Tariqa is to Train the Ego

Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh, Auzu Billahi Minashaytanir Rajeem. Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, Wassalatu Wassalamu ala Rasulina Muhammadin Sayyidul Awwalin wal Akhirin, Madad Ya Rasulallah, Madad Ya As’habi RasuLillah, Madad Ya Mashayikhina, Sheykh Abdullah Daghestani, Sheykh Nazim al-Haqqani. Dastur. Tariqatunas sohba, wal khayru fil jamiyya.

Son of man likes to be praised. Bismillahirrahman Al Rahim, ‘ ’, ‘And never think that those who rejoice in what they have done (or brought about) and love to be praised for what they did not do - never think them [to be] in safety from the punishment.’ (Qur’ān 03:188). Do not think that when people praise you saying that you’re such and such, and if you’re not a good person, that you’ll be saved from punishment in the hereafter; even if all the people tried to boast you saying that you’re so and so. That’s what humans love. That’s what the Nafs (ego) loves. Yet we should not do what our Nafs likes but what Allah ﷻ likes.

Tariqa is to train the Nafs. To train it so that it may be saved from bad habits and characteristics, and have good habits and manners. Why else would Tariqa be good for? Tariqa teaches Adab and good Akhlaq, good manners and morals. That’s the most important thing. That’s the thing that Allah ﷻ and our Holy Prophet ﷺ love. It’s the character of our Holy Prophet ﷺ. Bismillahirrahman Al Rahim, ‘ ’, ‘And indeed, you are on an exalted standard of character.’ (Qur’ān 68:04). ‘You are in the highest character of Adab’, that’s how Allah ﷻ describes our Holy Prophet ﷺ. If we aren’t in control of our Nafs then we’ll be ruined, disgraced and nothing else. This is the case for Tariqa and this is the case for Islam too. Our Holy Prophet ﷺ said: “If a person praises you then throw dirt on his face.” Do not listen to them, do not pay attention to them. Your Nafs is not good, it needs to be trained. How is it trained? When it’s praised, it likes to be praised. If people say a small thing that it doesn’t like, one gets upset and doesn’t want to hear it. In Tariqa you have to be the same with everybody, with those who upset you and those who make you happy. If they say things against you that you don’t like, you shouldn’t be upset or sad. Also if they tell you something you like, you shouldn’t be happy. If they tell you things that you don’t like and even if you’re not happy with it, you shouldn’t be sad saying that your ego deserves more and you should accept it.

Now people of these times do all sorts of things so others may like them. They do weird and strange things everywhere and they do things that don’t fit them. It could be things that fit them as well but they do everything just so others can praise them. It’s not important that people praise you, what is important is for Allah ﷻ to praise you. A person whom Allah ﷻ praises is saved. The aim is the pleasure of Allah ﷻ not the pleasure of people. You cannot make people happy anyway. No matter how much you try, people will never be pleased or totally satisfied. People are one minute with you and the next minute against you. Therefore, seek the pleasure of Allah ﷻ, His contentment and not our ego’s. May Allah ﷻ help us. These are not easy things. We’re saying it with a couple of words but to apply it is hard. May Allah ﷻ help us so we may train our ego insha’Allah.

Wa Minallah at-Tawfeeq. Al-Fatiha.

Hazrat Shaykh Muhammad Mehmet ar-Rabbani 13 March 2021/29 Rajab 1442 Sabah Namaz, Akbaba Dargah