Those Who Stand on Pulpits of Pearls
The Importance of Dhikrullah Series, Vol 1
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
21 July 2012 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Suhbah after Fajr
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah, nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`alaa fee haadha 'l-masjid.
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Ati`oollaha wa ati`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh!
Everyday people look for fresh food and try to add to what they have. Today Allah (swt) made it easy for us to meet in Ramadan in order that we all benefit. I am not saying I’m better than you, but I am saying you are better than me, because if you were not here to whom would I speak?
I’m not like Grandshaykh (q), may Allah bless his soul, when he was in seclusion and he didn’t have anyone to speak to, so he put his turban in front of him and spoke to it to empty the knowledge coming to his heart. As you empty the heart they fill you up, but if you are happy with what you have they will leave you like that. If someone keeps emptying his heart, Allah (swt) will keep sending as He is generous, not like us:
Min karam al-ilaaha laa hudooda lahu. Fa huwa al-mu`tiyy wa huwa an-nafi`.
Allah's Generosity has no limits. He is the Supreme Giver and the Giver of Good.
Allah is not like us, who wait until we get more in order to give. Two of Allah's Attributes are al-Kareem, The Most Generous, and al-Mu`tiyy, The One Who Is Generous. You cannot compare His Generosity with someone who is generous in dunya. When Allah (swt) gives, He continues giving non-stop until the Day of Judgment.
For example, you see an ant moving towards its food, but how does it find its food? Do you not see ants passing, finding their food, then going? To ponder that, you see Allah's Greatness, making a very small ant, dharr, the smallest thing you can understand, to move, and you don't know where is its head and where is its stomach; it might be moving backwards or forward, but the hikmat is that the ant reaches crumbs or traces of food, takes it and goes. By pondering Allah's Greatness in making that ant move, you will be dressed with rewards that will not disappear, but rather they continue to the Day of Judgment! Just by doing that and nothing else, Allah's Generosity will dress you. Look at Allah's Hikmat! To the Day of Judgment, you will continuously be rewarded for that `amal that is completely separate from any other `amals.
The following hadith is from the prophecy of an-Nabi (s), which is “al-Mutanabbi,” the one who speaks about the future. The Prophet (s) foretells what is happening today, describing this meeting in detail! He receives it as revelation. One hadith is enough to contemplate and for sure, you can only understand that hadith through Allah's Greatness!
Abu Dardaa (r) said that the Holy Prophet (s) said:
عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلي الله عليه وآله وسلم: لَيَبْعَثَنَّ اللهُ أَقْوَامًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِي وُجُوهِهِمُ النُّورُ عَلَى مَنَابِرِ اللُّؤْلُؤِ. يَغْبِطُهُمُ النَّاسُ لَيْسُوا بِأَنْبِيَاءَ وَلاَ شُهَدَاءَ. قَالَ: فَجَثِىَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، حِلْهُمْ لَنَا نَعْرِفُهُمْ. قَالَ: هُمُ الْمُتَحَابُّونَ فِي اللهِ مِنْ قَبَائِلَ شَتىَّ وَبِلاَدٍ شَتىَّ. يَجْتَمِعُونَ عَلَى ذِكْرِ اللهِ يَذْكُرُونَهُ
wa `an Abi Darda radiallahu `anhu qaal: qaala Rasoolullahi la-yaba`thanna-Llaahu aqwaaman yawma ’l-qiyaamati fee wujoohihim an-noor `alaa manaabiri 'l-lu'loo. Yaghbituhum an-naasu laysu bi anbiyaa wa laa shuhadaa. Qaal: fajathiya `araabiyyun `alaa rukbatayhi, faqaal: yaa Rasoolullah, hilhum lanaa na`rifuhum. Qaal: humu 'l-mutahaabboona fi’llaahi min qabaaila shataa wa bilaadin shataa. Yajtami`oona `alaa dhikrullahi yadhkuroonahu.
Abi Darda (r) said that Prophet (s) said, “On the Day of Judgment, Allah Almighty will resurrect some people with shining light on their faces. They will be sitting on pulpits made of pearls and the other people will envy them. They will neither be Prophets nor martyrs.” (Hearing this) a Bedouin bent down to his knees saying, “O, Holy Prophet of Allah Almighty! Please describe these people so that we may recognize them.” The Holy Prophet said, “They are the people who, regardless of their connection to different tribes and countries, love each other for the Sake of Allah Almighty and gather together to remember Him.” (Tabarani)
Look what Allah (swt) is giving for this meeting! The Prophet (s) said that certainly on the Day of Judgment, Allah (swt) will raise people with faces full of Light, fee wujoohihim an-noor. He said,“al-Noor,” in which “al” is the definite article used to describe “The Light.” Allah (swt) will raise them on the Day of Judgment so that in their faces, meaning in every cell of their faces there is an-Noor, The Light, not simply “noor.” “Huwa al-Noor,” as Allah (swt) said:
اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
Allaahu nooru 's-samaawaati wa 'l-ard.
Allah is the Light of the Heavens and Earth. (Surat an-Noor, 24:35)
So one of Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes is “an-Noor,” with “al” as a definite article. That means from His Beautiful Names and Attributes, Allah (swt) will send an-Noor, “The Light” on their faces, from which they will be shining. Those whose faces will shine from Allah's Beautiful Light will become beacons on the Day of Judgment for all creation!
Allah (swt) said, “Allah is the Light of the Heavens and Earth,” so when He gives you His Light your face glows with whatever knowledge is in it, because He created the Light of the Prophet (s) from His Light! That means you are carrying the Light of the Prophet (s) and the Light of Allah's Beautiful Name and Attribute, an-Noor. On the Day of Judgment, when someone becomes dressed with that Light of an-Noor, he becomes Divine, mukhaladan fi ‘l-Jannah, living forever in Paradise! We are speaking of akhirah, not dunya. That hadith describes this meeting and describes something that no one can understand.
How are you going to present someone who is carrying that Light? When you are glowing from that Light, it means Allah (swt) is dressing you with that from His Generosity and He is not going to make you walk, but rather He will give you a vehicle. They will be sitting on manaabiri 'l-lu'loo, “pulpits of pearls” like a carriage. To go on a minbar, pulpit, means people are sitting and you are the leader; you will be leaders for people on the Day of Judgment, when people are in the greatest need to enter into Paradise and not to be punished. So as you are moving and coming with pulpits of pearls, as the Prophet (s) described, that Light is reaching people. They are not just pulpits of pearls, but the Prophet (s) mentioned it in this way for us to understand, because the Light of Allah’s Beautiful Namean-Noor cannot be described.
to be continued.. insyaAllah.
