Ladies and Gentlemen! Assalaamualaikum Warahmatullaahi
Wabarakaatuh!
In this second series of Q & A session, we are
extremely pleased to share with you, by having with us once again, at this very
moment, His Excellency, Honourable Syaikh Al-Hady An-Naqsyahbandi, a renowned
Sufi Guru of the 21st Century. We will explore with the Honourable Syaikh, what
exactly is his take on the subject before us, amazingly entitled, ' ONE-WAY
TICKET - THE FINAL REDEMPTION.' Let's not waste any more time!
1.Q. Assalaamualaikum, Ya Honourable Syaikh!
A.
Wa'alaikumussalaam Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuh!
2.Q. Perhaps, Honourable Syaikh can enlighten us on the
precise meaning of the title of this Q & A
session, its wider ramifications and how the subject matter impacts upon
all mankind!
A. Bismillaahi, Alhamdulillaah! Wa’budullaaha
wa la tusyriku bihi syai’a, Wassolaatu wassalaamu ‘ala sayyidinaa Muhammadin
syamsil huda, wa’ala aalihi wa ashaabihii nujuumil ihtidaa i. Amma ba’:
Very well! The phrase 'One-way ticket' fittingly refers
to the ultimate journey that each and every man will undertake, at some point
in his life, when his time is up, that his Maker has predestined upon him; that
this final appointment is his to keep! In other words, he says farewell to all
those dear people around him, all his dear possessions; farewell also to the
world and his own life-existence, in this so-called dream-world! This is the journey
of no return, no U-turn! This is the awesome and fearsome Sakarat. He dies! Period!
Whilst, 'No redemption' strictly stipulates that one
begins the journey with just what one has, or has not, at that point or moment
in time; and reluctantly so! Its absolute fragility and finality precludes
against pleas for mercy, nuances of regret, repentance or forward grandiose
plans for self-construction or amendments, and so forth! Is there any hope for
mercy, yet; you may ask??
We have now come to the subject matter proper called 'The
art and science [signs] of Dying.'
Its dire significance and importance can best be
illustrated by Quranic exegesis, firstly, which states:
' Kullu nafsin zaa iqatul maut.’al-Anbiya’:35 and Ali
Imran:185.
' Every life or soul shall have a taste of death.’
Period! However, it is every right-thinking and practicing Muslim’s obligation
to make it a quest to live and die as Muslims [Mukmin], nonetheless! al-Baqarah:132.
Second illustration:
' The Angel of Death unceremoniously, descended upon a
certain man. He then blurted-out, ' I have now come to take your life!’
Startled and shocked, the poor man exclaimed, 'What? Can you spare me and grant
me a respite of at least one month?’ The Angel of Death asked, 'What for?' To
which the poor soul answered, ‘So that I'd be able to repent, perform my
prayers, religious obligations, and many acts of good deeds!' The Angel
blatantly declined, but still the wretched soul subsequently pleaded, ' How
about a week, a day or an hour?' The wranglings or bargains, if you like, were
decidedly untenable and quite useless, as you can see! No angel of God will
extend you courtesies, generally!
Please refer chapter 50, verse 19, which states:
' Wa jaaat sakratul mauti bilhaqqi, zalika maa kunta
minhu tahiid,' which means:
' And the stupor of death will bring truth [before his eyes].
' This was the thing which you were trying to escape!'
3. Q. Honourable
Syaikh, what happens here, is there a hadits or Traditions of the Prophet which
points or relates to this?
A. Yes indeed!
As a matter of fact, the Prophet s.a.w, has dwelt on the matter on numerous
occasions, admonishing mankind to correctly understand the real meaning or
philosophy of life and death, and to make preparations for it! But, of course,
man would either wittingly disbelieve it or choose to be heedless, but the loss
is his entirely, regardless!
A Hadits of the Prophet, matter-of-factly, states:
' Whomsoever is able to recite the Syahadah [Laa ilaaha
illallah], on his last breath upon dying, will be accorded Paradise!'
Therein, lies the golden key to Paradise! Ah, a simple
thing you say, but, alas, this is easier said than done! Why is this so?
Using a simple analogy, if a person is extremely good at
something, say, mathematics; he is able to crunch figures at will, for his own
good, even in sleep, let alone during his wakeful hours! How is this done, you
may ask? Clearly, if something or a habit has become second nature to a person,
it must have been acquired through the process of in-built, practice, conditioning,
or internalization!
Similarly, Almighty God confirms in chapter 8, verse 45:
‘ Fasbutuu wazkurullaaha kathiral la’allakum tuflihuun.’
' Be firm and call God in remembrance much [and often],
that ye may prosper!'
True to the saying, 'Old habit dies hard,' and also,
'Perfect practice makes perfect!' Therefore, what one needs is firstly, ingrained
belief, knowledge and constant recital [ TAWAJJUH and HALAQAH ZIKR], and of
course, amar ma’aruf! Again, all pointing towards consistency and conditioning!
In addition, a Tradition of the Prophet states:
' Die before you die! Should anyone seek proof of this,
simply look at my Sahabah, Abu Bakar as-Siddiq r.a., who is living-proof of
this!'
The great Imam al-Ghazali, once cautioned in one of his Kitaab,
thus:
' Mallam yakun lahu nasiibun min 'ilmi, yukhafu 'alaihi
su ulkhatimah.' Which literally means, whomsoever does not study and understand
Tasawwuf, he is likely to meet Su ul khatimah, upon dying? Wa iyya zubillah!
4. Q. Dear Honourable Syaikh, if this be the end of the
life-story of every man, how then do we deal with this? Is there a Sunnah, a
time-honoured methodology to overcome this extremely fearsome, insensible,
imperceptible, dazzling and intimidating trials and tribulations, called
Sakratul-maut?
A. Exactly as the
Holy Quran states in chapter 47, verse 19:
' Fa'lam annahu laa ilaaha illallaah, wastaghfir
lizambik.'
' Know therefore, Laa ilaaha illallah, and ask
foregiveness for thy fault!'
Fear not, Son, because the whole resolution of the matter
lies in the great secret or Hikmah that stays unlocked in the science of the
Kalimah Syahadah! What needs to be done is to prise it open, of course, with
the help and guidance of an expert. This so-called expert is none other than a
Guru or Mursyid, and a true practitioner in Tasawwuf! A lesser qualification is
not acceptable, because only a true man of God is able to guide another man to
the correct path of God, which the Guru has earlier navigated through himself,
so to speak! Then, and only then, will the novice be properly and securely
armed!
5.Q. Honourable Syaikh, according to the Tradition, can
you spell out precisely this science of dying, this Khatimah, what actually
takes place within the dying moments, as the dying man lies- in- wait and
apprehensively so?
A. To have certain
death coldly staring in your face is not everyone’s daily favorite dish! But it
surely will find you, even as we speak; when you least expect it! Therefore,
only the wise will constantly prepare for its eventual arrival, to preempt or
to leverage, if you will; instead of allowing it to take you by surprise!
The moments of dying, truth be told, are real moments of great
calamity and trepidation; truth verses falsehood; a contest of sorts; whereby
Almighty God wills it, that there will eventually, emerge a victor or a vanquished!
You will stand in good stead, if you have gone through
the rigours of the science of dying yourself! For incumbents, the process allows
you to understand and realize ones true nature; every facet of one’s spiritual
self, by identifying one’s multitude of Nafs; defining, refining, distilling
and crystallizing them into pure spiritual states within oneselves! What
initially begins with the conscious-self, pervades the sub-conscious, plumbs
deep and becomes so internalized within every fabric of one’s being, that one
finally knows and understands one’s own realms of spirituality and alchemy!
Inevitably, one has full and complete control of oneself and thus, fully
prepared for the unexpected!
During the beguiling moments of dying, one is put to very
rigorous and strenuous test. God Almighty will pose a revelation of sorts
before ones very eyes, visions of which one has never before experienced in one’s
life! God Almighty confirms this in chapter 50, verse 22, which states:
' [It will be said:] 'Thou wast heedless of this, now
have We removed thy veil, and sharp is thy sight this Day.'
Need I remind also that, one of the greatest hurdles yet,
in the form of ordeals and tribulations, comes from the devil/iblis himself!
Beware of, and fathom his sworn statement before Almighty God!
Refer chapter al-A’raf, verses 16-18: As God Almighty rid
him from paradise:
‘Because Thou hast thrown me out of the Way, lo! I will
lie in wait for them [Bani Adam] on Thy straight Way! Then will I assault them
from before them and behind them, from their right and their left; Nor will
Thou find, in most of them, gratitude [for Thy Mercies]’ [God Almighty] said:
‘Get out from this, disgraced and expelled. If any of them follow thee, Hell
will I fill with you all!!!’
Therefore, never ever take this transition between life
and death [sakarat], for granted, at your own peril!
But, for him who comes ‘prepared’, therein, lies his
redemption and salvation by succumbing to the miraculous science and mistique
of the Syahadah, complete with its overwhelmingly powerful ramifications and
‘Hikmah’, that one already has gnosis of ‘Marifah’ and knowledge, previously
mastered, for his own good! Period!
But, for the uninitiated and the imbecile, and against
the background of utter confusion, frenzy and agony, during the Sakarat, one is
likely to lose track of one’s own condition, sanity, judgment and state of mind;
and the end-result can only be an absolute disaster! Na’’uzubillah!
6.Q. Hounorable
Syaikh, you have indeed revealed the whole spectrum of dying that one simply shudders
and is loathe to encounter, unprepared? As a final closure, why, and how is it
that knowledge of the Science of the Self, and the Science of Dying
encapsulated in Tasawwuf, is able to stave-off trepidation during moments of
dying?
A. Just consider
this! If your heart beats 70 times a minute, it will beat 70 x 60 x 24 =
100,800 in a day of 24 hours. If you breathe an average of 20 times a minute,
it will be 20 x 60 x 24 = 28,800 in a day of 24 hours. Total them up, you will
get a round figure of 130,000 times, in a day of 24 hours!
Now, in the ritual spiritual practice of the Realms of
Tasawwuf, the Salik/Seeker/devotee is taught to perform Zikr [Syahadah] with
every heartbeat, and breath, consciously or unconsciously; every single day for
the rest of the devotee’s entire and enlightened life!
You do not have to be a mathematician or a psychic now, to
be able to rate his chances, in battling the gruesome war of attrition, during
the dying moments of Sakratul-maut; when compared to a complete idiot or ignoramus
who lacks knowledge, let alone practice of the Zikr!
Thereupon, Almighty God Commands:
' O ye who believe! Call His Name, Celebrate the Praises
of God, and do this often.' Ahzab 33:41.
O yes, do recite and repeat the Syahadah often! Therein,
lies your final redemption and salvation. The Jannah will be yours, absolutely,
Son! InsyaAllah Alhamdulillah!
All said and done, if you know God Almighty, you can be
what you wish to be, be it in this world or the next! Believe you me, InsyaAllah
Ta'ala! ALHAMDULILLAH! TABARAKALLAHU RABBUL’ALAMIN!
Thank you!’
For further reference, please surf website
TARIKATUSUFIYAH.BLOGSPOT.COM, specifically on ‘HURU-HARA MATI.’
Wabillahit Taufiq wal Hidaayah,
Assalaamualaikum warahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh!
BLOG TN, MADRASATUL BAITUL ADAM, SHAH ALAM, SELANGOR, 24.05.2013.
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