Ego and division

Why are we we depriving each other in todays time? Why are we letting the go in and winning the battle. The war with the ego is forever going from time of puberty to the moment before your time is up.

To many times we see muslims hating each other, causing division amongst each other in communities. Rather the community is of ethnicity to even in tariqa in following appointed leaders and respresentatives. Where is the adab at in todays time, Where is the discipline?

We have become lost and let shaytan into our hearts and our mind and let the ego overtake the battle and now the ego is winning. Shaytan has gripped our tongues and made our mouth silent in speaking out on injustice, shaytan has taken grips to our eyes and made us blind and look away from the wrong and neglect we see and shaytan has take a hold of the heart and resting on it and slowly draining the love and leaving it hollow and dark until it is nothing there and you feel emptiness.

We must wake up and see reality and what is going on in todays time

"United we stand divided we fall"

Have we as muslims learned nothing from our history, How much the division and the all about me attitude has ruined us from leaders to just layman taking ignorance for there own in wanting to listen to noone but thereselves.

Allah ta'ala is every Most gracious and Ever Merciful  and Allah ta'ala mercy is stronger then anything and transcends to even the darkest of hearts in forgiving so why do we sit here and act like we cant forgive someone of things they may have done but instead expose and slander them. This is the ego taking over saying i am better then you and you are nothing in rank to me, do not let shaytan be your downfall for even shaytan will dismiss you

BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Quran 14:22
And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, "Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid. Indeed, I deny your association of me [with Allah ] before. Indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment."

So we need to wake up from this ignorant mentality and see life and instead love each other for pleasure of Allah ta'ala, understand division amongst each other is not going to solve anything, hold close to each other, hold close to the communitys and jammats, hold close to your shaykh and the Awliya and our Holy Prophet and stay in remembrance of Allah ta'ala.

Lets not let the Ego take over us for the Ego is in us all and if you do not battle to win then it will win the war and the price of the war is your soul

Where is our Leaders for dawah in streets

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

When it comes to society of today, we all can clearly see that majority of the masjids are empty. We see that they are only packed when it comes time for Jummah and even then masjids seem to dwindle and dwindle in participation and numbers. Why is this happening? There is many reasons as to why such is going on, but instead of focusing on the why what are we doing about it to combat it should be the question.

Majority of the Ummah is no longer in the masjids but in the streets. Rather one does sins or not they are still muslim and in need of enlightment and help but we are to focused on blinding our eyes to reality to see this.

Where is the scholars who are in the streets helping?
Why is it there is all these expensive resorts just to see scholars?
Why when scholars come they go to the best part of the city?
Why do noone bring these issues up?

I am going to speak on the American experience in regards to this.

There seems to be ignorance that is plaguing our communities left and right. We all as Americans understand how the streets are as a lot of us have come from the streets or atleast been around it somewhat to understand how things are. We know of what to do and what not to do and how to go about things when it comes to the cold hard streets.

We hear so much talk about give dawah to non-muslims and do best from outward actions in showing this deen but where our, our leaders at to help us in this regard. We have the soldiers the muslims from the streets but only so much they can do, Where is the scholars at to bring in people. Where is the scholars at to go one on one with people and talk and here them.

Lets remember that when comes to streets people are not just going to want to hear about spiritual guidance and other things but they want to hear what can better help them.

"a family is struggling to make ends meet, bills, unemployed, family of 7, single parent house, got kids kicked out of school, some doing drugs as a let out to the stress of living in a 2 room apartment, What can one do in helping a family and showing them a better way? This is just one example of many different situations that communities in these cities and even small towns are facing. Where is our leaders to help???? Why are we seeing youtube videos but no footage of a person in the city, in a brick low income building giving dawah talking to families????

Are people scared to come to the cities where this is needed most? Is the violence one see driving one and they would rather stay in suberb places or home making a youtube video saying do this and do that?

The way to connect and reach with people is through meeting and showing in action.

We need to call things how we see it and ask our leaders where they are in regards to helping the muslims which are many who are in the streets and not in masjids while they sit in nice hotels in resorts asking for hundreds of dollars from these same people who dont have money just to go hear them speak for a hour or two. Lets get real with it.

My calling to the Naqshbandi Tariqa

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu everyone,

My name is Amir Abdul Baseer Rashid, I am in the process of writing a book right now called my calling so i will skip alot of details of when i took shahada and many other things and focus within the last year of me coming to sufism and taking bayat with Hazrat Shaykh Abdul Kerim Effendi through his Khalifa Hoja Lokman Effendi.

About a year ago last summer i was at crossroads. I was learning this deen but yet it felt like something was missing. I felt no matter how much i was striving i would still find myself attatched more to this dunya, I could listen to all the lectures i want, i could make salat, i could do many things but i felt the dunya was still ruling in my heart. I did not feel a connection truly in the heart.

I would post a lot of great reminders in hoping these reminders could wake my heart and take heed but it did not work. I was blessed to have good friends Alhamdulillah who would try to help me, I even had others who would praise me and feed my ego. I was a good muslim on the outside for most part in staying with halal and against haraam even though i would slip here or there and ask for forgivness but it was the point my heart was attatched to the dunya, I maybe wasnt out doing things but i felt my heart was dead and eventually it would be a matter of time before i turn.

Around December 2012 i was blessed to meet a friend who was a mureed of Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi (Hafidhullah). Me and my friend talked about more life and things but when Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi (Hafidhullah) name would come up or about that tariqa my friend would talk in aw and amazement and joy.

For Mawlid back in Janurary i had the honor in actually reciting shadhili poetry and other things for the first time with my friend. It was a amazing time in my life first time doing something as such and i felt peace in my heart, something at that time i hadn't felt in a long time.

Eventually the more i learned about Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi (Hafidhullah) the more i was interested in the shadhili tariqa, I begin looking at his lectures on sufism and just life and then i started researching about the "Friends of Allah ta'ala" Awilya. I begin learning about the inner islam, the spiritual islam, the more i learned the more i accepted.

I had always heard sufism was full of nothing but innovation and full of bida'h and shirk. I never was a salafi but had many around me who were. As a newer muslim when i accepted islam 8+ years ago i took some of what they would say as they were more knowledgeable. I always believed in spirituatlity but wasnt sure if it went into islam all the way.

As i learned through videos of Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi (Hafidhullah) i begin learning of different tariqas even though i was heavily leaning towards going the shadhili path since i was familiar and had many friends who were on facebook and talked to them on daily basis.

One day back in Feburary 2013 I went to a lecture and it was by Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al-Haqqani (May Allah ta'ala preserve him and bless him), and started to learn of the Naqshbandi way, I listened to a lecture by Sahibul Saif Shayk Abdul Kerim Effendi and instantly fell in love with his approach, tone and peace and knowledge. I felt a instant connection there.

There was a connection there so i saw a video called Osmanli Naqshbandi zikr, I clicked it and to this day other then listening to the Athan going off it is the most beautiful thing i have heard, Everything that was attatched to dunya just left during that video, I felt love, I felt peace, I felt something i have never felt before in my life. My mouth was moving to a zikr i never even heard before. I found myself sitting there doing dhikr with the video which i am watching for the first time.

After watching that video i strictly started watching naqshbandi youtube videos, lectures, listening to zikrs and after research i found the Osmanli Dergah was based here in the U.S. I felt even happier as it is in my country and not to far from me, just a long car drive.

In May i started watching the live broadcaste of the Osmanli Naqshbandi zikr and sobhets, By mid june before Ramadan i knew this was the way, i knew this was the path, Ever since i started watching videos, listening to zikrs, participating in zikrs over live broadcaste, i felt a change, a change for the better, a change spiritualy in my heart, Now the only thing missing was a guide.

During June, i would call the dergah many times in reference to trying to reach Hoja Lokman Effendi but was unsuccessful as i was always calling at bad time and he is usually there to answer questions even when busy but this was a test of patience. I would continue this act calling a few times a week in praying i could catch him and talk to him all the way to ramadan.

During Ramadan i decided i would focus on myself for a little while, i stopped calling but sent a email letting them know my intentions of bayah. A few days later i recieved a email back saying after Zikr and Sobhet, call as Hoja will be expecting your call and to talk to you.

I would call and talk to Hoja and his voice lit up my day Alhamdulillah, i felt the trust and love there for Shaykh Abdul Kerim Effendi and Him. I felt the peace that comes off of him. I also felt the command style voice that Shaykh Abdul Kerim had through him as well.

I would tell him i am ready to take Bayat and join this jammat and take this way and take Shaykh Abdul Kerim Effendi as my shaykh and guide through him. July 19th 2013 I would take bayat and join this jammat that has brought peace and love in my heart and new life into a weak heart that is growing stronger Alhamdulillah