end, Sayedina Ibrahim didn't sacrifice his son, Sayedina Ismael (as) - a ram was given in his place. Divine is saying, "I didn't need the boy, just like I don't need your prayers or your fasting.

O Sayedina Ibrahim! I don't need anything from you, but I wanted to test the condition of your heart. I wanted to see if you would be willing to sacrifice your ego's desires out of love for Me." The level of sacrifice that we read in this story is only for Prophets. That is why his story is so powerful, and why it is so important to remember his sacrifice at this time of year. It's something we could never imagine having to go through, but always their stories contain wisdoms and lessons for us, and Mawlana Shaykh is asking, "Are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to leave your desires for the sake of the Divine?" because that is a display of true love.

People can say whatever they like, but it's the actions that count. Prophet (S) was teaching that on the Day of Judgement your mouth will be sealed and your hands and feet will testify for you.

Why? Because the mouth says many useless things, but what you do with your hands and feet is where the real truth lies. As they say in English, "actions speak louder than words."

There is another secret in the story of Sayedina Ibrahim (as) which is from the knowledge of the arifeen, the "knowers of God." From their knowledge they relate to us a dialogue which occurred between Sayedina Ibrahim and Sayedina Ismael (as) and is as follows; following his ordeal, Sayedina Ibrahim (as) said to his Lord, "O my Lord! My heart was bleeding and my hands were shaking. I loved my son so much but I heard Your order and I obeyed! Samina wa 'atana. It is a testament to my sincerity and my love for You, my Lord!" Sayedina Ibrahim (as) was proud of his level of sacrifice, but Mawlana Shaykh is teaching that if you think Sayedina Ibrahim reached a high station of spiritual submission, what about the boy?!

Sayedina Ismael (as) was also a Prophet of God. He knew what was happening when his father was leading him up that hill - and he didn't object! He had the faith of what we call in Arabic a RijjalAllah, combined with the innocence of youth, and that combination is the perfection of character that we are seeking in Sufism; to have that type of faith while maintaining a youthful innocence.

Children are innocent; they have no plots, no ill plans or conspiracies, but we don't understand that because we're sick and we think everyone else is sick like us. But from the knowledge of Saints they're teaching us that there was a dialogue, and Sayedina Ismael (as) was asking, "O my father, who is higher, you or me?" And Sayedina Ibrahim answered, "O my son, I am higher. You can't imagine how difficult it was to be asked to give up the one thing you wanted your entire life, to be asked to sacrifice something you love so dearly." And

Sayedina Ismael (as) replies, "No father, I am higher, for you were merely sacrificing your property, while I was accepting to sacrifice myself!" No one enjoys having to sacrifice anything - so imagine sacrificing yourself, imagine giving your own physicality to be slaughtered and to submit and be at peace with it. Divine is saying, "That level is unimaginable!" And that reality of Sayedina Ismael is being inherited by Sayedina Muhammad (s), and all Ahul Bayt, because Prophet (s) is the descendant of Sayedina Ismael (as) and the owner of the Kawthar.

So as we are remembering the sacrifice of Prophet Abraham (as) in this 12th month of Dhul Hijjah, then Saints begin to teach us from their Marifat, from their level of knowledge, which opens a reality from the

108th Surah (12x9=108), Surah Kawthar, a Surah which is dressing this holy month of sacrifice when Allah says, Fa-salli li-Rabbika wanhar, "pray unto thy Lord and sacrifice" (108:2). From their spiritual station and their mystical knowledge, Mawlana Shaykh is teaching that these two oceans are meeting and unlocking their secrets in this month - the story of Sayedina Ismael and Sayedina Ibrahim (as), and the 108th Surah of Holy Qur'an.

From the secrets of the story of Sayedina Ismael (as) which is dressing Dhul Hijjah, it means "sacrifice yourself!" And God is confirming that reality, saying, Fa-salli li-Rabbika wanhar, "pray unto thy Lord and sacrifice" (108:2). It means that as long as you take care of yourself you will achieve nothing, but if you sacrifice from what is most dear to you, if you sacrifice from your own physicality, Divine says "I will take care of you." Put yourself on that block; sacrifice your bad character and bad habits; place no importance on the physicality by allowing your body to experience pain and discomfort; and ask the Divine for support in moving towards good character, for support in making the real pilgrimage of the self in this holy month.

Then, the miracle of the Divine is that if you do that, the Divine will take care of you. But first you must be saying "O my Lord! Thy will be done! I don't need my will." You can say it by tongue, but there must also be an action. If that prayer enters into your heart, and you are really submitting your will to Divine will, God says "I will give you the treasures of Heaven and earth."

If you are matching your light with Divine light, then what you want, He gives, and what you don't like, He takes away. God is Just, Al-`Adl. He protects those pious and saintly souls who are dedicating their lives in His way and the way of His prophets. That is the real beauty of the story of Prophet Joseph (as). Out of all of the Prophets, he is one to whom a Surah of the Holy Qur'an is named, and God Himself describes it as "the most beautiful of stories" (12:03). The story is beautiful, but it's a wonderful description of a seeker's journey on the spiritual path. When we read it, with the blessings and support of our beloved Masters, we begin to understand that this is not just a story of something that happened thousands of years ago, but it has a direct relevance to our experiences on the path.

Sayedina Yusuf was a Prophet who was born into a family of Prophets. He had 11 brothers, all of whom were Prophets, but Joseph (as) was special, and because of this his brothers quickly became jealous, so they took him and threw him down a well. From the teachings of Naqshbandia, this is the first of threse secrets in this Surah which describe the journey towards our reality.

The well represents isolation and it is teaching us that if the Divine wants to open realities then you must be isolated.

Sayedena Yusuf's father was a Prophet (as), but Divine is saying "if he teaches you, you won't reach what I want you to reach. You must be isolated so that this training and this teaching can take place without interference."

That is why most of us find that at some point we become isolated from our friends and family, either before we come onto a spiritual path or once we start on the path, because your friends aren't needed for what you're going to be dressed with.

If they stay around you, their influence will prevent that reality from opening because they will constantly try to interfere with your practices. That is why when people take a spiritual path suddenly everything they are doing clashes with their friends and family.

For example, your friends want to go out drinking, but you don't drink. They want to go to a nightclub, but you want to go to zikr or meditation. Then Divine says, "these influences are preventing you from reaching what I want you to reach, so I'm going to isolate you from them ."

Then you find that your phone suddenly goes silent and no one calls you anymore, no one wants to hear from you anymore, and you may feel sad in your heart, but Divine is saying, "Be patient. There is a wisdom in everything I do. Your community is in need of what I want to dress you with, but first you must perfect yourself. When you have perfected yourself, at that time you will be of benefit to them." So the first step is to be thrown into the well, to be isolated, and that isolation is a mercy because a new you is being formed, free from the interference of others. That isolation will give you the time you need to do your spiritual practices, to do your meditation and your zikr and build yourself so that you can be of benefit to others.

Then, as we continue to read the story of Sayedina Yusuf (as) we find that he is in the well when a caravan miraculously appears and a merchant stops to get some water and finds the boy in the well. It's describing for us that once you are in isolation there is going to be someone who comes and takes you out of the well. mater

That one is your Master.

Sayedina Yusuf (as) is teaching us that "that caravan was sent to me directly from Divine Presence." It means that once you have gone through certain life experiences, and perhaps they were of an extreme or difficult nature, then a Master appears who saves you from that life and takes you out of the well. At that point you don't need to guess anymore. Sayedina Yusuf is teaching, "Surely I was going to die in that well, and I am never doubting that the person sent to take me out was sent by the Divine."

At this point it should be obvious for us that the Divine has set certain things into motion and that we are not here from our own cleverness, but that we were destined to be on this path.

76:8 And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive,

76:9 [Saying], "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude.

The Divine placed us into the hands of a spiritual mentor, and all we have to do is accept it and begin our training. Accept to be a servant. Accept that we belong to these masters who are teaching us things that are not found in any book, nor spoken of in any association.

3:26 Say, "O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.

Then, Sayedena Yusuf (as) is taken as a slave into the presence of a king named Malik al-Aziz. Malik al-Aziz

means he is dressed from the Malikul-Mulk, the King of All Sovereignty, the King of all Realms, which is the Dress of Blessings of Sayedina Muhammad (s).

It means that after our Master has saved us from the well, after he has trained us and prepared us, he then takes us as servants into the presence of the King. You cannot enter the King's presence as a competitor to him - you must enter as his subject.

But our ego doesn't accept to be nothing. Therefore, when we are seeking spiritual enlightenment, we must first be guided into the hands of a spiritual mentor who can train us and prepare us for the presence of

12:23 Surah Joseph Warawadat-hu allatee huwa fee baytihaAAan nafsihi waghallaqati al-abwaba waqalat haytalaka qala

But she in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (true) self: she fastened the doors, and said: "Now come, thou (dear one)!" He said: "Allah forbid! truly (thy husband) is my lord! he made my sojourn agreeable! truly to no good come those who do wrong!"

Then, as we go deeper, al-Aziz is the attribute of God, which means "the Victorious",

That is why we say "Ya Aziz! Ya Razzak!" That Heavenly sustenance that we are seeking cannot open without al-Aziz.

Sayedina Yusuf (as) at this point is thinking, "I was a Prophet, and now I am a servant!" But Divine is saying, "I have a plan for you, and you could not have reached what I want to dress you with if you had stayed with your brothers and your father." The King who bought Sayedina Yusuf (as) represents the Prophets.

They are the Kings, and they send Saints to come and take us. When that Heavenly decree is coming saying, "We accept this servant. Take them into the palace" then Saints are dispatched to come for us. But we have to know that in the palace you are going to be tested because now you are under the direct observation of the King.

So how was Sayedina Yusuf (as) tested? By the wife of the King who wanted to seduce him.

But she in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (true) self: she fastened the doors, and said: "Now come, thou (dear one)!" He said: "Allah forbid! truly (thy husband) is my lord! He made my sojourn agreeable! Truly to no good come those who do wrong! (12:23)

In this context, the beauty of the wife symbolizes the beauty/ allurement of the material world and our ego's desire for it. It means that as Sayedina Yusuf (as) is seeking to serve the King of Heavens, the material world keeps following him and testing him. And many times people come to the association and because there is so much power in the associations, and so many blessings, jobs suddenly open and wealth comes to them, and then they end up leaving tariqa. But these things open for the sake of tariqa - not for you!

So the wife keeps trying to seduce Sayedina Yusuf (as), and he keeps struggling against his desire and until finally she corners him and he tries to escape and heads for the door and finds the Malik standing there.

Sayedina Yusuf (as) is being tested, and the King says, "You're committing adultery with my wife? I open Heavens for you and you're fornicating with the material world?"

That is why when you watch Sufilive you sometimes notice Sultan ul-Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, at times he looks so upset at what he is seeing that he starts coughing as if he wants to spit at the screen. Because he is representing the reality of Malik al-Aziz in this world, and he is thinking to himself "I am offering you Heavenly realities and you keep fornicating with this material world!" Then at that moment Sayedina Yusuf (as) is in big trouble with his Lord, and again the Divine is giving us secrets that Saints are decoding under the reality of the verse:

Because if Sayedina Yusuf (as) has to answer for himself he is going to be thrown in prison by the King, but at that moment someone interceded for him. Although Sayedina Yusuf (as) is trying to explain that he didn't do anything, without the support of a member of the household who also witnessed the transgression he would have been in tremendous difficulty. That person was a wazir, a helper for the King who the King trusted, and these are the Saints. So that wazir stepped-in and asked the King to check whether it was the front or the back of Sayedina Yusuf's (as) shirt that was torn.

He said: "It was she that sought to seduce me from my (true) self." And one of her household saw (this) and bore witness, thus"If it be that his shirt is rent from the front, then is her tale true, and he is a liar! "But if it be that his shirt is torn from the back, then is she the liar and he is telling the truth!" (12: 26-27)

"If it was torn from the front," he said, "then the wife is telling the truth and he was going after her. But if the back of the shirt is torn, then he is telling the truth and she was chasing him." And they checked and found that the back of the shirt was torn.

This is a big wisdom because Mawlana Shaykh is teaching us using the example of Sayedina Yusuf (as) that we are all in need of such a wakil.

A wali (saint) is a wakil, an attorney, and they are the big ulu 'amr, the people of authority. In this material world, if we get into trouble with the law, we find an attorney to represent us. Only very foolish people represent themselves in front of a judge because they don't know the ins and outs of the law and how to argue for themselves. But an attorney is trained in how to speak and how to defend you. Look how much people spend on an attorney, but when it comes to the way of the Divine, people don't want to spend $5.

Yet they spend $100 going out for dinner and a movie no problem. These Saints are our attorneys in Divine Presence. Like the wazir of the King who helped Sayedina Yusuf (as), they know how to speak in that Heavenly court. They know how to present our case so that difficulties and burdens that would have come to us are kept away.

You used all your wealth only to please yourself and there were no blessings in your life because you are accountable for every dollar you spend. Then Awliya come and build a beautiful garden of Paradise in your communities. They take us out of the well and they begin to guide us so that we use our sustenance not for ourselves, but for our afterlife.

They took that money that you were wasting because it was being spent on things that had no blessing, and they inspired you to use it to feed your soul. They took that adulterous relationship you had with the material world and made you focus your love and your attention on the King. They began to arrange your life in such a way that you could maximize every dollar and create long-lasting benefits for your soul, instead of wasting your time and money on the temporary pleasures of this world. It means that these Awliya are our wakils, and they are telling Prophet (s), "Have mercy on them and dress them with your love. They were chasing this material world, but look at them now! It's the back of their shirt that is being torn. They're leaving the material world for the sake of the Most Honored in Divine Presence. They're spending their money on food for the association, they're spending their money on gas so they can come to make zikr, they're spending their money on spiritual clothes and spiritual books. Ya Sayedi! Forgive them and dress them with your blessings and from the Creator has dressed you with!"

Then again from the story of Yusuf (as) is that with all of the blessings that he was being dressed with he realized that he was in danger of being seduced by the material world and he doesn't want to be lost to that desire, so he asks to be put into prison.

He said: "O my Lord! The prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me: unless Thou turn away their snare from me, I should (in my youthful folly) feel inclined towards them and join the ranks of the ignorant" (12:33).

Prison represents seclusion you must put yourself into deeper training, and Mawlana Shaykh is teaching that we should start asking for seclusion. Isolate yourself, do your zikr, do your award, and ask in your heart for seclusion. Take your practices more seriously and do them with the intention of being able to do seclusion one day. But first you have to be comfortable with yourself. You have to develop the ability to sit alone quietly for hours just doing your spiritual practices. Be like Sayedina Yusuf (as), who was asking to leave youthful folly and reach maturity and wisdom.

All of us are like children in the eyes of Saints - no matter our age, we have not reached maturity until we have perfected our character and been granted permission for seclusion by our Master. But if we learn from the story of Sayedina Yusuf (as) and follow in his footsteps then, God willing, we may be blessed enough to inherit something of what he was dressed with. However, first we must make our intention for seclusion and begin reciting the following prayer:

Nawaytul-arba`een,

nawaytul 'itikaaf,

nawaytul khalwa,

nawaytul `uzla,

nawaytus salook,

nawaytul riyaada

lillahi ta`ala al-`adheem fee hadhal masjid.

"I intend the forty (days of seclusion); I intend seclusion in the mosque; I intend seclusion; I intend isolation; I intend discipline (of the ego); I intend to travel in God's path; I intend to fast for the sake of God in this mosque."

"Atii-Allah, atia Rasul wa ulu amri minkum"

"Obey God, obey the Prophet (s) and obey those in authority." (4:59)