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All power belongs to Allah, so may Allah be praised as He deserves.

Qarabah, Closeness to Allah

Now, if you remember in Suratul-Hadid, Allah says,

“Hu wal-Awwalu wal-Akhiru wal-Zahiru wal-Batinu…“

He is Al Awwal [The Former] and Al Akhir [The Latter]
and Al Zahir [The Outer] and Al Batin [The Inner],
and He knows everything. (Al Hadid:3)

So He is the Former, He is the Latter. And we are trying to learn Allah and have closeness to Allah. Everybody is trying to have a relationship with Allah in the Hereafter. Now for Sufis, Hereafter is faraway. We want to have a relationship with Allah now. Because of this verse, we know that we can have a relationship with Allah now. So did the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he did not wait for the Hereafter. To gain closeness to Allah is in this world. So you need to learn how to get into the land of closeness with Allah in this world. This getting closeness is called Qarabah.

Now, Allah is constant…

This is an edited excerpt of the Online Saturday Sohbet given on October 31, 2009 by Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari and published on sufiview.com on February 22, 2021. The translation of the Qur’an verses are also from Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari.

More verses from the Qur’an

And to the Thamud We sent their brother Salih. He said, “O my community, connect and devote yourselves to Allah. You have no other ilah [higher power] besides Him. He brought you out of the earth and settled you in it. So seek absolution from Him, and turn to Him in repentance. And know that my Rab [Lord] is Qarib [Very Close] and Mujib [Responsive].” (Hud:61)

Say, “The truth has come, and falsehood has neither the power to originate any good, nor to reproduce it.” Say, “Should I go astray, I will only be doing so to my own loss, but if I am rightly guided, that is because of what my Rab has revealed to me. Most certainly, He is Sami [Listening and Hearing] and Qarib [Near; Connected; Related to All].” (Saba:49-50)

And We called him from the right side of the mountain, and brought him close for communication. (Maryam:52)

And the truth is, it is not your wealth or children that will bring you closer to Us, but the one who believes and does good will come closer. As for such, their reward will be doubled for what they did, and they will abide in secure and sublime dwellings. (Saba:37)

…do sajda [prostration], and approach the close quarters of Allah. (Al ‘Alaq:19)

Note about Sajda Ayat

The above verse 19 of Suratul ‘Alaq is a sajda ayat [verse of prostration]. Sajda means prostration, acknowledgement of Allah’s sovereignty. It is recommended to prostrate, as is customary, when reading this and other sajda ayats. If you are in a situation where you are unable to do the action of prostration, you may acknowledge Allah’s sovereignty by reciting:
Subhan Allah [Exalted is Allah]
Alhamdulillah [All Gratitude and Praise belong to Allah]
Allahu Akbar [Allah is Greater than Great]
and any other tasbih [repeated glorification] that comes to your heart as many times as you wish.

Do you have any questions?

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The Sensitivity of kids

People, especially kids, can sense the animals, people. Kids can sense if you have love for them or not. Kindness should be your intention. They sense your intention. So before you do anything, change your intention. Once you change your intention, Allah will change their heart, or their reception. So, be careful with whatever you are saying, explain again and again maybe, and talk less and listen more.

Listen to the kids

That is the other thing. Why don’t you listen to them instead of keep telling them this, this, this, dang dang dang…

LISTEN!

Maybe you will also learn something. Just because they are kids, do not think that they do not know anything. They are closer to God than you. Their nafs [ego] has not kicked in yet, like ours. They are more with their hearts. Kids. Young people. Younger generation.

Qur’an References

That is because Allah never changes the blessing He bestows on any community until they first change what is in themselves. And truly, Allah is Sami [The Listener; The Hearer] and Alim [The All-Knowing One]. (Al Anfal:53)

Truly, Ibrahim [Abraham] was soft-hearted, full of empathy, inclined to call often on Allah with tender feeling. (Hud:75)

It was by the mercy and kindness of Allah that you (Muhammad) were lenient, soft and gentle with them. If you had been harsh and hardhearted, they would have dispersed from around you. Therefore, forgive them and seek absolution for them. Consult with them about how to run the affairs (of the expedition); then, when you reach a decision, refer your affairs to Allah. Without a doubt, Allah loves those who refer their affairs to Him. (Aal-e Imran:159)

Click here for more references from the Qur’an…

Keywords

Fi’il-i Muhammad: the example shown in Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) daily actions of how human beings should live in accordance with Allah’s wishes; Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) implementation of sharia; tariqa

tariqa: path; Sufi order

This is an edited excerpt of a Sohbet given on May 10, 2008 by Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari and published on sufiview.com on January 30, 2023. The translation of the Qur’an verses are also from Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari.

Did you read the previous parts of this Sohbet or would you like to read them again?
Here are the links below:

(Part 1)
Relationship – Introduction

(Part 2)
Relationship – Problems and Solutions

(Part 3)
Relationship Examples

Do you have any questions?

Watch the live Q&A and Zikr sessions previously held on the Aqrtsufi YouTube Channel.

You may subscribe to be notified for future such interactive Live Q&A and Zikr!

Love, peace and togetherness in goodness

Ya Wadud Ya Salaam Ya Jami Ya Nafi

Are they attributing as partners to Allah that which cannot create anything and are themselves created? (Al A’raf:191)

Station One, you are with the created. No matter what it is, you are not going to be happy.

Station Two: you are with your nafs, with yourself. You are not going to be happy either.

Station Three: you are with Allah, that is where the happiness is.

Q & A

Murid: I have a question. Like, you can be in station three but then you deteriorate sometimes and go to station one and so on. So how can you…?

Shaykh Taner: Catch yourself. You catch yourself and then you say, “Oh I am back to the first station again.”

Murid: Just by realization?

Shaykh Taner: Yes. When you see you are unhappy, you know. Why are you unhappy? Because I am with this idiot, who is pulling my strings. You must have some strings. He knows your weak points. Okay, so if you were a true Sufi and advanced, then you do not have those weak points anymore and so they cannot bother you. They can do all they want, because you do not care what they say or what they do.

We care only what Allah does.

But aren’t there in our daily life that tick your button, pushes your button? Yes, there is. But as soon as you catch yourself, what must you do? You must go back to number three.

Murid: Is there something to help you say it?

Shaykh Taner: See, we have to say something all the time. There is a pill for everything.

The ayat is this,

La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah,

that is the ayat. And there is another one for you:

La hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil Aliyil Azim.

So who is my ex-husband?! Nothing! Who is Satan? He has no power. People have power as much as you give them to certain people. If your ex-husband is bothering you, then you are giving him this power.

Murid: “Return to your Lord and be content for His being pleased with you.” Oh thank you shaykh because you are showing us the way to return.

Shaykh Taner: Alright, so I am so happy now, I feel good! In this case, like Anjum said, when people thank you, just pass it on to Allah and get out of the way so your nafs cannot snatch something, you know, the credit, “See I did it!”

Qur’an References

Are they attributing as partners to Allah that which cannot create anything and are themselves created? (Al A’raf:191)

They are happy because of the favor from Allah and His grace, and (the understanding) that Allah will never let the reward of the mu’minin be lost. (Aal-e Imran:171)

Allah is happy with them and they are happy with Him. This is for those who revere and heed their Rab. (Al Bayyina:7-8)

Have taqwa, as Allah has prescribed, and the mu’minun [believers] should be happy with what Allah decides for them. (Al Ma’ida:11)

And Allah is happy with those who led the way, the first among the emigrants for the cause of Allah and the helpers, and those who followed them in goodness. And they are also happy with Allah. (Al Tawba:100)

Return to your Rab, He is happy with you [Radziyya] and you being happy with Him [Mardziyya]! (Al Fajr:28)

Click here for more references from the Qur’an…

The seven main levels of nafs attained in the process of Sufi purification

1. Nafs-i Ammara, Nafs al Ammara: Dominant Self

2. Nafs-i Lawwama, Nafs al Lawwama: Blaming Self

3. Nafs-i Mulhama, Nafs al Mulhama: Inspired Self

4. Nafs-i Mutma’ina, Nafs al Mutma’ina: Tranquil Self

5. Nafs-i Radziyya, Nafs al Radziyya: Satisfying Self (heart is happy)

6. Nafs-i Mardziyya, Nafs al Mardziyya: Satisfied Self (brain is happy)

7. Nafs-i Safiyya, Nafs al Safiyya: Purified Self

Keywords

Fi’il-i Muhammad: the example shown in Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) daily actions of how human beings should live in accordance with Allah’s wishes; Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) implementation of sharia; tariqa

tariqa: path; Sufi order

This is an edited excerpt of a Sohbet given on May 10, 2008 by Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari and published on August 28, 2023. The translation of the Qur’an verses are also from Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari.

Did you read the previous part of this Sohbet or would you like to read them again?
Here is the link below:

The Three Stations

Do you have any questions?

Watch the live Q&A and Zikr sessions previously held on the Aqrtsufi YouTube Channel.

You may subscribe to be notified for future such interactive Live Q&A and Zikr!

Love, peace and togetherness in goodness

Ya Wadud Ya Salaam Ya Jami Ya Nafi

Origin of nafs

Murid: Ya Shaykh, if everything is from Allah, where is nafs from and where in history did nafs originate?

Shaykh Taner: Allah said to the angels, “When I blow my Spirit into him, I want you prostrate to him.” And that is when the nafs was originated.

Anyway, so nafs comes from nafas, breath, air. Air is, you know, not solid. That is why desires are from — it is all from Allah. It comes from nafas. It is Allah Who gives all these desires in your chest. Everything is created from one of Allah’s names. Like Satan is created from Qahhar. Allah’s qahr [wrath]. And then nafs is created from air. Nafas. What is nafas, honey? Breath.

Murid: No, you said created from one of the Names of Allah. So I was waiting for a name.

Shaykh Taner: The name is air. Oxygen.

Murid: That is not the name of Allah.

Shaykh Taner: Why not? Anything can be name of Allah. All beautiful names belong to Allah. It is not limited to 99 Names. Is Allah limited to 99 Names?

Nafs, the opposite of Allah

Okay. So nafs is from air and is created as a human being, created as opposite of Allah. Allah put this as opposite of Him. So at least, it should have Khaliq and Musawwir in it, right? Khaliq and Musawwir and Bari.

Murid: What do you mean as opposite of Allah? Because He is solid?

Shaykh Taner: Allah is good, nafs is bad, Allah is kind, nafs is not, Allah is generous, nafs is miser.

Murid: But isn’t nafs can be either of those? Depending on what you make of it?

Shaykh Taner: It can be tamed?

Murid: Yes. It has the potential to have both so it depends on us.

Nafs objects

Shaykh Taner: It does not have potential of both. It only objects. He wants to be god, nafs wants. Nafs does not want to recognize Allah, he wants to be god.

Murid: So somebody is good but–

Nafs is not good, Allah is good

Shaykh Taner: Excuse me! Nobody is good! Allah is good. What does Allah say? “All good is from me, all bad is from you.” So if you see something good in somebody, that is not their goodness, that is Allah’s goodness. The only thing the nafs is supposed to do is:

get out of the way.

If you can get your nafs, voice of your nafs, to shut up, like the dog that barks, if you can put a muzzle, that is what you have to do. And you adorn yourself with Allah’s attributes. When you do this, then it is not you who is good and this, it is Allah Who is good.

For example, if you put this nice cologne or perfume on you. Okay, the smell comes from you but is it you? Is it you?! Especially when you get older, you keep adding more and more, piles of it. The jewelry gets bigger and bigger. It is a smart thing to do because then you want to pull the attention upon yourself with the jewelry. They look at your jewelry “I like your jewelry.” “Oh thank you!”

Nafs is ugly, Zikr makes you beautiful, Zikr is your makeup

It is the stone that is good. Not you, you are ugly! Old! But if you are a Sufi, you are always beautiful. Why? Because Allah’s Light through you — Women! Do not be afraid! Do zikr and you will always stay beautiful because Allah’s beauty will shine through you. But know that it is Allah’s beauty. That is why we have to pass it along to Allah. Get out of the way.

Qur’an References

When your Rab [Lord] said to the angels, “I am going to create a mortal human out of clay, and when I have shaped (Adam) and breathed into him of My Ruh [Spirit; Life Energy], then fall down before him in sajda [prostration].” Then the angels fell down in sajda, all of them together (Sad:71-73)

Whatever good comes to you, it is from Allah. Whatever evil befalls you, it is from your nafs [ego]. We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a Messenger for humanity, and Allah is sufficient as Witness. (Al Nisa:79)

Keywords

Fi’il-i Muhammad: the example shown in Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) daily actions of how human beings should live in accordance with Allah’s wishes; Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) implementation of sharia; tariqa

Murid: Sufi student; the one who surrenders their will and power to Allah.

nafs: lit., breath; self; person; egoistic or animalistic nature; personal life

qahr: wrath

Rab: Lord; Master; Sustainer; Cherisher

ruh: spirit; essential life energy; soul

sajda: prostration; acknowledgement of Allah’s sovereignty

sharia: proper behavior; commandment; law; divine law; the body of Islamic religious canons; injunctions attributed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) regarding proper behavior for Musl

Shaykh: Commonly used in the Middle East as an honorific title, to signify elder, teacher, tribal leader; authorized teacher of tasawwuf.

tariqa: path; Sufi order

tasawwuf: the system of spiritual cleansing known in the West as Sufism

zikr: remembrance; recognition; repeated remembrance with contemplation; mentioning Allah’s name repeatedly with intention, contemplation, glorification or supplication; reminder; the practice of repeating the names of Allah; litany of remembrance

Names of Allah

Al Bari – The Shaper

Al Khaliq – The Creator

Al Musawwir – The Detailer

Al Qahhar – The Overpowering One

This is an edited excerpt of a Sohbet given on May 10, 2008 by Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari and published in September, 2023. The translation of the Qur’an verses are also from Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari.

Did you read the previous part of this Sohbet or would you like to read them again?
Here is the link below:

The Three Stations

Do you have any questions?

Watch the live Q&A and Zikr sessions previously held on the Aqrtsufi YouTube Channel.

You may subscribe to be notified for future such interactive Live Q&A and Zikr!

Love, peace and togetherness in goodness

Ya Wadud Ya Salaam Ya Jami Ya Nafi