BismillahirRahmanirRahim

BismillahirRahmanirRahim

Question: For people who just start to understand Islam, when they approach us, we need to give them some information about Islam. With so much confusion around, what is the priority for us to tell them about Islam?

First you have to understand the confusion. I can give you an answer but if the answer is not fitting to the question, it’s not a real answer.What is the confusion that they are facing? That you have to answer. What are the things that they are going to be swayed by? What are the things that they are going to be deviated by? If you understand that and you understand how they feel, then you will be able to give what is necessary. You will be able to give.

You think a man is hungry because he is not eating and you give him hamburgers. It is going to kill him. Man didn’t eat one day, two days, three days, seven days he didn’t eat, and you said, ‘poor guy. I like hamburger, I like Pizza, let’s give him Pizza, because he didn’t eat for seven days.’ What do you think is going to happen to that person? He is going to get into a coma. He will die. So you have to understand that person, what does he need? He needs nutrients first. He needs hydration. He needs simple things that he can digest and the body can break down. You give that. That’s not for any one of you here by the way (Sheykh points to the murids at the Dergah). You are not here for that. We are here for something else. We are here for detox. And you know detoxing it’s not very pleasant. And detoxing stuff starts coming out of you, you say, ‘Eh! This is from me? It’s so disgusting, it’s coming out from me.’ What about our spiritual detox. So many of you, you get upset with me for. I am pulling out and say, ‘this is the thing, this is it.’ And you say, ‘me? No it’s not me. You misunderstand. I am a nice person.’ Then go to different, other clinics, other spas. They’re just going to give you more poisons to make you feel nicer.

So you understand what they are going through. Give them something simple. Not just confusion but from the background that they are coming from, what are the things, simple things that they can take and they can practice every day. Do not load them up with practices. Find something that connects, that bridges from where they are, what their understanding is and what is their understanding of Islam. Go back to the Sunnah. Go back to the time of the first Jahiliyah. Go back to the time, because we are living in the second Jahiliyah. Those ones who knows nothing, just say if you tell them, these are the days of confusion, these are the days of darkness. There were many times in the world when this happens. There were many times in our lives when we have confusion and darkness, and there are many times in our lives in that times of confusion and darkness someone comes along to help us, correct? Can anyone deny that? Say it is the same spiritual confusion. Someone will come. Someone who has love and respect and some knowledge and some authority, he will come. It’s good to listen to him. He’s only going to bring you to safety. Then start small things. Because now when we are looking at those things, Islam is a lifestyle. Islam is not just, ‘Ok, you come, you cover your hair, you have to do this, you have to do this, you have to pray five times a day.’ No. Get their hearts to fall in love more to the Prophet (asws) to fall in love more with our Sheykh, of course to fall in love more with Allah (swt) because people have different understandings what Allah is. Muslims have different understandings what Allah is, forget about other religions.

How are you going to get a proper understanding of what Allah is when all you see is a cross in front of you, or naked, nudity, naked man in front of you or old man in front of you? How are you going to? or statues or rocks or this or that. They are saying, ‘this is representing.’ Go beyond representation. You don’t need it. And if anyone, in anything, has been given that authority to represent Allah, it is Bani Adam, it is Mankind.

So, make them to fall in love more. Be kind. They will follow. Especially your part of the world, their hearts are already soft. That’s why people coming in with different ideas too because their hearts are soft they follow. This idea they follow. That idea they follow. Concentrate on the Ego. Because so many they are nice and humble before they become Muslims, suddenly when they become Muslims you see them they are the most nasty, the most arrogant, the most violent people. It’s not because of Islam. It’s because of what? It’s because of who gave them that Islam to them, who guided them to that kind of understanding of Islam. So everything comes back to Risalat.

Sheykh Lokman Efendi Hz,
Khalifah of SahibulSaif Shaykh Abdulkerim el Kibrisi (qs),
OSMANLI DERGAHI- New York
26 Ramazan 1437
July 1, 2016..