We Await Three Signs of the Last Days
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
12 March, 2011 Burton, Michigan
Suhbah at As-Siddiq Mosque(Day after catastrophic earthquake/tsunamis in Japan)
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-RaheemNawaytu 'l-arba'een, nawaytu'l-'itikaaf, nawaytu'l-khalwah, nawaytu'l-riyaada, nawaytu's-salook, nawaytu'l-'uzlah, nawytu as-siyam lillahi ta'ala fee hadha'l-masjid.
Ati`ullaha wa ati`u 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (The Glorious Qur'an 4:59)
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. Dastoor yaa Sayyidee, madad.
Too many news are coming from here and there. It makes people confused about what they listen to, and it makes people analyze events according to their capacity and understanding. A high school student cannot understand teachings of a university professor; perhaps only PhD students might understand what the professor teaches a higher level of educated people. Still, that high school student may hear and understand some of what is taught, but he cannot analyze its full meaning.Why did the Prophet (s) say about Sayyidina `Ali (r):
أنا مدينة العلم و علي بابها
Ana madeenatul-`ilm wa `aliyyun baabuha.
I am the City of Knowledge and `Ali is its door.
Why didn’t he say, “All the Companions are my door?” He also specified that Sayyidina Abu Bakr is “different” and more “special” than the others, because of something special that settled in his heart, which not everyone can understand. So some might think the literal meaning of, “`Ali is the door of knowledge,” and “a special thing in the heart of Sayyidina Abu Bakr,” is love of the Prophet (s), who also said, “If there would be another prophet after me, it would be `Umar." But then where is Sayyidina Abu Bakr, Sayyidina `Ali, and Sayyidina Uthman (radiy-Allahu `anhum)? It means you need a window to that wali to understand what he is saying.
Sometimes car windows are tinted black, so from outside you cannot see anything, but someone sitting inside can see everything. So not everyone sitting is in the heart of the shaykh and can understand what he is saying. They are sitting outside, where they hear honking and they begin to honk also, and they say things that in reality is not honking, it is what that wali is saying inside to those sitting with him. Honking is for donkeys, to make them move from the middle of the road. Some donkeys, even if you honk and honk, they don't move; they are thinking and stubborn!
What about here? Are there no donkeys? Don't you see them? What do they do with the donkeys here? Some say, “We don't have any donkeys here.” No, it is full of donkeys! (laughter) So you see the donkey sitting in the road, thinking for fifteen minutes and not moving, and you can honk as much as you like. Some people do not understand about donkeys because they are donkeys. The horse will move, but the donkey will not move. They saw a donkey laughing and asked it, “Why are you laughing?” He said, “Yesterday they made a joke, and just now I understood it!”
So let the donkeys think as much as they like, because they will never understand what a wali says and the wisdom in it. If you don't understand the wisdom, then try to perfect yourself through your awraad, and different obligations, then you will begin to understand differently. For the horse they put blinders to restrict what it sees and where it looks. You must not put blinders; you must look around and see what is going on, then you can understand what the wali is speaking about.
A wali is not for dunya, he is for akhirah. So don't expect the wali to give you something to build up your dunya, as most of the work Prophet (s) entrusted to him is for your akhirah.
Sayyidina Abayazid al-Bistami (q) intentionally created confusion in order for people to curse him. Do you like to do that? He is one of biggest awliyaaullah, that even Ibn Taymiyya accepted. He went to a village to create confusion, and then he left; that was his mission. When the people cursed him and exiled him, through that he was testing his own patience, to see if he can carry that difficulty or not. People don’t understand that, they only understand that he made a mistake and they went after him. But in reality he was testing his own patience, and anyone who cursed him, he prayed, “Yaa Rabbee! Whoever cursed me, whatever of bad deeds he did, forgive him, and take from my good deeds and give to him.” Does anyone understand that? He did things to make people curse him and when they cursed him, he asked, "Yaa Allah! That person mentioned my name, so raise him!"
Grandshaykh (q) used to say, “If anyone mentions my name, I am obliged to pray for them to reach my level.” So you cannot reach their levels, you cannot reach and understand what they are saying. If an earthquake expert says to you, “There will be an earthquake on April 2nd, so prepare yourself,” if you believe that, what will you do? You will prepare yourself for that day in the best possible way. You might retreat to the jungle, take your food and hide there. When April 2nd comes and there is no earthquake, then what? Do you say the expert (wali) is wrong, or do you say there is wisdom in that?
How is that wali wrong? I am not saying every wali is perfect, but you prepare according to your level. If a doctor says, “You have cancer,” then what do you do? You prepare everything so that when your time comes, you go (with less worry).
Last Wednesday evening in Washington DC, I gave a suhbat. With Mawlana's baraka, I mentioned as he said, "Say to them that if Allah wants, He will bring this Earth upside down with a huge earthquake that will bring what is up to down and what is down to up.” And we said:
إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا وَقَالَ الْإِنسَانُ مَا لَهَا
idha zulzilat al-ardu zilzaalah, wa qaalat al-insaanu maa laha..."
When the Earth quakes with her [last] mighty quaking and [when] the Earth yields up her burdens and man cries out, "What has happened to her?" (az-Zalzala, 99:1-3)
That Allah (swt) will shake this Earth not only from its top but also from its bottom, and make tsunamis come, and human beings will ask, “What is going on?” Mawlana Shaykh said, “Say to them what is going on.” And what happened? That earthquake hit the next day. (The lesson for us is) awliya are entrusted by the Prophet (s) and when they say something in public it has a meaning, and when they say something of spirituality it has a different meaning. When they say something in public, it is the same for a spiritual-level child or adult, as they did not yet reach a level of higher understanding. When awliyaaullah tell you something in private, that is at a different level. So don’t panic about what Mawlana Shaykh said two or three days ago! He wants warn you, so you will prepare yourself and go higher and higher.
If someone says tells you that you have cancer, you will quickly prepare yourself for the outcome. When Mawlana Shaykh says, “Mahdi is coming,” then prepare yourself with food and supplies as there is no time! Really Mawlana wants you and your family to be in a state of perpetual preparation, always anticipating the arrival of Sayyidina Mahdi (a)! First of all, to prepare yourself you make niyyah that you are ready for him, and by that you will be with him! To prepare yourself for relief is worship. Mawlana Shaykh wants to give you that level as if you are already with Sayyidina Mahdi (a), as if you are fulfilling his orders and doing what he wants! Then you will be rewarded with everything you do in your life as if you truly are waiting for him.
There are Signs of the Last Days that we are waiting for. Most of the signs the Prophet (s) predicted did appear, but there are some two signs that did not appear yet. So Mawlana Shaykh wants that you will be written in Mahdi's time. It means, don't panic! If you say to yourself that you are a man or woman of Mahdi’s time, then wherever you are, you will be there with him, by recitation of “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.” You will be transferred by heavenly power to wherever Mahdi is. So don't panic, just do what you are doing.
Did Mawlana say to those close to him to stop working? (No.) Then why are you running in different directions to find out what to do? Mawlana Shaykh said three signs must occur before Mahdi appears. Awliyaaullah are waiting for them and if these three signs did not come, still we are waiting for them. Grandshaykh `AbdAllah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani (q) mentioned them. One of them is that a big mountain near Bursa will explode with ashes and red lava running to Istanbul , putting it in fire. Did that happen? No! So we await that.
Second, Cairo is going to sink underwater from the Aswan Dam, which did not exist when Sayyidina Ibn `Arabi's predicted in his book, Futuhat al-Makkiyya, that the Nile will flood and water will rise to cover the minaret of the Muhammad `Ali Mosque in Cairo. Grandshaykh (q) said there is a sign on the minaret of that mosque, which is very high, where the water is going to reach. Not until the 1960’s did anyone know about the Aswan Dam, which Gamal Abdel Nasser built. Today we don't know how much of it is eaten, that it will collapse and flood the area. So I am worried about the people of Cairo, but first the destruction of Istanbul must occur.
The third sign is when Cyprus sinks into the sea; that is the prediction. So as long as Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani is in Cyprus, when he leaves Cyprus, then you may panic, call and send messages!
So put things together! When a wali, particularly Sultan al-Awliya, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani says something, you must pay attention. Also, when Mawlana Shaykh moves he it will not be to Istanbul; he will move to Sham ash-Shareef. Why aren’t his two sons moving (away from Cyprus and Istanbul)? That means prepare yourself and get the reward, but don't panic and ask what we have to do!
If you don't understand Mawlana Shaykh, you will never understand. I am waiting for fifty years for Mahdi (a), so listen and understand. If you live a thousand years or even one month in preparation for Mahdi’s arrival, then it is the same as someone who lived one month. That means for all mureeds who are waiting, it is going to open a big reward. That opening appeared in Rabi al-Awwal, that who is waiting for Mahdi will be dressed with special rewards and lights from Prophet (s) and Mahdi (a)!
When the three signs we mentioned appear, still Mahdi will not appear. First there will be a huge battle between two parties that will dispute one issue. That must occur before Mahdi arrives. That will not be between the Middle East and Europe, but between two big world powers. That is a prediction from the Prophet (s) about Signs of Last Days, that a huge war will continue for three months.
So now you have three signs that have to appear: the Bursa Mountain is going to blow up and lava will come to Istanbul; Cairo will be flooded and water will reach to top of Mohammad `Ali Mosque's minaret; and then Cyprus will disappear. Then there will be a big war for three months. After that, they will come to Istanbul and with takbeer and the walls will fall down, like during a fire if you recite takbeer the fire goes down (extinguishes). So at that time, by the power of Mahdi, all technology will stop.
There will be those with Mahdi; those with the Anti-Christ will be destroyed. Don't panic and worry, because by the power of “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” you will be anywhere! Don’t worry about me travelling for several months; that is not a problem. Mawlana Shaykh asked me to be with him for three months; there are things Mawlana Shaykh wants to say to me, and insha-Allah khayr.
Just remember: there are signs which must come and at any moment, but there is space between them, and then an additional three months. The eruption of a volcano near Istanbul, then Cairo sinking until water reaches the minaret at the Muhammad `Ali Mosque, and the sinking of Cyprus. Still Mawlana Shaykh is sitting there in his jubba, eating and meeting with people. If that is happening, Mawlana must move. If he is moving, he must also move his whole tribe that is in that house! So relax, as all that will take time.
What Mawlana Shaykh wants to say is, “Don't come and visit in Cyprus.” One month ago, before Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain protests erupted, before the earthquake, we went to Chile and Argentina. Some people came there from Brazil, and said they wanted to visit Mawlana Shaykh. They sent a message three or four weeks ago. By then only Tunisia and Egypt protests started.. I told `Ali to send a message to them, "No one come to visit Mawlana Shaykh." Why? Not because of Mahdi coming, as the signs didn't happen yet, but Mawlana doesn't want people to be stuck there. There will be a no-fly zone there, and aircraft carriers offshore, so how you can go and come back? You will be stuck, and your family is in Brazil or Argentina.
That is why, if you understand correctly, he said, “If people are a few hours away from me they can come for three days.” That means as near as London. Why did he allow the people to come for three days? Cyprus will be an island between those big vessels, so they can run quickly to their countries.
This means don't worry or panic, relax! If you like, send us a message and we can explain. May Allah (swt) make us to understand the awliya.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
