Annual Address of Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi 27th Jan 2015

{Recitation}

(Arabic text)

(Surah Ahzab: 40)

(Arabic text)

(Surah Ahzab: 56)

(Arabic text …Darood Shareef)

(Arabic text)

(Surah Ahzab: 72)

(Arabic text)

(Surah Ikhlas: 1-4)

Respected Friends, dear brethren, close to heart my children, ladies and gentlemen and honorable guests! Assalam o Alykum!

In today’s session, I wish to say few things that will remain on record. In Sha Allah.

Last year, too, I told you about a formula that Allah is the Owner and Creator of the universe. And, Allah has said, “Each and everything, living or nonliving comes from Allah and returns back to Him.”

(Arabic text)

(Surah Baqarah: 156)

And then, Allah has also said, (Arabic text) (Surah Hadeed: 03) “He is the Alpha, the Omega, the Manifested and the Unseen.” Even before the existence of the universe, it was He who existed. He is the Beginning; He is the Ending. He is within and without. When all and everything is from God. It is He who has power over everything, (Arabic text) and it is He who is encompassing everything, (Arabic text). And, then He also says, where there are two of you, I’m the Third One.

(Arabic text) (Surah Qaf: 16)

I am closer to thee than your jugular vein. The jugular vein is the metaphor for the belt upon which life is moving and Allah is closer to us even that belt. And all that you do, He witnesses it and, all that ye hide, is also in His knowledge. And all that you do in this world is being recorded. Two angels have been appointed for that recording. One, on the right side and, the other on the left side. One is recording all that is good and virtuous and, the other is recording which is bad and evil. As if they are shooting a video film.

Allah has also proclaimed that your death and life, and your sustenance is all in His control. (Arabic text) (Surah Hadeed: 2) (Arabic text) (Surah Noor: 38)

I grant thee vision, mind, intellect, sense, and perception. I feed thee in the womb of your mother, and I create you from a thing thinner than a hair into a beautiful picture. (Arabic text) (Surah Aly Imran: 6)

You see, how Allah creates pictures in the wombs of mothers. You feel hungry and He arranges food for us. Likewise, you feel thirsty and, to quench the thirst, water is already made available.

(Arabic text) (Surah Hadeed: 03)

Allah is everything. It is such a system, a knowledge, which you understand or not, believe it or not, you have to pass through this. You cannot come here, in this world, nor can you get out of here without passing through this system. We come here for the time being, temporarily. The most important of all to understand is, you were a one-day old infant and then, you grew to be of one week. The question is, where did that one week go? Why can’t we see it? We grow old, become mature, get married and have kids, too. The question remains, why can’t we see the time of our 18-year youth? Where did it go?

After that, we grow old. And, after growing old, we pass away from this world. Open the grave after two or three months, you won’t find anything in there except remains of a few bones. No eyes, no ears, no hands, no feet. The question is, from where all these parts did; the eyes, ears, hands, and feet, came and how they keep on disappearing every moment and re-appearing. The way they come into manifestation from the Unseen, they keep on disappearing in the Unseen.

My dear friends and brethren, for understanding Allah, we must have the understanding of ourselves.

(Arabic text) (Hadith Sahih Muslim)

“One that cognizes oneself, cognizes one’s Lord.” One who couldn’t cognize himself, how can he cognize anyone else.

I have a question for you all, where we were, before we were born here? We certainly were somewhere. Yes, or no? You know where we were?

Audience… with Allah!

Have you seen Allah? Do you know Allah?

When you have come from Allah, aren’t you supposed to know Him as well? You were with Allah. He sent you down. And you also admit that after passing away from here you will go back to Him. Then, can anyone of you say, “Yes, I have seen Allah. I want to return to Him” My question to you all, when can we see Allah? Tell me, when do we see Allah?

Audience…After death!

You see Allah after death, but you are not sure of this. Yes, or no?

Audience…No, we are not!

(Arabic text) (Surah Hadeed: 03)

You came from Allah. He is your beginning, He is your ending, He is your Manifestation and He is within you, hiding in you. If there is anyone closer to you than your jugular vein, it’s Him. (Arabic text) (Surah Qaf: 16)

And the one who is closer to us than our jugular vein. Has anyone, so many of people sitting here, have ever attempted to see Him? Have you ever searched for Him? Did you ever feel the need to know how we were born? How were we nurtured in the womb of our mother? How many stages did we live through after our birth? And, the unseen that manifested as ‘we’ and we return to the Unseen, what this seen, and unseen is? What this all is?

Allah says, (Arabic text) (Surah Qaf: 16) “I am closer to thee than your jugular vein.” Aqrab means to be so much nearer, which is not possible to be defined in words. That very closeness is called aqrab. What do you say? Why can’t we see something so close and near? Allah is saying, (Arabic text) “I am nearer to you than your jugular vein. And the word used is aqrab… (Arabic text)

So, which is so near to you, so very close and near that the distance in between cannot be described, so close is Allah to us and yet we cannot contact him. We don’t see Him. We don’t even hear Him. If Allah forbids the earth, it will turn barren. Will you be able to eat bread or rice? If Allah orders the cloud not to shed rain, will the draught not be there? And will all be not dead? Yes?

If there is famine and nothing is available to eat. If Allah forbids the earth to grow anything, what will happen? Tell me, what will happen? Another thing, if God doesn’t put love in mother’s heart, compassion in father’s heart, can a child grow, become young, get married? Don’t you see children around, in your homes, in the locality? Your own siblings, in your neighborhood and your own children. Don’t you see the difference in them? Your nephews and your own children, what’s the difference in them?

Once Qalandar Baba Auliya related a story to me. Once upon a time there was a king. He had no children. He asked his courtiers to bring him the most beautiful child so that he could adopt him and rear him up. He asked his lady sweeper to look for a child for him as she used to go to many houses of the town. She consented but, whenever the king asked her, she would say, yes, I am on it, and am searching for a beautiful child so the king could like him. When many days went by, one day the king got enraged and said, if she didn’t bring him the child the next day, he will order to slay her. Next day she came along with a child. Child was quite of a dark complexion, wearing torn clothes, his nose was also running. King asked, “Can’t you find a better-looking child for me? She said, “I looked everywhere and, for so many months I have been trying but, I couldn’t find a child cuter than him.” Who is he? The king asked. He is my son, was the reply of the mother.

So, this is how it is. Your child is yours. Whose child, is he? You say, he is my child. What role did you have in having him? Tell me, what’s your role in his creation? When there is no role on your part then, how come he is your child? You are blessed by a son when Allah grants him to you. Likewise, Allah blesses you with a baby girl. Allah grants you a child and you claim to be his master. Everything; be it the food, breathes, eyes, ears, tongue, hands, and feet, what ‘s yours. If you possess them then, why do so many happen to lose them, why do they die? Especially, when we don’t want to die and yet we must. Those who want to die, please raise their hands.

One of the audience members raised his hand. You want to die? Really?

There was a lady. Her daughter fell terribly sick. She prayed to God, ‘O, Allah, my daughter is too sick, she hasn’t seen much of the world. I have lived enough and have seen much, too. If her time is over, please have me instead and make her life easy. Angel of Death appeared before her. She got scared. Who are you? I am the Angel of death and, you were asking for me to take you along. Mother said, “I was asking for her ease in her pain, she is there in the next room.” He said, you called me that you cannot see her in pain and distress and to relieve her from her pain take me instead and, let her live.” But when the angel of death came there, she said, “She is lying over there in the next room.”

So, this is how it is. If a child dies off, does the mother too, pass away? Has anyone seen his mother passing away, or father dying or a brother expiring? Have you ever seen a son dying with his father or a father with his son? We haven’t read or heard this in history. Now, come to this life of ours. If we consider this life as to what it is, why it is? Why did Allah grant us life without asking us. Had he asked us, we might have opted to be born to a king rather than to our poor parents. Allah sent us to a sweeper’s house. Had we been asked, tell me honestly, what would have been your answer? Yes, we would have opted for a king. But see there are only a few kings, and they couldn’t have so many children. Had this happened, how could the population have grown so much? It is a system. A cosmic system. Allah wants to tell us and makes us understand that the creatures here have no part or role unless Allah appoints it for them. One who is providing sustenance, resources to eat and drink, causing us to sleep and awake, blessing us with respect and honor, has granted us memory, eyes and hand and feet, what’s our significance before Him?

The breathing… breathe intentionally. Only after a few breaths you will be out of breath. And, the entire life is based upon breathing, which is continuing without any intentional effort.

The system of eating and drinking, the system of hearing, sighting, griping things using hands, in which of them you are at your own? Water spills can you catch it? If the hand is paralyzed, can you hold anything? If the brain stops functioning, you will become handicapped. Had the eyes not been there by birth or have gone blind after birth, will you be able to, see? The heart that pumps the blood, if that stops, what will happen?

Audience… will die.

Yes, does this heart is working at your will? Have you ever heard the sound of your heart? Have you considered the sound of heart beating? We are asleep and the heart is performing its duty. You are awake and it is on duty. Walking and moving around and heart is fulfilling its duty. Yes, or no? You all sitting here tell me, on what of these things you have any command over it? Can you identify a single thing in your entire life, where you have any control? You are all listening to me. Someone may tell me. If your hand gets paralyzed. I have somewhat experience of this. No matter what you do, massages, physiotherapy, injections of all sorts, once the hand gets numb it remains numb. If it gets cured that too, happens due to some medicine, which is inspired by Allah. Eyes…if one is born blind…then? Aren’t there blind people? If someone is born blind, then what can be done? If the throat is choked or one falls sick, in short, how long will you live?

If Allah takes away oxygen from the air, air stops moving, stops rains, days and nights are not there, how will you sleep, how will you wake up and how will you do any business? You eat but what if the digestive system suspends? What if you start feeling thirsty and you keep on drinking water and the thirst is not quenched. What will happen? You will burst off and die of thirst. This disease is called hydropsy. The measure of water quantity that you save in your stomach, and you keep it replenishing with water, what will you do if there is no water available? If there is no rain, there will be famine. So, all these things prove that man is dependent only upon Allah. In our sighting, hearing, speaking, in doing jobs. If there is no strength in feet, how can you go to office? There are paralyzed people. If a child is born with no fingers? About what can you claim, is yours? Tell me about a single part in your body? Mashallah so many of you are sitting here, anyone of you can deny this? Then, what are you? Eyes, ears, mouth, teeth are all granted to us by Allah. We are born without teeth. Then, of what you deny. Tell me what’s that which you possess and over which you have any control? Come on. Tell me. No one has any control over anything, and you claim to be controlling everything. You say, if I’ll not do the business, will not go to the job, how will I be able to earn bread? You say or not?

In your mother’s womb weren’t you fed for nine months? How and by whom was all that provided to you? How much did you labor for it? And then, after your birth, for two and a quarter of year, where you were getting your feed?

Audience… Allah provided it.

Fine Allah provided but, how did you consume it?

Ok, had Allah not produced milk in mothers’ breasts, then?

(Arabic Text) Surah Aly Imran: 7)

When those who become familiar with divine knowledge of God and are firmly established in His knowledge, come to know of the nature. They say, “We believe with certitude that each and everything is from Allah.” When God wills, we are born when He wills, we grow. And when time to die is destined Allah protects you. When corpses are abandoned, are they not eaten by animals and birds? Allah protects you. Whatever you continue doing, Allah hides it from others. If this secret is revealed that how we all think, imagine what would happen? Tell me what will happen. Yes! Fasad would prevail and nobody would like to see each other’s faces.  Everyone would be trying to avoid each other. But look at the system of Allah that He covers the faults of all of us. Allah Almighty says that if you come to know of someone's evil, do not share it with others. If you share it with others, it would be a great sin (i.e. Gibat) and you will be punished. Isn’t this veiled. Now you answer me that what is yours. Heart, lungs kidneys, bones; what is yours. Don’t you say these are my legs, this is my hand, these are my eyes. Nobody would ever say these are my father’s eyes. Now let’s talk about this world. Food, house, business, property if these are yours then why don’t you take it with you when you die. You die and barely fit in a two-yard land. (Arabic Text) Those who understand the divine knowledge say that we know with certainty that everything is from Allah. When He wills, we are born, die and stay healthy.

I will make it short; you may be thinking that what is happening here we are talking about dead people while we are living beings. Isn’t this worth considering. Isn’t that right, we were not mindful of all these things.

Another thing, no matter how much property you acquire, how much gold you may amass, you can’t carry it along. …Qaddafi left behind tons of gold…Didn’t he? He died a disgraceful death. His son was also killed. It’s been reported that when his son was killed, he was wearing dirty clothes and had lice all over his body. Then, tell me. What’s the relation between you and Allah? Yes, say it loudly!

Audience…of a Creator and the creatures.

Exactly Allah is the Creator, and we are creatures. When Allah made you His creatures, He provided sustenance as well. Air, water, oxygen, the earth, the sky, the rain, mountains, water springs, trees, the sun, the moon, and the stars all are made for you. All these are the blessings of Allah. Must be in hundreds of thousands or even more. And tell me, how many times have we thanked Allah for all His blessings?

If we have a problem in our eyes, two or two and a half lacs of rupees are spent for nothing. Eyes, ears, teeth, stomach, hand, and legs all are free. And then, Allah arranged to clad us in clothes, too, so that man could understand Him and could rise above the level of cattle.

All this, I related to you, so you could tell me. ” Who I am? I am also I, and you, everyone sitting here, is also a separate I. Yes, or no? Tell me who I am? Ok. Tell me who you are? Come on. Seems you are intoxicated. Who I am? Ok. What you are? Tell me. Niaz bhai you tell me.

Naiz sabib… Creatures!

Well, the cats and dogs, sparrow, crow, pigeon and an eagle are also creatures. Then?

(Someone from audience mentioned something)

Yes, they are also the creatures of God. All and everything are the creation of God. Even those who don’t acknowledge Him, they are also His creation.

So, tell me who I am? This seems to be a strange question. I was asking you. Who are you? And what this world is where you are, what is that? This world is a habitat for us. This world is the place to live. No? Then? Where is your actual abode? Do you know the world? Tell me, do you know the world? No…that concludes all. When you don’t know the world and you are living in the world, what can be further said?

Ok…let’s proceed. Another thing, you were a day-old child. What you were when you were of four days? What does a day-old child become in four days? What does it mean? Yes, he grew by four days. Four days and four nights. Where did these four days and four nights go?

In the Unseen. Then, what this fifth day is? It came out of Unseen. And on the sixth day? That fifth day also gets into the unseen. Did you see the Unseen? Where did the day-old child go?

Ladies here are telling that their daughters have grown to twenty years. Can they tell where did go those twenty years? Days and nights and hours and minutes of those twenty years, where did they come from and where did they go?

Audience…Unseen

What this unseen is? Isn’t Allah being the Unseen? I am asking all this to shake your mind. When you were a day-old infant, from where did you come? You may say, from mother’s womb. Ok… tell me when you grew to be four days. Where did those four days go? And, in the last, when you grew to be seventy years of age, those seventy years became Unseen. And all that became unseen, of which you know not and which you cannot see, then? How can you mention it? When you were ten days old, were you aware of those ten days? Or were you aware of your two years, when you were two years of age?

You don’t know a thing, or do you? Where you were when you were not born yet? So, what is your real abode? Did you see your abode? You came from there and you didn’t see it? Not only that you come from there, but you daily go there and come back from there. If you are forty years of age half of that time you spent there. You remained in the seen world for twenty years and you spent twenty years in the unseen realm. And, you don’t know what is there?

Where you were before your birth?

Audience…in the Unseen

But what this Unseen is? Tell me something about it.

Audience…Its Allah

 Have you seen Allah? Then?

If you are sixty years of age, out of these sixty years, you spent thirty out of them, for sure, in the unseen. Half of your age is spent in the Unseen realm. And, you are not aware of those thirty years, where did they vanish? And, when you are not aware of a thing, how can you mention it even? A thing becomes unseen, and you don’t even know it. There was time when you couldn’t turn your sides. Then it became unseen. And now is the time when you can even ride a camel. If asked how old are you? You say, “I am forty years of age.” Where did those forty years go? You will say, they became unseen. Where lies this unseen? Now, your name is Niaz Ahmad. And you have lived for two hundred years but you still are Niaz Ahmad, despite everything in you having changed. Yes, or no? Why didn’t your name change? Isn’t this an illusion? Isn’t this a deception? Aren’t we deceiving ourselves?

Ok…now we are dead. After dying, why can’t people see us? Why?

One thing more…I am over eighty years…people say don’t mention your age, you might attract an evil eye. I say, old timer doesn’t attract an evil eye. I don’t know where all those years of my life did go? Does any of you know where did all those years go?

Audience… Into the Unseen

What this Unseen is? What do you call Unseen? Any one of the ladies please!

Audience…That which cannot be seen.

When you became unseen then, how can you mention yourself? And, when you don’t even know where you did go?

Just one minute…give it a thought… you are sitting here for an hour. Think for a minute and tell me, where did this one hour go? And, if you don’t know where did it go, how could you name it as one hour? I give you one minute to think.

Ok…one minute is over. Tell me!

Audience… It became a record.

Where did it record? Can you see it? If it is recorded with Allah, can you see Allah? Don’t fly so high. Remain down to the earth. You get out the earth first. Then there are planets and stars, seven heavens, then there is Arsh (The High Throne) and, you know nothing of them and, you directly said, Allah. Allah is there, no doubt in that.

Where do you stand, when you don’t know of your childhood, of your youth, you know nothing of the days and nights then, what do you know? You were named Muhammad Yameen or whatsoever. When you were named, you were one or two days of age. And you are still the same Muhammad Yameen? And, if the photo of that time, when you were one or two days, is shown to you, will you be able to recognize yourself? Will you? Then, what you are?

Audience… it’s past.

What is this past? What’s the past? Record is past. And, the record, of which you know nothing. When you didn’t see a thing, how can you be trusted and believed? Ok. Tell me, you are sitting here almost for an hour; minutes and seconds passed away. Where did all these go? Yes?

Audience…In the past.

What is this past?

Audience…It the record.

Fine. It became a record. Can you see the record?

Audience…No!

Then how can I accept that it became the record? If it became the record but, we don’t know about it…then, what can we do? We must practice reading the record, where we were before our birth? We came here from there. Then turned thirty and then forty years of age. All our past age is being recorded, is disappearing from us and still we are carrying the same name. Our features, our size, height and stature everything underwent a change, and the name is still stuck there.

Yes, where this past went and, if it is your record, you must have been aware of it. If it is my record, I should be knowing it. And, if it is your record, you ought to be knowing it. I call it my record, when it will be with me and, I will have the access to it. Or, I have placed it somewhere safely.

Can we see our childhood? Yes indeed. And the age before our childhood can also be witnessed. The holy Quran testifies it, whence God says, “Am I not your Lord?” (Surah Airaf: 172)

Creation witnesses, man sees Allah and acknowledges saying, “Indeed, Thou are our Lord.” And prostrated before Him. Right? Then, why can’t we see Allah? Yes, why can’t? We don’t want to see Him. We want to remain blindfolded.

(Arabic text) (Surah Baqara: 18) “They are blind, deaf and dumb.” Glittering world has dazzled us. You know, what’s the rate of gold today, silver costs this much, plot can be had for this much money, house will cost this much. And all these things are to be left behind after all. And you leave all the belongings here. Without knowing anything.

And, when you will be asked, what have you brought with you? Then, what will you say?

(Arabic text) (Surah Mutafaffin: 8)

(Arabic text) (Surah Mutafaffin: 19)

(Arabic text) (Surah Mutafaffin: 20)

Every such act that is good, is a virtue, is liked by Allah, is liked by the holy Prophet (PBUH), is liked by the prophets of God and angels is being recorded like a video film. Kitab-e-Marqum,is this video not the Written Book?

(Arabic text) (Surah Mutafaffin: 8)

And all the life that you are wasting in wasteful things, the worries, the killings, the devastations, fears, greed, terror, animosity are the Sijjin. This is also a film.

There two angels…Karaman Katibeen…one is shooting the scenes of Elieen and the other one is capturing the scenes of Sijjeen. When you will try to deny, it will be said, show him his film. If, it was virtue, he will be shown the film of Elieen. Aren’t you witnessing everything like a movie displayed before you? If there is a house with bulbs illuminating it, it will be seen in the film. 

It means…if you are fifty years of age. Normally, we remember the events of six or seven years of age. Yes, or no? Close your eyes and think of yourself when you were eight or ten years of age. Close your eyes and think anything of that age for a minute. Think of anything. Think of your school, of any relative, of any wedding procession, dancing or singing, anything whatever may come to your mind.

One minute is over. Tell me, could you recall anything of that age? All those who could picture something, raise their hands.

That’s great. Almost all have seen. Thus, you can see the record of your life. This all is the record of your life. When you focused for a minute or two the record came before you. If you had spent more time with concentration, more would have come to your mind. Right? What does this mean? It means we can see the record. When you delve deeply you will explore deeper and see more. Thus, that which we had said to Allah, “Yes Indeed Thou are our Lord” is also a record and why can’t we see that record? Can we see it or not?

Many of the audience; with one voice; Yes, Abba Jee, we can see!

Say it together; only those should remain silent, who think nobody can see.

Can you see or not?

Audiences Yes we can see.

Then, did you try to see?

Audience… No!

Why?

Audience…No body drew our attention towards it. we didn’t value it.

You didn’t pay heed. Allah is calling your attention, in the holy Quran.

It means, if you or any person wants to see all those things which he had witnessed in the eternity and have prostrated before his Lord after acknowledging His Lordship, can see them all with concentration.

Audience (Arabic Text) Praise be to Allah.

But we don’t have time. It seldom occurs to us that we have acknowledged His Lordship. Let’s see how our dear Lord is. Let’s go closer to Him. Right!

You were of one day. When you were two days of age, the first day became unseen. You entered the third day, and the second day became unseen. Thus, a year went by. This undulation of seen and unseen, becoming manifested or vanishing…is the counting of these two is equal or not?

Audience…There is difference.

No. No, you didn’t get me. We came from unseen into the seen and again went into the unseen…now tell me what did you understand? This equation of seen and unseen. What does it mean?

Ok. Two time in the unseen and once in the seen world. We came from the unseen and got into the Seen. And then again went into the unseen. Thus, the world of unseen is double than that of the seen. And, that which is double we forgot about that and, we are chasing the single part. Only because of its glitter. The glitter of gold and silver. Therefore, this is everything for us. But when you were born, were you wearing even the shorts? Others covered you with clothes. And when died, even then, others put cloth upon you. What did you bring with you? And did you carry anything along? From where did you come?

Audience…From the unseen.

And where did you go?

Audience…To the unseen.

Then?

Audience…all is Unseen.

It is said, knowing the unseen is knowing Allah. No, Allah is beyond Unseen. Life of man is appearing and disappearing and is alternating from unseen to seen and from seen to unseen. Thus, unseen is twice the seen. Once coming from unseen to seen world. And, then going back to the Unseen from the Seen. Once coming and then, going back into unseen. Manifestation has become your life here. You know that you have come from the Unseen, and you also know every day and every night of your life is turning back to unseen. Your every minute and every breath of yours is becoming unseen. How many breaths you take in a minute…1,2,4, 6 about 17 breaths a minute. Where did all your breaths go? And from where did they come? And where would you go after dying?

Audience…into the Unseen.

And, what’s there in the Unseen? Yes, Allah is there in the Unseen. Now, what you are supposed to do? Think, what you ought to be doing? Things which you are bound to leave behind are you enemy, which is responsible for the killings, children fight over that, your soul doesn’t want to depart from it. How can I die leaving behind so much gold? And, you never thought of that, which is double than your manifested life and is the origin of your life.

This is all about the worldly life. If this law of witnessing the Seen and Unseen is memorized, the system given to us by the holy Prophet (PBUH) and his companions can be brought back and be implemented in its true spirit. This was the main thing in the companions of the holy Prophet (PBUH). They used to see and observe, and they knew that every breath that was coming is going back. Coming and going, coming, and going. They knew Allah puts us to sleep, which is half death. Allah has also said, and they are brought back to life, and they again die and again get up and again die. Death means getting into the Unseen. Coming from the Unseen and then, going back into Unseen.

(Arabic text) (Surah Noor: 38) “Allah provides sustenance without any reckoning.”

May Allah keep you all happy and may He attract you to Him. Live in the world, eat and drink well, help the poor. Allah doesn’t like poverty. Allah has said, (Arabic Text) “Allah provides sustenance to His people without any reckoning.” If a person has no money, from where he would pay the alms and zakat? How will he sacrifice? It is simple, while earning money, the laws of Allah must be fully observed. Permissions and prohibitions may also be kept in view. And, that is with you, a blessing of Allah, use it with delight.      

   The end.