Sheikh Mohammad Bava Usthad shares a timeless naseehat - A message born from deep reflection and divine remembrance.

 

Sheikh Mohammad Bava Usthad shares a timeless naseehat - A message born from deep reflection and divine remembrance.

The gatherings of Allah’s Beloved Prophet ﷺ were graced by people from all walks of life- wealthy traders, skilled artisans, and humble labourers, diverse in their worldly roles yet united by open hearts and a shared longing for truth. Today, it is only through the barakah (blessing) of our noble Mashaikhs that we too, have been brought together on this path of remembrance and realization. These mashaikhs, especially Ghausul-A'lam Shaikh Muhyiddeen AbdulQadir Jeelani (may Allah have mercy on him) attained the highest ranks bearing witness to the Kalima, not through ease, but through immense hardship. They opened the way for us by carrying spiritual burdens beyond imagination.

Even those ascetics who reached the peaks of spiritual struggle and flew high in the skies of devotion with severe penance ultimately found their grounding and truth by witnessing the Kalima—La ilaha illallah, in its highest reality, at the blessed hands of Ghausul-A'lam (may Allah be pleased with him). It is through this sacred witnessing that they were humbled, guided, and anchored in the Supreme Path.

More than fourteen hundred years have passed since the physical departure of Allah’s Beloved Messenger ﷺ. In his absence, the only rope to hold firmly is the presence of Allah’s true friends, the Awliya' Allah—those who know Allah and His Messenger ﷺ in truth and depth. Following the Prophet ﷺ merely in outward actions is not the perfection of faith. The Qur’an teaches that love for the Prophet ﷺ is what brings those actions to life, because love is the true perfection of faith. And this love for the Beloved Prophet ﷺ, timeless and universal, was the path even for the Prophets who came before, and it continues to flow through this blessed Ummah to this day. Your only safeguard from slipping away from this sacred path of the Prophets is to hold firmly to your Shaykh (spiritual guide), remain steadfast in your love, loyal in your faith, and unwavering in your connection to him.

 

Recently, I had the blessing of visiting Sayyid Muhammad Qasim Musa Rifai (Qasim Valiyyullah) (RA) in Kavaratti, Lakshadweep. He was the forefather of Cherukoya Thangal, who first guided me to the Rifaiyya path when I was seventeen. Sayyid Muhammad Qasim Musa Rifai, a descendant of Ghausul-A'lam and a bearer of immense spiritual legacy, was born to righteous parents after years of supplication and with the special blessings of Khidr (AS).

 

After recalling this, Sheikh Bava Usthad turned our attention to the unique purity of the path we follow: “We do not walk upon ordinary paths. Our path—this Tariqat—is not fragmented, confused, or diluted like many others today. It is the unbroken, pristine way shown by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, preserved through the hearts and hands of his true inheritors. So do not waver. Hold tightly to the Shaykh whose hand you have taken in allegiance. To leave him in search of another path...no matter how attractive it may appear. It will cause you to risk losing what your soul has already attained. And without that anchor, you may find yourself in great hardship at the time of death.” Such was the case with some disciples of Shaykh Qadeerullah(RA). Yet, there is no doubt in the promise of my Master, Shaykh Yusuf Sulthan Shah Qadiri Chishty (may Allah be pleased with him). 

Guard your heart. If dust enters a vessel, it cannot reflect light. In the same way, if you abandon the ways of Allah and His beloved Messenger, your faith will be like a torn garment. As our noble Shaykh Yusuf Sultan Shah Qadiri Chishti (RA) once told the public: "If you wish to see the truth of my words, open the grave of one of my true disciples. You will find no change in his body."

Recently, a beloved disciple of mine gave signs to his family that his departure was near. He made his preparations, and then passed peacefully. Those who performed the final rites bore witness—there was no struggle, no sign of fear. Such is the purity of the path we are on. Let us not trade this path for the fleeting gains of the world. We are the children of the Prophet ﷺ, he who once said that even if the mountain of Uhud were made of gold, he would give it away to the poor within three days.

Allah once said to Musa (AS): "My presence is with the Faqir—the renunciant." We are walking the path of the greatest of Faqirs—Habibullah (SA), the Beloved of Allah ﷺ. And whoever drawn close to him will not be touched by the Fire. 

All things created will end, this is the decree of Allah. Even the earth has a time appointed. The disturbances we see around us are signs. Yet, the Prophet ﷺ gave glad tidings: "Where there are true believers, Allah's punishment does not descend." Even in times of stinking pollution and darkness, Allah preserves this noble path, for the sake of the sincere and the poor.

When a person dies, scholars in our place gather to recite the Talqeen—a solemn reminder of the covenant with Allah, whispered to the grave. But what weight does this covenant carry when the heart that should have lived by it is no longer beating? If these scholars were truly the knowers of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, would they not have given this reminder while the person was still alive, when his heart could still tremble, his actions could still change, and his soul could still return?

The tragedy of our time is not in rituals and grave whispers, but in the silence before it. The greatest deception today lies in the efforts of those who build institutions not upon divine truth, but upon ambition. They are covering up the very message that the Prophets of Allah were sent to proclaim. They have stripped the religion of its soul, reducing it to ritual, and failed to make Allah and His Messenger ﷺ the living, breathing axis of guidance during life itself. And so, true faith has become a stranger, spoken only at funerals, instead of being lived with devotion.

It is for this reason that the advent of Imam Mahdi (AS) becomes essential, to restore this forgotten truth. We affirm with conviction that we are his followers.

So pay attention, especially to two things: 

First, be mindful in earning and spending wealth; Do not let it become a burden in the Hereafter.

Second, fulfil your responsibilities toward your families; Hold your wives and children to the path of faith. Remember what the Prophet ﷺ told his beloved daughter Fatimah (RA): "Even your lineage will not benefit you on the Day of Judgment."

Therefore, take this responsibility to heart. Safeguard your faith. Walk this path with steadfastness and sincerity. Do not let anything stain or weaken it.

May Allah grant you tawfeeq. Ameen.