A`ūdhu billāhi min ash-Shayţāni ‘r-rajīm
Bismillāhi ‘r-Raħmāni ‘r-Raħīm
Today hujjaaj al-kiraam, the honored pilgrims, turned their faces towards the Ka`bat al-Mu`azzamah, supplicating, “Labbayk, here I am (my Lord)!” They are going. May we be with them Inshā-Allah and may we get relief. Noble pilgrims are turning towards Ka`bat al-Mu`azzamah.
ما شاء الله كان، وما لم يشأ لم يكن
Mashā Allahu kān wa mā lam yashā’ lam yakun.
What Allah wills is and what He does not will is not.
May Allah (swt) include us together with them. Let us say: Bismillāhi ‘r-Raħmāni ‘r-Raħīm! Bismillāhi ‘r-Raħmāni ‘r-Raħīm! Bismillah ash-Shareef opens the doors to all goodness. May we have a share of it, too. Welcome to these beautiful days. May we reach them, too. May our fellows, our children reach them, as it is a great honor.
Go ahead, O Lovers of Shah Mardan! Let us drink from the favors of these holy days. Every day has its own favor. There are twelve months, each with its own favor. This is Dhul-Qa`dah and Dhul-Hijjah is approaching. May we reach it with goodness and health! May we reach it with the noble pilgrims. Welcome, O Lovers of Shah Mardan! May our burdens be gone! May relief come upon us! May our day be blessed! May we be clean inside and outside.
Angels descend from Heavens and angels ascend from Earth. The honored pilgrims turned towards Ka`bat al-Mu`azzamah, supplicating, “Labbayk! – We are here!” Let it be. May we be dressed in the adornment of honor. Let us say, “Bismillāhi ‘r-Raħmāni ‘r-Raħīm,” as this is the dress of honor. The dress of honor for the Sons of Ādam is “Bismillāhi ‘r-Raħmāni ‘r-Raħīm.”
O our Lord, Our Subhaan, our Sulţān! While the hujjaaj al-kiraam are turning towards Ka`bat al-Mu`azzamah, may we turn as well, may we get relief, may we open up and may our souls be filled with relief. May Allah, dhul jalaali wa ‘l-jamaali wa ‘l-kamal, include us as well; may He include us among those turning towards the Ka`bah. May descending mercy come upon us, too. May our way be the Way of Truth. May it be the relieving way. Let us say “Bismillāhi ‘r-Raħmāni ‘r-Raħīm.” O our Lord, may we remember Your Glorious Names. May we find strength and may we be dressed in majesty.
What shall we do? Who is destined to go will go.
إنما الأعمال بالنيات
Innamā ‘l-`amālu bi ‘n-niyāt
Every action is according to (its) intention.1
Everyone’s deeds are according to their intentions, so make good intentions. What is our intention? Servanthood to Janab al-Mawla, to Allah Almighty. What are we created for? For servanthood to our Lord, for revering our Lord. May our day be happy, may it be beautiful! Janab al-Mawla says, “Ask from Me! All your wishes will be accepted; We don’t turn away the wishes of Our Servant. We are giving!”
How many people from the nation of Muhammad ﷺ ran towards the Ka`bat al-Mu`azzamah They said, “Labbayk! Labbayk, yā Rabbīyy! O our Lord, we are running for Your Command. Give us strength on the way of worshipping You!” What shall we ask from our Lord? We ask for strength and health to run for worshipping Him.
Whoever reveres Ka`bat al-Mu`azzamah will be revered. Whoever respects Ka`bat al-Mu`azzamah will find respect; he will find glory, honor and strength. O our Lord, we are Your weak servants. May our Mawla who strengthens weak servants, who gives strength to weak servants on the way of worshipping Him, give us strength, too. May He give honor.
Ask for honor! We ask for honor from our Lord. O our Lord, our Subhaan, our Sulţān! Dress us in the beautiful adornments You dress the hujjaaj al-kiraam at the Ka`bat al-Mu`azzamah. Dress us in the adornment of honor in which You dress the hujjaaj al-kiraam, yā Rabb! May the one saying “Allah!” today drink the wine of love, O my Lord! May we be among those saying “Allah!” How beautiful are those saying “Allah!”
Go ahead, O Shah Mardan! The field is yours. Welcome! Let us drink the wine of love. May our souls be revived; may our love increase. All the prophets walked around Ka`bat al-Mu`azzamah, built by Prophet Ibrāhīm (as). They said, “O our Lord, we came to circumambulate this House of Yours! And we ask to be filled with Your love. Grant us good servanthood!”
O my Lord! O our Lord! Innamā ‘l-`amālu bi ‘n-niyāt, the deeds of a man are according to his intentions. Keep your intention right and don’t fear, don’t be afraid.
Allahu Allah! Allahu Allah! Allahu Rabbīyy, mā lī sīwāhu.
Hū! Allahu Allah!
ما شاء الله كان، وما لم يشأ لم يكن
Mashā Allahu kān wa mā lam yashā’ lam yakun.
What Allah wills is and what He does not will is not.
Ka`bat al-Mu`azzamah is 5,000 years old, is it not? It has been open for 5,000 years. It is open for the servants of the nation of Muhammad ﷺ, not only for the Prophet Ibrāhīm (as). It is open for all of the nation of Muhammad! Ask, “Dress us in the adornment of mercy, yā Rabbī!” All prophets were calling, “Let us go, too. Let us visit!”
How beautiful! How beautiful it is to walk around the Ka`bah. How nice it is to run towards our Lord. How beautiful it is to run towards the command of our Lord. It removes all worries! If the world was without the Ka`bah, what value would it have? What is the value of the world, if there were no Ka`bah? Allah (swt) says, “It is Baytu ’Llah, the House of Allah!” Allahu Allah!
Labbayk Allahumma labbayk! Labbayka lā sharīka laka labbayk!
Inna ‘l-ħamda wa ‘n-ni`mata laka wa ‘l-mulk, lā sharīka lak!
Here I am, O Lord, You have no partner. Here I am.
For You the praise, the favor, the dominion. You have no partner!
So much has come and gone from this world. So many lovers have come and left this world. They cried and asked, “We want to see it, too.” May those saying “Allah!” today drink the wine of love. Say “Allah!” All prophets, from the beginning, all of them said “Allah!” They called for Allah.
O our Lord, may the supplication of Your Glorious Names continue in our hearts, yā Rabbīyy.
Allahu Allah! Allahu Allah! Allahu Rabbīyy, mā lī sīwāhu, Hū!
Let us wake up and say, “Allah! Allah, jalla jalāluhu, jallat `azhamatuhu wa lā ilāha ghayruhu!” Let us say, “My Lord!” Our Lord is Allah. Our glory is with saying, “Allah!” Let us ask for it.
O Lovers! O those surrendering their souls to their Lord! What do you live for? What is the value of life if you don’t say “Allah”? If they don’t say “Allah,” they are worthless rubbish. Let us say “Allah, yā Hū!” What sufferings lovers have gone through and what they have asked for from their Lord!
Ilāhī anta Rabbīyy! Ilāhī anta maţlūbī! Ilāhī anta maqsudi!
You are our Lord! You are our desire! You are our goal!
O our Lord, may our souls expand, may we be glad. May we be loaded with the relief of the bliss of Your Love, yā Rabbī! May we get relief! May we find relief when we say “Allah!” May Allah, who raises the sun, give us the light of faith and love. Let us say, “Allah, Allah, Allah!” Who doesn’t say “Allah!” is dead. Who says “Allah!” is alive. Let us be alive, let us be clean!
Hū! Allahu Allah! Mashā Allahu kān wa mā lam yashā’ lam yakun.
What Allah (swt) wants happens, what He doesn’t want won’t happen. Let us ask from our Mawla so that He gives from His Love. May our Mawla revive us with love. All prophets said “Allah!” and they were filled; they got loaded with Divine Love and became full of it. If they don’t say “Allah!” what’s their benefit? Rubbish.
O Allah, the One raising the sun every day! How beautiful, how beautiful! Let us say “Allah!” and let us run towards Allah (swt). How beautiful! Don’t run towards dunyā; run towards Allah (swt)!
Our souls are under Your Command, yā Rabbī! They are sacrificed on Your Way, yā Rabbī. May we live for Your Love, yā Rabbīyy.
Allahu Allah! Allahu Allah! Allahu Rabbīyy, mā lī sīwāhu, Hū!
Hū! This is the task of the day, saying, “Hū!” saying, “Allah Hū!”
O lovers of Shah Mardan! May we open, may we be loaded with relief. May Allah Almighty fill those walking around the Ka`bah with relief. Ask for relief from Janab al-Haqq, the Lord Almighty, don’t ask for sadness. He created us, and He created us beautiful. He made us busy with supplication and reason. What should our task be? Let it be saying, “Allah, O our Lord!”
Go ahead, O Shah Mardan. May our hearts be glad together with you. May our hearts be relieved. O our Lord. Let us say, “Yā Hū!”
Shukr to Allah (swt) for letting us reach this day. Our Mawla can make us reach even better than this. He removes all sadness from our hearts. He gives relief. May those saying “Allah!” enter the Rose Garden of Paradise. May those saying “Allah!” today enter it. Say “Allah!” and don’t fear.
What shall we do? Slowly, slowly, slowly. It’s not easy. It’s not easy to be filled with the Divine Love. It’s not easy to walk around the Ka`bah with that love. It’s not easy to say “Allah!” with that love. May our hearts be filled with Divine Love.
Allahu Allah! Allahu Allah! Allahu Rabbīyy! mā lī sīwāhu, Hū! Illa Hū!
Hū, our Lord. Bismillāhi ‘r-Raħmāni ‘r-Raħīm. What shall we do? They made us say a few words on these holy days. May our hearts open and be glad. May they be filled with relief. May our day be good. May our deeds be good. May our way be honored!
Al-Fātiħah.
[Excerpted from the newly published book: Makkan Openings: A Pilgrim’s Guide to Divine Secrets]
REFERENCES
[1] Bukhārī.
