Shaykh Yusuf da Costa: Seclusion and the silent dhikr
When one is a student, one knows what loneliness is. While the rest of the world is busy with all kinds of activities, the student sits with his books. This may last considerable lengths of time as he strives, through his studies, to obtain certain qualifications in...
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa: Being silent
When we consider our relationship with all other human beings, with all Muslims, with all those in Tariqah, and with our shaykh and other murids in the Naqshbandi Tariqah, what do we see? It is quite clear that our importance as human beings, as Muslims, as those in...
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa: Hearts which only our Lord knows
I have always wondered why, on the Day of Judgment, the poor people will enter Paradise years before those who are well off in the Dunya. I could understand that their poverty on the Dunya would be an importance mitigating factor with regard to their judgment. But...
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa: Spiritual blessings
I am always amazed at how the blessings of Allah Almighty are distributed amongst people. Here I am not referring to the normal distribution of worldly goods to people, but I am referring to those very special blessings which are given to people as a consequence of...
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa: The present state of the Muslims
Sometimes when I look at the state of the Muslims, here and overseas, I feel despondent. This is because of the extent to which we have in fact drifted from the teachings of Islam. I heard somewhere that Nabi Muhammad (ﷺ) told the Sahabah that for them to enter...
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa: Remember Me, I remember you (ii: 152)
In a very well known verse in the Qur’an, Allah Almighty says: فَأذْكُرُوْنِى أَذْكُرْكُمْ Remember Me, I remember you (ii: 152). This verse is quoted quite frequently by scholars when they deal with the relationship between Allah Almighty and His servants. This...
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa: The open door
Many of us are only a few steps away from moving ahead into the Akhirah. Some of us are looking ahead with great expectation and hope that our Lord would honour us when we arrive. But most of us are seriously worried about ourselves and about our destinations,...
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa: How we were and now, how we are
During the first few generations after the demise of Nabi Muhammad (ﷺ), there was a major blossoming of different branches of knowledge. This blossoming was accompanied by a massive development of spirituality. It is difficult to say whether at any other time in...
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa: Don’t let our egos be our guides
We need not tell you this, but you know, that out shaykh, under all circumstances, is Mawlana Shayklh Nazim al-Haqqani from Cyprus. We have all pledged on his hand; either directly, or indirectly through me. When we pledged it was a pledge to Allah Almighty with...
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa: “Don’t look for us in the graveyards …”
On one of the salah time tables I saw a remarkable statement by Imam Rumi. He said: “When we die, don’t look for us in the graveyards but look for us in the hearts of those people whose lives we have touched.” Allah Almighty has given each one of us different skills...