Maulana Sheikh NazimWhy we must go back to the States away from you, Sheikh Effendi, and your teachings?
One day, after the Dhuhr (mid-day) prayer, Shaykh Nazim told his murids that they could ask whatever questions they wished. The group consisted mainly of Europeans and Americans, and so they used this opportunity to question the Shaykh about difficulties they had encountered trying to practice his teachings in their own countries.
<b>„Shaykh Nazim, what is our job in America? Why is it that we must go back there to live, away from you and your teachings?"

"Allah Almighty created this world," replied the Shaykh. "You can see here, all around you, the city of Damascus. Perhaps there are One hundred thousand houses. Each house has some people. Those people are not distributed without an arrangement but are appointed, each to a private place. These people must live in this place next door to some other people. They cannot be in this place too. Also, in each p1ace, there may several rooms; in each one there must be different persons.
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Allah created people, and made for each a private station.'
Therefore, Allah decides for Syrians to live in Syria, Turks to live in Turkey, Americans to live in America, and so forth. In each state; some. In India, Madagascar, in every place, must live whoever Allah has appointed. He Almighty decided. He Almighty appointed. Our Lord decides movement, travel, also. Some travels are temporary, same are permanent. All are directed by Divine Wisdom.
Allah Almighty appointed our breaths for us - when, where, and how many. We must be there, where He has appointed those breaths.
Therefore, you will be in your homeland, as your Creator has appointed for you to be there. The important thing for every servant who knows his Lord, who believes in his Lord, who loves his Lord, is to be with Him everywhere and always! When a servant is with his Lord, with love, with belief, and with obedience, his Lord will be with him always, with His mercy, with His protection, and with His help! Enough?"

„Then why do we become disturbed in our hearts?" asked a disciple.

Shaykh Nazim answered, "Disturbances come when you are forgetting your Lord's relationship with you, when you are forgetting His mercy. When people forget that they are in mercy oceans, all disturbances and sufferings come into their hearts. They are like fish out of water oceans. To be happy, you must always remember that you are in mercy oceans. This is a fine point, an important matter (Dhaqiq). You must be careful."

„I know it in my head, but I don't always know it in my heart."

"Yes! . . . insh' Allah."

„Is there anything specific that we could do, like teaching?"

"Teach yourself!" returned Maulana. "Teach yourself that you are in the mercy ocean, forever! No teaching another! This is a job for all people, not just Americans. You will be like a fish swimming in the ocean, joyful in the water, for outside it will die. Why are you coming out of that ocean? You are mad people!"

„What if people ask us about what we are doing?"

"You are swimming in mercy oceans. Therefore, you are happy everywhere."

„Shaykh Nazim, are these teachings, these words, just for ourselves? Are they just for your murids, or may anyone read them?"

"They are for everyone, because no one will come to hear these teachings, or to read these words unless he has a promise from Allah Almighty in the spiritual world. This promise was
made on the Day of Promise, in the Divine Presence, before we came into this world. No one can listen to these words, nor can he read them, unless he is from our group. Don't be worried about that!"

„In other words, if someone comes to read this, is it a sign?"

"You must know that he is sent," replied Shaykh Nazim. "Whoever is sent will come to you. He will come to listen to us because it is his destination. He will come, he will listen, and he will take it! Clear enough?"

„Thank you. Now I have a question about how we should dress. Should we wear sunnah clothes, turbans, and so forth, when we are back home in our country?"

"When you are in your home, with your Lord only, you will dress like this (he indicates his own clothing; loose pants, jacket, and a turban). When you are with other people, dress like them. He who is working for Allah alone is free to dress as he likes. He who must work in the world, with other people, must be like them. For Jumma, for worship, and when you are alone with your Lord at home, you may put on turbans and sunnah dress."

„Shaykh Nazim, as it is written in hadith, and as you have explained to us, there are signs in the world now that the great war is coming quickly. What preparations can we make for this terrible event? Shall we try to build some kind of a shelter, community, or retreat?"

"We are saying," said the Shaykh, "that shelter will be for everyone who is with his Lord. We are asking shelter with Allah Almighty. Any other shelter will not be enough, not at all enough during that war. Our 'Noah's Ark' is in our hearts! You cannot find any shelter without our Lord's shelter."

„What can we do for concentration? Are there any techniques you can recommend to us to keep from forgetting that we are in the mercy oceans?"

"As we are beginners," the Shaykh replied, "we must keep in our hearts, fifteen-hundred times, 'Allah, Allah, Allah….,’ every twenty-four hours. Once, daily, you must listen to you heart’s dhikr. When you listen, you can hear your heart saying 'Allah, Allah, Allah.' "

„Is this dhikr separate from the wird that we say ever day?"

"This is a wird also," said Maulana. "This is an important wird, more important than our tongue's dhikr. This gives concentration for all of the body."

„What is the best time of the day to do this wird?"

"After midnight; tahajj'ud. First make two rak'ats, then sit and listen to your heart's dhikr fifteen hundred times. For tahajj’ud prayer, the minimum is two rak'ats, and the maximum is eight. For witr prayer, we are praying after isha. Perhaps it may be that we cannot awaken before the time for witr goes away. Therefore, it is a precaution to pray witr immediately after isha; it is better. You may pray tahajj'ud after witr. It is permissible. When you listen to your heart's dhikr as I have told you, your concentration will grow from this point to where that dhikr, the remembrance of your Lord, will be with you twenty-four hours a day! Yes, this is the beginning! I am giving you permission as my Grandshaykh gave me permission for that."
„Thank you."

"Permission; it means to take that 'electricity' from the center they are opening for us. When my Grandshaykh gave me permission, he was opening, from his heart to my heart, such power."

„This may be too big a question for a beginner, but I’ll ask it anyway.”

“What is that?”

„When I first met you, in London, they told me that you could appear to me wherever I am, and to experiment with this. I have tried various things, but so far, with no success. Can you tell me how to do it?"

"Ah, yes! You may do that. You may do it with your heart. When you are in need of something, your heart may be in connection with me. Anytime!"

„There are no special words I have to say, or any special technique I have to do?"

"You can call, 'O, my Shaykh! O, my Grandshaykh! Reach to me, I am in difficulties, I am in need of your help!' Your Grandshaykh is Abdullah Daghestani (may Allah be pleased with him). It is enough to call him."

„How shall we make ready for you to come to America? Should we arrange for lectures, TV? We haven't talked to Hollywood yet!"

"Cinema? Some people came to Cyprus, once, and made a huge photo of me with my turban. Then, some filmmakers came to find me to make a film of Moses! Fortunately, I was absent. If I had been in Cyprus, they would have caught me and taken me to America to make a film with me!"

„Better than Charleston Heston?"

Shaykh Nazim stroked his long white beard; "Much better!" He then continued, "We ... our way, is to step after Allah opens the way for us. Therefore, we are not using so many programs, so much planning to do this and that. We are living as our Lord's demands appear, and He sends us toward His will. Therefore, if we are coming to America, it will become clear, little by little, how we shall act. We are not going to decide from now, but a decision will come as soon as possible from our Lord's Will. Therefore, we do not worry about that point. It is easier for us."

„If it is a question of us doing something for you, we'll do it. If it is a question of us getting money to send you a ticket and saying, ‘Shaykh Nazim, come!' we'll do everything for you; we'll do it."

"Thank you. When my Lord wills to send me to your country, He will send me, also, a ticket! I am waiting for His command."

„What are our wives' responsibilities?"

"Three times shahada, every day, and to be clean always. And, for beginners, one sajdah, five times a day, at the time of the regular prayers. At each prayer, only one sajdah. It is enough. "

„What if they want to do the whole prayer; is it all right?"

"For beginners, one sajdah is enough. As they are stepping forward, they will ask. This command is from my Grandshaykh. Also, they should love only believers, not unbelievers. They should sit with believers, and not with unbelievers."

„What about parents? What if parents are unbelievers?"

"I meant to say for other people. Your parents, you must respect them forever!"

„I had been doing a lot of physical training - running, lifting weights, and so on. Is this good?"

"Why are you doing this, to be stronger than animals, quicker than animals? If it were an honour to carry heavy loads, then we shall give medals to donkeys! Why this stupidness, this foolishness?"

„I think you've answered the question!"

"This is not to say that we shouldn't play, or practice games of war. This is sunnah. Walking, swimming, riding horses, swords and shooting - those are sunnah. But the most beautiful game is the game with your wife!"

„How about the martial arts, karate and judo?"

"It is too much. You must use your strength for useful things. When you are free, you must set apart a time for a useful thing, like gardening and planting, for instance. This is very good. In Islam there is no waste of time. Every action must bring a benefit. It is a bad thing to sit down. All or at least most illnesses come from sitting too long without moving. Therefore, games and useful work will be beneficial for you. Also, every weekend you must gather in a good place with friends for talking and doing halal. Not preaching! Not tabliq! It must be a simple gathering, a meeting of friends. It is enough simply to make friends. If people like you and respect you, they will come. If we are preaching, the load will be too heavy for their egos to bear! We are not Jammat al-Tabliq! People cannot carry heavy loads."

„Can you tell us when the war will happen?"

"Allah knows well. But it will happen, maybe, within two years. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) gave to us knowledge of the Last Days' signs, and as he said, those signs indicate that huge event is nearly upon us now. Afterwards, there are some other big signs for Qiyama, the Resurrection Day. This is what we are saying."

„But within two years, not longer?"

"Within two years. It is waiting. It is expected."

„Is Mahdi (peace be upon him) supposed to come before, or after this war?”


„And Dajjal?"

"Same time."

„I read a hadith that there would be a fire from east to west. Is that referring to the war?"

"No, that is after."

„Are there any signs that we can look for?"

"For Mahdi (peace be upon him) coming, there are two signs. The first is that Turkey will become communist. Then, the great war will break out. That is the second sign. Then, Mahdi (peace be upon him) will come. I just now heard this from my Grandshaykh. And Turkey is going to be communist very quickly now. I first heard this from my Grandshaykh over forty years ago, when you couldn't find even one communist in Turkey. And now, . . ."

„Maulana, how do the saints receive their knowledge?” </b>

"It is through the Prophet (peace be upon him).”

- 01.01.1979
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