A GREAT GATHERING OF LECTURES IN KATSINA (MAJLIS KATSINA)

A GREAT GATHERING OF LECTURES IN KATSINA

مجلس في المواعظ الحسنة  
ﻜﺷﻨﻪ في

MAJLIS FII’L MUWAA’IZ AL-HASSANAH FII KASHINAH

By: Sheikh Ibrahim Niass (In Kastina)

Published by: Alhaji Ibrahim Iddris Fantu (Mai Kayan Faydah)

Translated by: Sidi Husseini Yushau BabalWaiz (New York)

October 30, 2015

Assalamu Alaikum and Juma'ah Mubarak folks. Our this week's Baye Book translation excerpt dwells on one of his lectures in Katsina in northern Nigeria, encapsulated in a title : "مجلس في المواعظ الحسنة", "A Great Gathering of Lectures". As we prepare for this Juma'ah evening's hailala at our various zawiyas in our various communities, cities and countries, let us read and reflect upon these encouraging words regarding what we constantly do-"zikir", invocation of the name of Allah, which Maulanal Gawth showcased its significance here with verses and ahadith from divine scriptures. And he also interspersed it with his own fascinating discourse touching on philosophy and psychology. A must read and shared:

A Great Gathering of Lectures By Sheikh Ibrahim Niass In Kastina in the Sixties.

Published by: Alhaji Ibrahim Iddris Fantu, Mai Kayan Faila

Translated by: Husseini Yushau BabalWaiz, New York

In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful. And Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon our great Prophet[PBUH]

Allah has created[his] servants and he has blessed and protected them at any time he wills. He does not need anything from them but to feel honored with him. So an obedient servant who remembers Allah is the one who feels honored with him. That is why he created creatures to benefit from Him not for Him to benefit from them, for He is far beyond that.

And a wise man works to seek benefit; if not then, he is frivolous [playful]. And man’s work without benefit is foolishness. Allah works without benefit. And frivolity is impossible upon Him. So the wise thing to do is to work for the benefit of someone other than you. Allah works not for His own benefit but for the benefit of others [His creatures]. That is why the people of wisdom are called wise, because of what they give out of wisdom to benefit others with it.

And creatures are categorized into three sections:

A section which is deficient with no perfection in it, and a part which is perfect and there is no deficiency in it. And a set which is sometimes deficient and sometimes perfect. So the one which becomes deficient, such as a beast[animal] is deficient and would never attain perfection. And the perfect part that never have deficiency is the angels.

That which would remain that applies to two situations is that, mankind is sometimes deficient and sometimes perfect. The origin of man is deficient and would become perfect through the means or ways that lead to perfection of mankind, such as remembrance [zikir] of Allah only.

And during the time of remembrance [of Allah], he is perfect and at the time of recklessness, he is deficient, returning to his origin. And perfection in the remembrance of Allah and decline in negligence of Him. Allah has increased his remembrance in the Qur’an and called Muslims to it in not less than one verse. Allah has said: ((Remember Allah many times)) and He said: ((The remember Allah standing and seating and[as you lay on] your sides)) And he said: ((Remember me I will remember you)).

And if a servant loves his Lord, you would see him in his remembrance [zikir] and has the honor of zikir always. His similitude is like the one who is related to a state and would be mentioning it repeatedly always. And feels honored with that.

So someone from Kano for example would say I m a Kanawi, And the one from Barno would say I am a Barnawi, the one from Katsina would say I am a Kastinawi. While the one from Zarma would say I am a Zarmawi. All is privileged and proud of his state.

But the real thing that[needs] to be proud of is [zikir] remembrance of Allah. That was why Allah Almighty has called for Islam and said: ((Verily, the (best) religion in the sight of Allah is Islam)). And the first pillar in Islam is ((LA ILAHA ILLA LAH)), ((There is no God but Allah)). All of you say La Ilaha Illa Lah. Renew your faith with these words. Whoever mentioned it even once, he has exited from the assembly of disbelief to the group of Islam. And will enter Paradise. Allah Almighty has said: ((LA ILLA HA ILLA LAH is my fortress or sanctuary, and whoever enters my fortress or sanctuary is safe from my punishment)).

So do it so many times. The honor of mankind is making zikir abundantly. Because, with [salat], prayer, there is no goal or intention in it, except zikir. Allah Almighty says: ((Establish prayer for my remembrance)). So the Fruit of salat is zikir. Allah Almighty said: ((Prayer prohibits against vulgarity or obscenity and what is forbidden, and the remembrance of Allah is greatest)). Meaning whoever remembers Allah, Allah would remember him. If you remember him in a group, He would remember you in a group better than your group. Remembrance is an honor for a man and there is no honor above it. Increase the level of his remembrance.

The best of zikir is: LA ILAHA ILLA LAH. The Prophet[PBUH] said: ((The best thing I said and the Prophets[PBUH] who came before me is LA ILAHA ILLA LAH)). Musah [Kaleemu Lah] the communication partner of Allah : requested for an absolute secret prayer and Allah told him say LA ILLAHA ILLA LAH, he said to Allah, all your servants say this, and I want to have my own exclusive[zikir].

Then Allah said to him: Don’t you know that if the entire seven heavens and earth and the throne and seat were to be placed on a scale and LA ILLAHA ILLA LAH on another scale, LA ILLAH ILLA LAH would outweigh them all? Increase the remembrance [of Allah], whoever increases it will get its benefit.

Translated by: Husseini Yushau BabalWaiz

November 6, 2015

Assalamu Alaikum Jum'ah Mubarak to you all. Our this week's Baye book translation project continues from the previous week, which started from a new book(out of his 86 books) entitled:

"مجلس في المواعظ الحسنة",

"A Great Gathering of Lectures ", which Shehu Barhama Kaolack had delivered in Katsina, northern Nigeria in the sixties.

These three and half pages will take a reader through analysis of the three pillars of Islam, prayer, fasting and zakat or poor tax. Readers will be excited with two amazing stories he narrated about the positive impact of prayer and charity.

"....After that is is ((Prayer)). So a servant[of Allah] performs daily prayers, it is the greatest act with which Allah Almighty is worshipped. The proof for that is that all mandatory[compulsory] acts that Allah made mandatory on this earth and with the prayer, when He wanted to be worshipped, He took his servant[Prophet s.a.w] upon a nocturnal journey[ ascension or Isra’e wal mi’eraj] and he made it mandatory from the heaven.

Then prayer became an ascension and with prayer, a servant ascends until he becomes closer to Allah. The Prophet[PBUH] said ((The closest a servant gets to Allah is during prayer)) Allah has said: ((Prostrate and get near[to Me])) And the Prophet(PBUH) was ascended[to the heaven] with salat, it is in the same vain that we get ascended by it.

And Allah has timed prayer with His saying: ((Verily, prayer is to the believers a documented practice on time)). And He has commanded for its performance when He said, ((Establish prayer)) and paying attention to it, as He said, ((Pay attention upon your prayers)) and with reverence, as He said, ((Those who are reverent in their prayer)). And on its regular performance, He said, ((Those who are regular on their prayer)).

And the Prophets(PBUH) and those who came after them, may Allah make as among them, they have done all that. So Allah mentioned them when he said, ((They are the inheritors[of paradise])).

And a group had refrained from prayer. And their leader was Abu Ja’al, he and those who followed him had entered into hell. And those who entered hell asked them and said, ((…What has led you to the hell? they said: we never used to be among those who pray.))

And prayer is like the position of a head from the rest of the body, whoever paid attention to prayer has paid attention to the religion[Islam]. Whoever mistreated it, he has mistreated the religion. Nothing from Allah is gained but with prayer. Allah has said, ((Advise your family with prayer and be constantly persistent on it, We[Allah] would not ask you for provision, We will provide for you)). A verse.

And everyone who performed prayer Allah will enrich him, whether he is poor or rich. He who took prayer for granted, that (negligence of prayer) will be a pity to family. (So) take your prayer very important, take your prayer very important. If it becomes difficult for a man to be steadfast, then he should pay attention to prayer, that is where lies the steadfastness.

((It was narrated that an immoral person used to lust(have excessive desire for other women) and his neighbor has a beautiful wife and he tried to seduce her. She then tricked and told him; my room is weak or fragile, and he said, what is it? She said; pray with my husband fourty times and then come i will satisfy your need(have an affair with you). Then he accepted that and he joined her husband (in prayer). In less than fourty days, she came to him and he said to her; I do not need you. (anymore, which indicates the impact the prayer had upon him).

((Two)) Fasting in its time. The Prophet(PBUH) said, ((A blessed month has come to you. Allah has made fasting in it days an obligatory act, and prayer in its nights a superregatory act. Whoever fulfilled an obligatory act in it is like the one who has fulfilled seventy obligatory prayer.

And fasting is patience, and the reward of patience is paradise (including) for the one who fed a fasting person)).

It means the reward of the person who fed him is paradise. And he would have the reward of the person who fast.

They((the sahabah or companions said it is not all of us who is capable of feeding the fasting person. He the Prophet(PBUH) said: Whoever gives a fasting person a date or water to drink is like he has fed him)).

((Three)) Paying the zakat (poor tax). Whoever wants his wealth to last long, then he needs to spend out of it (by giving zakat).

((It was narrated that a man ask his Lord to enrich him, then Allah revealed to his Prophet to say to his servants; If i give him wealth in the half of his life, half of it he is poor and half of it he is rich, which one should come first? He then consulted his wife to seek her opinion. She said, let the wealth comes now. He said to her: poverty after richness is a difficult situation. She then said do not disagree with me. He said then, let the wealth come. When the wealth came, the woman said to him: Whenever you sew or made a new dress, do the same as a charity and whenever you did something(for your pleasure), do the same to the poor people. By so doing, the wealth lasted for a long time. That is why Allah Almighty said: ((Whatever you spend He(Allah) will replace it)).

Translated by: Husseini Yushau BabalWaiz, New York

Look out for the Full publication of the translations by Fayda books (faydabookscom)