Annual Address of Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi 27th Jan 2020

(Arabic Text) (Darood Shareef)

My elders, loving friends and beloved children!

May Allah bless us with His Mercy and the ability to act upon the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). God blesses only those who turn to Allah and have full faith in Him and identify themselves with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as their beloved.

(Arabic text) (Surah Ikhlas.1-4)

"Say, He is Allah, the one and only, Allah is free from all wants (insouciant), He begets not, nor is He begotten. And, there is none like unto Him."  

I recited Surah Ikhlas before you in all my humility. In this chapter of the holy Quran, God has told us about the properties of mankind, all the creatures, and of Him. (Arabic Text) Say, He is the one and only... (Arabic Text), Allah is insouciant (Arabic Text) he begets not, nor He is begotten... ((Arabic Text) Allah has no family.

(Arabic Text) You all have memorized Surah Ikhlas and are aware of its translation. It offers the introduction of Human Beings, creations and Allah.

Qul...O Prophet (PBUH) Say! God is Ahad. Ahad is translated in various ways...Unique, there is none like unto Him, one that cannot be enjoined... some name His as God, some call Him as Eshwar or Yazdan. Allah is One and the creatures cannot be one.

Today, let's consider, what's the relation between Allah and His creatures?

Repeat it again. Allah says, He is one, not two, three, four or ten. Nothing but one, unique and has no progeny.

(Arabic text)...Creatures are needy, Allah is free from all wants.

(Arabic text)... He begets not nor He is begotten.

(Arabic text)... Allah has no family.

Ahad...alone, has no family, no tribe, none like unto Him. He is a family in Him, He is the Owner, Encompassing, Omnipotent, Provider of life. He changes the forms of life. If a person dies at one place, he is born in some other place. You think and consider and tell me, which of the attributes of Allah can be adopted by the creatures? And, when the creatures adopt that attribute their relationship with Allah becomes stronger. I want you to express your thoughts. Let's hear from the ladies. One of these five attributes can be adopted by the creatures, but four properties cannot be adopted.

(Ladies...all in one voice...Samad...free of all wants!)

Allah is the Creator, Provider of sustenance, Master, the Living and Established.  He creates pictures from a drop, you don't have the desire to know Allah?

(Arabic text) (Surah Aly Imran: 6) "He shapes you in the wombs as He pleases."

Those who adopt His property of “freedom from wants” get closer to Him.

(Arabic text) (Surah Qaaf: 16) "We are closer to you than your jugular vein." Closeness to God and witnessing His Beatific Vision are two different things. Those who become aware of this knowledge... (Arabic text) They say... (Arabic text) We believe with certitude, (Arabic text) Everything is from Allah.

In order to understand this, let's get into the past. Allah intended to create the universe, all the creatures in the universe know Him, and they must know that Allah is their Creator and the Master. They behold Him and He may talk to them, Yes My Servant, you are my servant. Then, to safeguard His creation, He created resources.

(Arabic text) (Surah Aly Imran:37) "Allah provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure."

Allah has blessed you with sustenance with no measures. Sustenance means the resources. The earth is made to produce and to serve Adam. Man has no realization, what is this chain of service, which has been continuing for billions of years? Tell me! What if the land, we are living upon, is turned into a hard rock, can we survive? Earth is our mother. If it didn't give us the soil, a house cannot be built. If it becomes barren, not a single leaf will grow and food will no longer be available. When the supply of water is stopped, the land turns barren.

(Arabic text)(Surah Ibrahim:32) "Allah created the heavens and the earth and sends down water from the sky and brings out fruits to feed you."

If the earth is turned into dry hard rock, will anything grow?

Audiences...No, not at all.

And, if the water is not there and there is no rain as well, then?

Audiences... There will be famine.

You know there are three parts of water and one is the land on earth. When there is a high tide in the ocean, waves rise. Sometimes up to sixty feet high. If these waves are not turned into clouds, will there be any rain? Whenever there is a high tide in the ocean, cyclones help to lift the water in the air. Air carries the water vapors and at a height, they turn into snow.

Think, what will happen if the sun's heat is there and the snow is not formed? And, if the snow is there and the heat of the sun is not there, what will happen? Laws of tides are there. When the earth wants to meet someone in itself. Does the tide ever go down? Tide always goes up. As soon as it goes up, air breaks its water into vapors and makes a mountain (cloud) of it, freezes upon a mountain, or turns into clouds to rain. That's why there is so much rain in the ocean.

Raining, increase the water table in the earth. The rise in the water table helps in digging the well. Water is provided. When the heat is there, snow melts, air breezes, and the thirst of the land is quenched, which energizes the land and this energy produces the wheat. This energy brings forward all the resources for food and clothing and the same energy creates the oceans, too.

There are three parts of the ocean and one part of the land on Earth. There are living creatures on the dry land but there are creatures in the water, too. Then, what is this system of rain, air, winds, irrigation of land, and, resulting from this irrigation, the services of the earth are provided to the creatures? If there is no rain, will there be any greenery on Earth? Will there be any water on the land? We dug up to four hundred feet in Azeemi Graveyard to get water but to no avail.

Consider and think about the cosmic system. Why did Allah create it and for whom did He create it?

Allah is far above hunger, thirst, sickness or health, sleep and awakening, children or matrimony. This inestimably huge system is the need of the creatures. Creatures have to be males or females and have to have food. And, are in need of oxygen in the air. Creatures are also forced to sleep. Whereas, Allah does not even feel drowsy, what to say of having a sleep. Have you ever given it a thought, for whom is this entire system made? Yes, for whom? Have you ever given it a thought?

We wear quality clothes. Had there been no resources like cotton, silk, flax, leather, or wool, how could have we clothed ourselves? Mother is a source of sustenance for the children. What would have happened to the children, if she had not been the source? How strange is the system! The milk dries up when a child doesn't need it anymore.

Allah is the First, the Last, the Manifested, and the Hidden. What is the creation? Creatures are the display of this first, last, manifested, and hidden. If this physical system is independent then what are hunger, thirst, awakening, sleeping, and dying for? Do we have any movement after death in body parts? Do eyes, ears, nose, brain, twelve billion cells of body and limbs function on their own?

The man was expelled from Paradise. Allah said, your mistakes are excused but you cannot remain in Paradise.

Ladies and gentlemen! When the hand burns, you treat it but the scar remains. Since the disobedience was committed, the law was broken. Allah commanded, “You all get down.” The humiliation, deprivation, misery, anxiety, and diseases shall be chasing you and you shall be living without any peace of mind or heart. Despite having everything at your disposal you shall not be free from fears. And, the world of certitude shall not be lightened up for you. Despite the availability of everything you shall not be the master of anything. Man doesn't bring anything along nor take away anything along. History is evident, one who is a millionaire or billionaire loses all his wealth and becomes a beggar. And, one who has nothing establishes free meal centers.

Shall we not go mad if we are sleepless? If the awakening is not there, will we not keep on sleeping? You don't have any control over your hunger, thirst, or birth. Can you give me a single example where you have any control? Say something, so I know that you are not sleeping.

(Audiences accepted that they don't have any control over anything.)

But, we claim that we are in control. We may live on half a loaf of bread but this half loaf can also be available, only when the wheat will grow. Look at the mechanism of the eyes. Is sighting in our control? Tell me loudly!

Audiences...No!

Is speaking in your control?

Audiences...No!

Is smelling in your control?

Audiences...No!

If this is in our control then, why a dead person doesn't hear? When a dead is buried in a grave. If that grave is opened up after some time, we don't find anything in there. After some more time, even the ashes of the bones are not there. Bury a six feet tall man in a grave and it turns into dust. Turning into dust means, he had no value. You have a watch upon your wrist but there is no wind in it. What's real? Wind or the watch?

Tell me, does anything in this world have any control over it? One of you in this gathering answer me. Can you take birth by yourself? Can you grow young by yourself? God forbid, if you lose your eyes, can you get your eyes back? Tell me about one thing which we have any control over it.

But, we do have the authority. And about that authority, Allah has said, (Arabic text) ( Surah Albaqra: 286) "And, God does not put a burden upon anyone, which he cannot bear."

It means Allah has blessed man with authority. But, who gave this authority?

Audiences...Allah!

When Allah gave you the authority, this is the authority given by Allah. You don't have any control over your birth, growing young, getting old, or dying. No man is burdened more than he could bear. What is this forbearance or tolerance? If there is no life in the body, can we talk about its forbearance or tolerance?

Think of your inner machine. The heart, lungs, spleen, kidneys, and gallbladder are all fiction. And, then it happens that even this fiction is no longer there. When a post-mortem is done upon a dead body, all internal organs are there but there will be no movement in them. Then, what's the real? Body or the movement?

Audiences...The movement!

You agree collectively that movement is the real thing. When someone moves, movement will be there. What is this movement? Movement is life. And, in whose hand is this life?

Audiences...In Allah's!

We are moving around the earth because of life given by Allah. If the earth refuses to sacrifice, will there be any graveyards? When there is no life in a person there remains nothing but stench and purification, the earth hides it all. If the dead body remains lying in the open, everyone knows what will happen. First, the stench, and then, cats, dogs, crows, and vultures devour it. Allah protects us even after our death and, we do not know that the thing which was keeping us alive is no longer there. What is that?

We feel happy, can anyone define happiness? So many people are sitting here, can someone define grief? Apparently, face expresses the feelings or emotions. We do feel difficulty, problems, pain, and delight but we really don't know what is comfort or pain. We suffer from high or low blood pressure(BP). We say, "I'm in pain." When the BP is normal, we say, 'Now, I'm all right, don't have any pain.'

Do we really know what's the reason for having a heart in our body?

It's the holy statement of Allah, (Arabic text) "I was a treasure hidden, I created the creatures with love so that I be known."

Kinzun is the treasure and makhfi means hidden. God created the creatures after creatures with love. Created the universe especially Adam so that he could cognize Him.

Allah Says, He has control over everything, individually or collectively. He also says He is the First, the Last, the Hidden, and the Manifested. Analyze any creation there will be its beginning, its ending, its manifestation, and its vanishing. Ever new inventions are taking place, day in and day out. All these are hidden in the earth in the form of iron (metals).

(Arabic text) (Surah Hadeed: 25)

"We sent down the iron, which has much strength and benefits for the people."

The benefits of iron keep coming before those who search and explore. Iron expresses its qualities, which are seen on the screen of the mind. Iron tells us about its potential and, we say this is our ability that we explored its potential. Audiences are requested to give this point a considerate thought, iron is exhibiting its potential.

Everything is celebrating Allah's praises. What does it mean? Everything in the universe has a consciousness. When God said, "Be!" All the creatures heard it. Be! Come into being! They came into being. Then, Allah asked, "Am I not your Lord?" Creatures collectively responded, "Yes, Indeed, You are our Lord! When God said this, the creature heard Him and saw His Beatific Vision. This means, responding to the question, they all admitted His Lordship and that He is their Creator. He is the Provider of the resources like sunlight, and moonlight to produce sweetness in the fruits, made the oceans, rivers, streams, and springs, decorated the sky with stars, made mother earth, and arranged the things to eat and drink for us. Allah provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measures. Can anyone estimate the cost of mother's milk?    

  (Arabic text) (Surah Ikhlas.1.4)

"Say, He is Allah, the One and Only, Allah is insouciant, He begets not, nor is He begotten. And, there is none like unto Him." 

Law: The summary of the talk is that the creatures should stop depending upon creatures and, be dependent upon the One who is free of all needs.

What is to be dependent upon Allah? Allah causes you to be born. No one knows where one will be born, in a house of a sweeper or a cobbler or in a royal family. If you had been given a choice, would anyone opt else for it other than a king's family?

Independence means Allah is free of all wants and needs. So dependency would mean to depend for every need upon Allah (as is the case actually)

Tell me, what is that, which you use and is not granted to you by Allah? What is that urge for which you pay anything to Allah for its fulfillment?  God is carefree. When creatures have a mental tie and they build up their bonding with Allah, their dependency upon Allah establishes and such a person becomes distinguished from millions and billions of creations. People versed with this knowledge know, what is the dependency and, they also know that creatures cannot serve the creatures. Creatures can serve others only when God inspires them to serve others. If one will not have the idea of serving others, will one be able to serve anyone?

Have you ever given it a thought, from where are the thoughts coming into your mind? And, what would life have been, if no thoughts were coming in?

(Pin drop silence in the auditorium)

Doesn't life depend upon thoughts? I want an answer!

(Audiences...collectively...Life depends upon thoughts.)

 When there is nothing but thought then, from where does it come? Who pours thoughts into our minds?

(Audiences... Allah!)

If you have understood this, I'll finish it here. Will anyone of the ladies tell me what's the summary of the whole discourse? I recited Surah Ikhlas, what did you gather from it? Let me hear it from the gentlemen.

(One of the Gentlemen... Allah has a relationship of love with the creatures.)

This we all know. Allah creates and causes us to die and will resurrect us again. Just tell me what is the summary of the entire discourse?

(A lady... You told us that creatures can't have four of the Attributes of Allah but man can have one quality of being independent to some extent provided that he uses everything care of Allah and has His cognition.)

Anyone else?

(Another Lady... we understand, there is nothing in our control, we are under the control of thoughts)

Yes. (smilingly) Thought is also granted by Allah.

No one from the gentlemen?

(One gentleman stood up and said...In Surah Ikhlas five attributes of Allah have been stated. Dependency is one of the Attributes, which man can adopt. All our acts are subject to thoughts and thoughts come from Allah and the movement is also from Allah.)

Yes...movement is also a thought, son!

May Allah bless you with happiness and guide you to learn spirituality and may He open up His ways for you.

(Arabic text) Surah Ankaboot: 69)

"Those who struggle and strive for Us, We open up our way for them."

Those who want to know Allah and the purpose of their creation... first of all there was the realm of souls then, the phase of Loh e Mehfooz (Preserved Scripture), then, it was Burzukh  and from there in this material world, from here we will move into Alam e Airaf, from there into the Day of Judgment and after that Hell or Paradise...Allah has made all these stages so that we could have better understanding and realization of His Greatness so that our relation with Allah could be strengthened.

People firm in knowledge, ladies, and gentlemen, have this thing in their observation that everything is from Allah. Firmness in knowledge helps us in opening the way to Paradise. If we didn't meet this condition, though God is kind and merciful, think about what will be our position in that case.

You all came here from far away. May you be blessed for coming to the Urs of Qalandar Baba Auliya. May Allah bless us all to find our true status.

(Arabic text) (Surah Baqra: 35)

"We asked Adam to reside in Paradise with his spouse and eat and drink from where you may desire with pleasure but don't go near this tree otherwise you will be amongst the transgressors."

Think, Allah is saying, eat and drink with pleasure. Delight and pleasure are the properties of Paradise. Ladies and gentlemen are we familiar with delight and pleasure ...????

A tree means a thing that has branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits. This is the thinking that has illusion in it. A tree appears to be full of leaves and fruits and then, there is nothing. It again fills up and becomes empty. Is this reality or an illusion?

(Audiences... loudly...Illusion!)

I was born, become ten days old, then turned to be ten years, twenty years, fifty years... And, I don't know where did all these years go? Do you know?

When we don't know from where we came. We are told from the Realm of the Souls; do we know what the Realm of the Souls is? Where will we go from here?

Elders say these stations cannot be witnessed unless faith and certitude upon Allah is not complete.

The purpose of spiritualism is to surrender fully to God and accept that Allah is the provider of sustenance. Allah creates us and takes us to another world from here. The method is simple. Whatever you do, do it care of Allah. Everything will settle automatically.

All say God is watching. When you are committing a sin, why don't you remember that Allah is watching over you?

When you are creating troubles for others why it doesn't occur to you that God is watching? If this observation is established that Allah is watching, inshallah 99% people will be on the straight path.

Stay blessed. Assalam o Alykum!