Stiffness of the heart – Seyh Muhammed Muta El-Haznevi

Thanks Allah Subhanahu wa ta?ala because he maintains customs and rules of Sheikh kuddisesirruh, renews his steps and way and corrects his way with the existence of Muslims. Thanks Allah because the scholars, associates and followers being educated by Sheikh His Nibs are at this sacred door. I am grateful to Allah Subhanahu wa ta?ala for seeing this unique faith scene at the door of Sheikh Haznavi kuddisesirruh.

O my brothers! There is no doubt that this conversation and this kindness(this drift) is a proof that Sheikh kuddisesirruh is a steering humanbeing, his rules and his clearance of morals are true. I am grateful to Allah. I pray and wish from Allah Subhanahu wa ta?ala that He may make us lucky in this way, help us with a help from His level and award us with a perfect prize. He is Almighty.

O my brothers! I wouldn’t make a speech and address to you if the support of your feelings and hearts didn?t make me do it. There are many reasons for this: The very first and the most important ona is that this poor man doesn’t see himself as a deserving and a qualified to address to you or to guide and preach you. Because both, I and you should have heard these words of Sheikh kuddisesirruh: “The elders of good people and all the supreme Sheikhs (serene leaders of scholarship) are like Izz bin Abdussalam. They are all like our honorable people. They have never seen themselves enough to guide or to preach! ”

My brothers! They said these out of their modesty. But this poor man doesn’t say these out of modesty and because he despises himself. I say this as a true fact, as a reality. Because I know my desire and miserable situation more than you do.

When this poor man wants to address to you, Muslims, are astonished. I don’t know what to say or which subject I present to you. However, there are many problems in our community. Many sicknesses have invaded and occupied hearts. Just like the words mentioned: “Hole is big, but patch is small!” Therefore this helpless man needs to speak.

My brothers! I think that I, even we all, should cure a very dangerous sickness. This sickness except the ones being granted by Allah taala  is a sickness that many people is dependent and caught up. This sickness placed in human and caused him to be unhappy and to be alienated from Allah Subhanahu wa ta?ala. This sickness ? May Allah protect us- is the hardened heart.

My brothers ! The preachers and the speakers are ever so! The prolocutors are ever so! On the other hand, the listeners of these preaches and speeches and who are affected by them are so few! The ones who listens the words of Allah and shivers by the name of Allah ta?ala are so few! The ones who draws a lesson and get advices from these anecdotes by listening to the Salaf us Salih are so few!

O my brothers! Let’s think our irrelevance to the words of Allah ta?ala and our dismissiveness of severe torment of Allah Subhanahu wa taala ! If we compare ourselves with the Salaf us Salih (the previous religious elders), only then we can understand the difference between us and them. Many of us reads Qoran. But it is not to understand what they read. We don’t get advices from the hadiths in the words of Allah taala, we don’t practice them. In contrast we pass the hadiths about torment as a sailing of a cloud. These all result from the solidity of heart! May Allah protect us!

My brothers! May Allah be pleased with them, the Salaf us Salih (the previous pioneer religious elders) had a strong faith to Allah. They were afraid of Allah taala. They preserved the boundaries of Allah the Almighty and didn’t violate them. They practiced them with the words of Allah Subhanahu wa taala. They shivered when they heard a hadith about torment or threat and cried with fear of Allah the Almighty. I heard once that my father Sheikh kuddisesirruh said this: “One of the elder saint ones, Muhammad bin Munkadir radıyalıahu anh wakes up one night, practices his night salaah, then he cries. He cries so much, my brothers, that his family worries about him at last. They ask him why he cries. But he keeps crying without answering.

They send a messenger to Ebu Hazım radıyallahu anh. They inform him. Ebu Hazım comes to him and say: “My brother! What makes you cry? You frighten and worry them. If you are sick, we should cure you? “. “No” he says. “I just came across a hadith in the book of allah the Almighty. ” Ebu Hazm radıyallahu and asks him: “Which hadith? ” And he says: “Allah taala commands: “And the things they never expected from Allah fronted them!” (Zumar, 47) It means when they revive, the things they never expected in the world will happen to them hereafter. Thereupon, Ehu Hazm radıyallahu and starts to cry with him. And their crying increases gradually. One of Muhammah bin Munkadir’s family says to Ebu Hazm: “My Lord, we brought you here for you to calm him but you increased his crying. ” Ebu Hazm says them what makes them cry is the word of Allah taala.

O my brothers! May Allah be pleased with them, Salaf us Salih understood when they read Qoran. They meditated it deeply and made use of the word of Allah Subhanahu wa ta?ala. However unfortunately, our hearts, my brothers, hardened, they even became harder than stone. Neither hadiths nor advices or preachers ‘ except the ones Allah presents to them ‘ affects our hearts. The reason for this is to commit many sins and to do harm. The love of the world. My brothers! This sickness rules our hearts and causes us to be alienated from Allah Subhanahu wa taala. My father Sheikh kuddisesirruh said these verses, and these verses are in full harmony with our situation:

“A preach does nothing to a hardened heart.
But even the rope has a mark on a stone”

Here, rope is rope which is used to pull water from a well. And it is soft, you know. However, it even leaves a mark on a really hard stone on the well top. But hearts of many people are more hardened than even a stone. And because their hearts are hardened, they are affected neither the words of preachers nor the advices of advisors.

There are many reasons for this hardened heart. The most important reason of hardened heart is, my brothers, to eat what is forbidden by religion. If a human eats forbidden things, is infected with some forbidden goods, drinks forbidden things or taste them and what they taste starts to flow in their veins, no doubt that the organs of this human only wants what is forbidden. His eye sees the forbidden. His ears listens to the forbidden. His hands reaches the forbidden, he grabs and steals what is forbidden. His feet does the action which can make a sin. So and so. It is inevitable.

eating what is forbidden, my brothers, is a dangerous plague. Especially the extra food we see commonly today. Even, most of the people do actions with interest without thinking and caring that interest is forbidden by religion. On the other hand, there are many hadiths stating clearly that interest is forbidden by religion. One of these hadiths, my brothers, this honorable word of Allah taala: O the believers! Do not accrue interest. Fear of Allah. So that you may reach salvation! ” (Al-i Imran, 130) My dear brothers! Allah ta?ala doesn’t call the abjurer in the hadith. Because misbelievers actually don’t believe the words of Allah Subhanahu wa taala and don?t approve it. Because Allah the Almighty calls and addresses to those who believe that they do good with goodness, service, safety and the things from their Lord brought by our guide Muhammad alaihisalatu wasallam.

You know, the prohibition of interest is one of our Guide alaihissalatu wasallam. Because interest returns to human with a devastated and ruined homes while still being in the world before going to hereafter. The ones who see interest as a big profit and earnings forget that Allah Subhanahu wa ta?ala states and inform us that He makes them suffer from a severe torment, loss, destruction and frustration as a result of interest. Allah Subhanahu wa ta?ala commands that: “Allah consumes interest, but awards charity. Allah does not love who insists on cursing and committing sins.” (Baqharah, 276)

My brothers! This is surprising how it is possible that the ones, who have faith in Allah taaala, approve the things from our Guide Muhammad alaihissalatu wasallam, know that their livelihood in the hands of Allah and believe that earning and damage are from Allah taala, can join the interest which is one of the biggest sins and also one of “the Seven Deadly Sins”? Although Allah taala wages war against interest, how can a human think earning and making profit over it?

My brothers! This is the situation of many people today. Because of interest, Allah erases the abundance of their livelihood, takes the mercy out of their hearts. He puts a curtain into their hearts. And He precludes them being affected by Allah Subhanahu wa taala. All these are proofs of being unconcerned and indifferent to Allah Subhanahu wa ta?ala and not having fear of Allah the Almighty.

My brothers! Our guide Abdullah ibni Abbas radıyallahu anh answered this question so: “Who are the ones afraid of Allah taala?”: “They are really afraid of His torment and threats, their hearts have wounds out of crying. Their eyes always cry for themselves and tears run down through their cheeks. ” And he went on: “How can we be happy while the death is after us, the grave is waiting for us, we are promised by the Doomsday, our way passes through the hell and give an account in front of our Lord! ”

May Allah be pleased with them all, the Sahaba was really and strongly afraid of Allah Subhanahu wa taala. Because they were very sensitive and fond about not eating any forbidden food. Moreover they avoided extremely from the doubtful goods with the fear of the forbidden. Because the ones who eat halal food like praying and taat but dislike sin. Ancient wise said so: “Eat halal, then do good or not! ”

What it is necessary for us, my brothers, is to get advice and draw lessons from the conditions of our Salaf us Salih, May Allah be pleased with them and to be far away the things hardenind our hearts. The Prophet alaihissakatu wasallam resorted to Allah and said in his prayers so: “My Allah! I resort to You from a heart which doesn’t have submission to Allah, from an avid desire, from a useless learning and from a prayer not being accepted!” (Ahmad Bin Hanbal-Musnad)

I pray and wish from Allah Subhanahu wa ta?ala that He may give us advice and drawing lesson what we hear, make us the ones who stand in awe and are afraid of Him and this fear becomes a curtain for us between us and the sins. He is the Almighty. My Allah! Salute and salad shall be upon our guide Muhammad, his imams and companions!