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Hawa and Allah's Friends

As promised here is another important thing I've learned from Wednesday's dars. In reality the following is the result of observation and contemplation over the past few weeks that culminated at last Wednesday's dars.

Whereas the generality of people are characterized by at best a permissive attitude to hawa or whim Allah's chosen friends are distinctly averse, in fact one could say at war with it. Excess is one of the hallmarks of hawa and the criterion in determining what is excess is of course the Noble Sharia.

As time comes to a close it will become more difficult to distinguish good from evil, right from wrong. This no doubt will be the result of people's moving away from the Sharia. That difficulty has already begun to manifest itself. It has come to my attention that some poor souls have become averse to the Shaykh and have quite a (foul, unfortunately) mouthful to say about Kharabshe. That is I suppose as unavoidable as the horror of Hell is for those who foolishly woo it. When I was here in 1998 things were simpler.

There weren't as many people and thus opinions about Tasawuf, the Sharia, and what the Shaykh said or meant. There was a far greater understanding of the Shaykh. I never saw the Shaykh as part of a "traditional scene" lumped with other "big guns in the West". The only preconceived notions I had of him were those handed to me by Salafis. I came to Kharabshe to find out what he was about and found what I considered a sort of hidden treasure.

What most impressed me about him was his embodiment of the Sharia. I wrote about my impressions then as I do now without his knowledge and with the hope that the treasure here in Amman may be known in some greater measure. With more suhba I came to appreciate his understanding and loyalty to the science of Tasawuf as well as its masters whether contemporary or classical, and his determination to continue their legacy.

In 1999 I was separated from Kharabshe with little, far between contact with the Shaykh until 2007 when suddenly with no foreplanning and by Allah's permission I was able to return. Things had changed as they tend to do but the most important thing at least in my estimation remained the same and that is the direction and determination of the Shaykh. Unfortunately or fortunately (I haven't yet made up my mind- time will tell) it appears that another thing remains unchanged and that is that the hidden treasure remains still quite hidden despite (and likely because of) the noteriety of the Shaykh and Kharabshe.

Hidden not by obsurity or ignorance but by nothing other than hawa. I say that not to point fingers but rather as a candid conclusion based for the most part on self-observation. It would be a lie to say that I have not felt conflicted or that I've not had or continue to face challenges being a murid. Does that mean that there is something wrong with being a murid or that there is something wrong with the Shaykh? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe there is something wrong with me. How can I tell? By turning to the Sharia which the Shaykh constantly encourages his murids to study without stipulating where they should study it except that it be from qualified Sunni Ulama.

And so far I can say with Allah as my witness that I have never found within myself any opposition to Shaykh Nuh except that it was connected to some contravention of the Sharia on my part. And that says as much about the Shaykh as it does about me!

On Wednesday the Shaykh spoke out in passing and not for the first time against excessive usage of the Internet and the fasad that it brings. I looked at him as is my habit as hard and as much as I could even as he scanned the audience before him and was certain to make eye contact with me. And as usual I could discern nothing but ikhlas evident not only in the conviction and concern felt in his voice but also in his upright and unreserved regard. That there could be eyes and ears around him that could witness the opposite of these things in him was at one point puzzling to me.

But on that evening as I sat in the dars so many things become clear. Since then I've reflected on my separation from him and Kharabashe in 1999; on the turmoil that engulfed my family when I returned to my country to parents who were told by Wahabi simpletons that their son had joined a cult whose leader was meant to replace his father! I thought about a Muslim brother (again Wahabi) who asked me an obscene question regarding my alligence to the Shaykh, about a student who asked me about the veracity of a story concerning my walking on water behind the Shaykh crying "Ya Nuh! Ya Nuh!", about the "scholars" who sat in my parent's house explaining to them in my presence why I was kafir because I believed in Wahdatul Wujud and my parents subsequent decision to leave Islam. 

I reflected on that fact that despite that turmoil I never abandoned the murshid that Allah, Most High guided me to, and that I have never disobeyed him except that it has harmed me and I have never obeyed him except that it has benefited me. I reflected on my heeding his advice and the reconciliation with my dear parents and their reconciliation with mainstream Sunni Islam that followed, I reflected on the Shaykh reassuring me that the only reason I missed the Middle East was because the Middle East missed me and my eventual unexpected return to this truly amazing place after nine years. I reflected on how easy it would have been to give up and on many, many related things and said to myself, "as unavoidable as the horror of Hell is for those who foolishly woo it is hawa for those who abandon the scale of the Sharia".

Since Wednesday I have a greater appreciation of the destructive force of hawa, and of the loathing that the awliya, including Shaykh Nuh have for it and all things therewith connected. This new apprehension of hawa has left me a bit uneasy, though perhaps more alert to its signs within and without myself but certainly less puzzled than before concerning its results. It is upon me now to fight it with all my ability using the sword of the Sacred Law as per the noble example of Shaykh Nuh and the generations of Shadhiliya before him.

I ask Allah for wellbeing and a goodly end.  

و الحمد لله رب العالمين

00:57 , 25 07 09

Their comments

This is a very informative post. Thank you.
Luqman () - 25 07 09 - 05:13

Barak Allah fik Sidi. Duas please.
Qays () (URL) - 25 07 09 - 09:03

MashAllah, a blessing to have read this post, what a wonderful feeling it is when mureeds of The Sheikh [who is also my sheikh Alhamdulila] speak about such matters, really encourages me to fight too. May Allah azza wa jal grant you and us all ma’rifah, Qurb and ishq e ilahi through the guidance of our murshid ameeen
in need of duas, wasslam
Ahqar - 07 08 09 - 11:03

Amin. Allahu barak fikum.
Qays (URL) - 07 08 09 - 11:05

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