786
About doubt
In every time you can find ‘doubt illness’ occurring among people. – coming from their doubting, - making them mock at believers – yes, making believers a substitute for entertainment. In our day beliefs are the subject of ridicule for all people; they drink, get drunk and entertain themselves at the expense of those who believe. That is the illness that is going to destroy humanity, destroying it spiritually and destroying it physically.
We need to believe. Throughout our lives that is the most important thing, and our istiqrar, (stability) here and hereafter is according to our beliefs. Mankind has been ordered to believe, but the powers of sharr, evil, are trying to make people not believe, and they are running after people to get them not to believe in anything. If they see that people believe they are coming to destroy their beliefs.
And which thing destroys belief like an insect gnawing at wood turning it to dust, - it is an illness - doubt. The enemy of faith is doubt. Where doubt comes belief must be harmed, must be destroyed. Therefore we must try to defeat doubt within ourselves. Doubt is the worst thing for stability of faith; without stability it must fall down.
Every doubt means a hole in your mind. If you fall into it, it is difficult to get out… a well needs two persons, one digging and the other one up outside, carrying away the dirt. Don’t leave your ego to make a hole in your mind and Satan taking your ego and digging. If you don’t take care he will make a bottomless hole; if you fall down into it you will never come up.
Sometimes we have such a power that we can move the whole world because we have been created to be deputies of the Lord of the Heavens, and of the world, and of the universes. Don’t be in doubt about yourself. - But we are in doubt; there is no certainty in us; but we are trying to acquire that certainty.
You can read, you can learn everything from books. It is possible [for most things] – but for certainty it is impossible. You must be with someone who has certainty. …. All of you are educated people; so many books translated from Islamic sources - You know more than me one hundred times, one thousand times, - all of you – but it is not important because we can’t acquire certainty through books. Like a doctor, if he wants to be a surgeon, can’t be one by looking at books.. He must be with a surgeon, looking at how he cuts, how he opens a person. That is the means of certainty.
Beliefs begin by believing in someone who is with us. We are being called to believe in One God, Almighty Allah, but first we must trust in the person who is calling us. If we have doubt about that person we can’t reach a belief that there is one God. Therefore Allah Almighty ordered people to believe in His prophets; and He gave the Prophets miracles so that people could trust in their declaration. People would say, “Such a power, such a person! Must be someone other than a common one. He must be in connection with heavenly beings … if they are bringing miracles then we may trust that they are prophets, that they are in connection with heavenly beings, that they are coming from the Divine Presence.”
… but now devils are fighting to take away people who may be able to gather people. They are saying ‘no intermediary between Allah Almighty and His servants.’ – but if there is not such a person among the community, the community is dead, without connection.
At every time there must be someone who is in connection with heavenly beings. When prophets were in charge, 124,000 prophets, they were always in contact with heavenly worlds, heavenly beings; and after the Seal of Prophets* left this life the earth was crying and saying, “Oh my Lord until today I have been honoured to carry Your prophets on my shoulders, but now Your Beloved Prophet has gone ..” - and it was crying. And Allah Almighty said, “oh earth I have not left you without some people,…. For the honour of my beloved servant Sayyidina Muhammad* there will be among his nation 124,000 Awliya, saints, all of them in connection with heavenly beings.” - For a wali, a saint it is impossible not to be in connection with heavenly stations.
….. and if you know your Lord and trust in Him, He protects you. If you are familiar with your Lord everything is going to be familiar with you. That is certainty – important. And we must try to improve in certainty, not trying to keep so many verses of the Qur’an,, so many hadiths; but if we can acquire the secret power in them, that will be certainty for us.
Whoever has it may give it. The one who has something may give it. If he doesn’t, how can he give? You ask bread from a person. If he has it he will give it to you. If not he will never give it. Certainty is with the Prophets. Their certainty brought Gabriel to them from the heavens. And Awliya also – certainty is with them.. You can acquire certainty from those people. All Awliya have certainty; you can’t find a wali without certainty.
Therefore we are in need as believers to always ask for one who has stronger faith than our faith, to carry away doubt from our hearts. And as much as you are able to believe in a person, he may give you benefit and may make you satisfied. Therefore when you take part in a Grandsheikh’s assembly you feel satisfaction. If you do not feel satisfaction it means that you are still in doubt and that that Grandsheikh can never give you anything .. you must know this sign; if you find satisfaction you may know that he has more spiritual power than you and is able to fill the holes of your doubt. Otherwise - leave him.
They {awliya} are also asking to try their followers. They must trust their followers before giving anything to them – if the (Wali) doesn’t trust you he will never give you anything. They have been ordered to keep treasure for everyone who ‘belongs’ to them. Would I give a very precious thing to a small child??... People each have treasures, and the keys to their treasures are with those holy ones. You are in need to trust in that one, to believe in him, and he must trust you also, that you are powerful enough to carry your treasure
… but when he tries them so many people are falling down, having so many doubts about their Sheikh saying, “what is this? Is the Sheikh playing with his followers? How can a sheikh be saying, ‘do this – do that?’
Our Grandsheikh often said to me, “ oh Nazim Effendi don’t put my words and actions into a scale and weigh them. Don’t say, ‘why is that Sheikh saying such and such or doing so and so.’ If you are thinking and evaluating in such a manner you will never be able do derive any benefit from your teacher, and we will leave you on your way and go on ours. In order to follow us you must follow without judging or objection. Only if you can follow in this manner may you come to know anything of our realities.
Why did Allah Almighty tell the story of Moses and Khidr in the Holy Qur’an?
What does that story tell us about using your mind to judge what is beyond our understanding? What is our position when we think that we know so much whereas we actually know nothing? Yes, that tale is told so that we might take wisdom from it, not just for amusement for people to read and enjoy such an entertaining story. It is an indisputable fact that hidden wisdom must be found in the action of the Saints even if those actions appear to contradict our ideas of how things should be done. For your own good you must learn how you can acquire the attributes necessary to go with such people.
As far as the actions of your Sheik are concerned don’t try to weigh and evaluate them with your mind even if you be the Prophet Moses! - for – if you are Moses, someone else may be Khidr and may be able to teach you.
Compiled from Sheikh’s talks in Towards the Divine Presence Books 1,2 and 4 and Pink Pearls.
