Keys to Having Presence with God, by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
“He is with you wherever you may be,” reminds Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, in this Friday sermon at Masjid Jamiat-ul-Ansar. “The Lord of the Heavens and the Earth, the tremendous Reality, He is close and near you. Does this humble you?”
Allah has granted us the gift of being conscious of this reality. This is tremendous, and can only come in the form of a gift because none of us truly deserves it. This gift entails gratitude. Faith is a tremendous gift that has eternal consequences. Even if we chose to believe, who inspired us to it?
Allah tells us in the Quran, “Say: It is all from Allah.” The gift of faith is one we have not earned; therefore, gratitude is the response.
So what is true gratitude? True shukr or thankfulness is using every blessing given to you in turning to Allah.
Never forget Him.
Gratitude of faith also entails that we nurture this faith. There is a tremendous difference between one that says I believe and the one who is present and conscious of the meaning of faith. Therefore, along with gratitude, knowledge is an essential key to attaining presence with your Lord.
The point of the prayer is the one you are praying to – Allah is the focus – and prayer is the key to being in His presence. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said “My complete joy, the joy of my eyes, was placed in the prayer.”
Why? Because prayer is presence with the one you love, with the one you are seeking…That is why whenever things were going on in the life of the Prophet, he would turn to prayer.
If Allah treated us as we deserved we would be lost, for our heedlessness is vast and our lack of gratitude is apparent. Allah deals with us with Mercy and enriches us when we provide him with as little as 10 minutes of presence and manifests good in it. Along with prayer comes continuous reflection and remembrance of God, in nurturing this our hearts find rest, solace and comfort.
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Truly in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest
The first preoccupation of hearts is to seek answers to two fundamental questions: Who am I? Who is my Lord? In engaging in worship or remembrance, the restlessness leaves our hearts and we reconnect to our spirit. In a time before existence, we confirmed who our Lord is and in remembrance we return to this reality.
Be Busy With Allah.
So when you work, do it for Allah. The true meaning of your work is the potential to be in the presence of Allah and that is the true essence of your living. Those who are accomplished are those whose trade nor other dealings busy them from Allah. What are they busy with? They are busy with Allah. When anyone is with the one they love, does anything actually shake them?
Resources for the Seekers:
- What Can I Do to Strengthen and Increase My Faith?
- How Do I Attain Presence Of Heart In Prayer?
- Concerning Thankfulness – Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
- Dhikr – Remembrance of God
- Should I Repeat My Prayer Because of Heedlessness
- How To Be Like The Prophet Muhammad In His Gratitude to Allah
- Reality, Aspects, & Expression of True Gratitude – Faraz Rabbani
- Dua of Gratitude vs. Dua of Request, Surat al-Naml (verse 19)
- 021 – Gratitude for God’s Bounty | Proclaiming God’s Oneness
- Belief: Securing Faith with Shaykh Ramzy Ajem
- Tahajjud Prayer: How To Pray it, When to Pray It and Its Merits
- A Reader on the Virtues of Prayer
- What is the Etiquette of Dhikr?
- On Knowing Yourself to Know God
- On Reflection (fikr) – Imam al-Haddad (Book of Assistance)
