I begin with the name of Allah the most merciful and the most kind, peace and blessing be upon beloved Prophet (S.A.W).

IMPORTANCE OF SINCERITY

Abu Mohyudeen Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani (R.A) said in his Sermon delivered on 24th Ramadhan 545A.D (877yrs ago). My boy! Present to me a little of your charity by being truthful and enjoy your wealth and all that you have at home, as it is lawfully yours. I seek nothing from you except truthfulness and sincerity, which will do you good.

I love you only for your sake, not for my sake. Hold your tongue from speaking out openly or secretly. There are angels who are watching outwardly while Allah (S.W.T) is watching you inwardly.

O one who erects palaces and other buildings, who waste your life in the construction of the worldly life: do nothing without good will. The foundation of the structure in the worldly life is good will. Do not erect any structure under the dictate of your 'self' end lust. The ignorant lays the foundation of his structures without agreement with the will of Allah (S.W.T) and at the dictate of baser self, natural urge or habit. Hence his building is not blessed, it is dwelt by others and on the Day of judgment he would be asked why he built it, where he acquired the the funds from and what was the necessity of the structure. He will be asked to present his accounts for everything. Be in agreement with Allah (S.W.T) and seek His pleasure. Do not seek what is not sanctioned for you.

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said that the greatest torture for an individual in the worldly life is that he should seek what he has not been destined to have. You come to me harboring suspicions and hence you are not profited by speech. A pity on you! You claim to be a Muslim, yet you object and protest against Allah (S.W.T) and His righteous servants. You are wrong in your claim.

Islam means to agree with what Allah (S.W.T) has sanctioned for you, to submit yourself to Him and to abide by the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. Your fantastic hopes fling you into the abyss of sin and disagreement with Allah (S.W.T). If you curtail hopes, you will gain prosperity. If you want to prosper, cling to that which destiny offers you. The Muslim receives his share at the hands of destiny and agrees with it under the framework of Law (Shariah). His baser-self, lust, natural urges and the Satan do not prevail him upon, as he is being protected against them. It is not so that the enlightened ones are totally extinct; their baser-self is, however turned into the 'Contented self'. Their desire is suppressed, natural urges are cooled down and Satan is pushed aside. Satan becomes helpless before them, though it lingers and loiters about around them.

When your trust in Allah (S.W.T) is perfect, you rise above the slavery of causes and when you are perfect in Tawheed, you do not expect benefit or apprehend loss at the hands of others. You are helpless and hence directed by your baser-self, lust and natural urges. You know nothing about trust in Allah (S.W.T) and Tawheed. It is bitterness followed by sweetness; breaking followed by unity; death followed by an everlasting life. Similarly disgrace; honour; poverty; prosperity; extinction and existence are stages through which you have to pass, and when you have passed through them, successfully your being hopeful of Allah (S.W.T)'s blessing is right and reasonable.

That which make you neglect Allah (S.W.T) is unholy, be it your prayer and fasting (except the obligatory prayer and fasting). After your obligatory fasting if the voluntary fasting with all its hunger and thirst prevents you from presence of mind and concentration in your remembrance of Allah (S.W.T) and from being pleased with Him, you are still a servant and a worshipper of your baser self and habits and as such are flung afar.

The enlightened one remains in the closeness of Allah (S.W.T) with his knowledge and 'secret' and moves along with the will and decrees of Allah (S.W.T). When he is tired and exhausted he is enabled to move without efforts on his part and is made to stop without his will. He becomes similar to the 'companions of the cave' who were moved to change sides by Allah (S.W.T). Allah (S.W.T) so behaved with them, as He knew their helplessness. Movement accompanies power and stillness accompanies helplessness; you move when you exist and you become still when you recede into extinction. Movement is related to command and stillness is related to knowledge.

ENLIGHTEN YOUR HEARTS WITH REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH (S.W.T)

Your 'self' will become sound when it is freed from lust, natural urges and the creatures. Be not the prisoner of the creature, as they are not capable of doing you good or causing you harm. None can meet the requirements of your life except Allah (S.W.T). Obey him; carry out His commands, until nothing remains with you except Allah (S.W.T). Then shall you rise above the need of all and shall enjoy honour. You will become similar to Adam (a.s) before whom all things in nature were ordered to prostrate. It is a statement, which is too sublime to be appreciated by the laymen and even by most of the treaders of these paths of religion.

The enlightened one is a particle of Adam (a.s) and comes from the vary substance of the latter. O unwise man! Acquire knowledge and separate yourself from all creatures, just as the enlightened ones do. Outwardly, they remain in the society for its reformation, while, inwardly, they are in the service of their Lord. Thus they are with man and at the same time are aloof from man. When their clothes get dirty, they wash them, clean them and apply perfume to them. When their clothes get torn they stitch them, patch them, but they are the leaders of the mankind. Even the tiniest part of their being is as bulky and lofty as a mountain. Their hearts are with Allah (S.W.T) and they remain prostrate before Him. They are absorbed in His remembrance and are submerged in His knowledge.

O Lord! Make Thy remembrance our food and grant us prosperity in Thy closeness - Ameen.

Your heart is dead and you associate with those who are similar to you in this respect. You should serve those who have living hearts, the noble ones and the 'Abdals'. You are a grave unto yourself and visit graves; you are dead and meet the dead. You are maimed and attracted by the maimed. You are blind and guided by the blind. Adopt the company of those who enjoy certainty, the righteous believers. Accept their advice with patience and act accordingly, and you will prosper. Listen to the advice of the scholars and guides, abide by their advice and be respectful to them if you want to gain honour.

I had a teacher and a guide who would explain to me any difficult problem or question that might occur to me, without my asking him for it. He did so because I respected him. I have been respectful to all my teachers and guides.

The "Wali" can never be miserly. How can he be miserly in anything when he claims to have abandoned all! When he is given something, he preserves it for others. His heart is free from all else than Allah (S.W.T). The rich are miserly, but Wali cannot be miserly because what ever he possesses is the property of someone else, hence how can he be miserly in other's property. He has neither friend nor foe. He is desirous of hearing neither praise nor condemnation. He knows that all things - giving and with holding, benefiting or causing harm are proceed from Allah (S.W.T) alone. He neither loves life nor fears death; his death is the displeasure of Allah (S.W.T) while his life is the pleasure of Allah (S.W.T). He is uneasy in the society and is at his ease in his solitude. The remembrance of Allah (S.W.T) is his food and the cup of love is his drink. Hence, he cannot be a miser, as he seeks nothing of this world. He pays importance to the nothing of this world.

O Lord! Grant us virtue in this world and in the Hereafter and save us from the punishment of the Fire. May Allah increase the status of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani for his beautiful teachings. - Ameen.

LAILATUL QADR (SEARCH FOR THE NIGHT OF POWER)

The Quran highlights the greatness of this night in the chapter of 'the night of power'. (Sura 97) Allah (S.W.T) says: "We indeed revealed it on Laylatul Qadr. And what will make you understand what Laylatul Qadr is? Laylatul Qadr is better than a thousand months. The angels and the spirits descend in it by the permission of their Allah (S.W.T). For every affair - peace! It is till the break of morning."

The Messenger (S.A.W) said: "Search for the night of power in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadhan" (Bukhari).

In a Hadith it is said that: "One day the Messenger (S.A.W) came to the mosque to tell people the actual date of Lailatul Qadr. As he entered he saw two men quarreling. He said I came to tell you the date of Laylatul Qadr but so and so were quarreling consequently the exact date is not going to be disclosed now, perhaps this is good for you so search for it on 29th, 27th and 25th". (Bukhari)