Our Egos are Donkeys

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum wa Raḥmatullāhi wa Barakātuh. A‘ūdhu Billāhi Minash-shayṭāni r-rajīm. Bismillāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm. Wa ṣ-Salātu wa s-Salāmu ‘alá Rasūlinā Muḥammadin Sayyidi l-Awwalīna wa l-Akhirīn. Madad yā RasūlAllāh, Madad yā Sādāti Aṣḥābi Rasūlillāh, Madad yā Mashāyikhinā, Dastūr Mawlana Sheikh Abdullāh al-Fā’iz ad-Dāghistāni, Sheikh Muḥammad Nāẓim al-Ḥaqqānī. Madad. Ṭarīqatunā aṣ-Suḥbah wa l-Khayru fi l-Jam‘iyyah.

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm:

(Qur’ān 09:18). ‘Innamā Ya`muru Masājida Allāhi Man 'Āmana Billāhi Wa Al-Yawmi Al-'Ākhiri’, ‘The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day.’

Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla urges those who have faith and are in Islam to build houses for Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla, mosques for Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. We are now in this place, in the mosque of course. This is a Zawiyah, that means a mosque. They pray in it, they worship Allāh ﷻ, they remember Allāh ﷻ, they ask Allāh ﷻ. They leave the Dunya outside and enter to worship Allāh ﷻ, to remember, to make Dhikr, “A-lā bi-dhikri Llāhi taṭmainnu l-qulūb”, “Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” (Qur’ān 13:28). With Dhikr they remember Allāh ﷻ. Entering the Zawiyah, the mosque or other, this is a reason for reflection. A person enters the mosque to perform prayer of course or to worship Allāh ﷻ. He does not enter to drink coffee, to sleep or that. Of course, whoever enters the mosque, this is what is meant by it.

AlhamduliLlah here, our brother, our brothers, Mustafa, Mustafa and Mustafa, their intention is purely to Allāh ﷻ, for the sake of Allāh ﷻ. AlhamduliLlah we were destined to come here. All is by the command of Allāh ﷻ, by His ﷻ preordination and destiny. It was meant for us to come here. We were invited to come here in Luxor, AlhamduliLlah we had no intention at all, it was not in our mind. But then, Allāh ﷻ made it easy. We loved to come to this place. AlhamduliLlah we came, and it will be a blessing for us, for you and for all who are here.

The most important thing is to be for the sake of Allāh ﷻ. That our hearts be purely to Allāh ﷻ. That our hearts also be mosques for Allāh ﷻ, to construct our hearts also insha’Allah. We build our hearts upon Iman and Islam insha’Allah. This is what’s important. We work on the outside, the inner: little by little it will improve insha’Allah.

Here we hear the sounds of birds. Hāshā mina l-ḥuḍūr (far be it from the audience), there’s an example, we heard there this poor donkey screaming. I remembered a story that Mawlana Sheikh used to tell, a representation of our egos. It’s a story that everyone knows, I guess. There was on a farm: a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster. And the owner of the farm was an oppressor. He was oppressing them. These animals agreed to run away from the farm, “At night, we run away. The man doesn’t see us. We run away and end the torment, we end the harm, we end the distress.” They all agreed and ran away. They arrived two days later. It was in the morning, Fajr and they were too far from the farm. “AlhamduliLlah we are done with this torment. Now we are free, we can eat and drink. No one oppresses us, no one beats us.” They started eating. An hour later, two hours later, the donkey said: “I want to scream (bray)!” “No, no! Not at all! Now he hears us and comes, and catches us and we return to torment.” “Okay.” Two hours later he said: “I have to scream!” “No, now he hits us more because he’s tired.”“Fine.” He kept quiet again. A little later, he said, “I’m done, I have no endurance at all!” And he started braying in his loudest voice. The mountains and valleys rang from his voice.

This is a representation of our ego. Little by little, one holds (himself) once, he holds (himself) again, and when he screams the shaytan comes, catches him and returns him back, then he runs away again. So the ego should always be under control, and not leave your ego. Their owner found them and took them back. Our egos are worse than a donkey. Many people say this. But the important thing is that every time - A person asked Mawlana Sheikh, Mawlana Sheikh and all the ‘Awliya were the same, “We improve ourselves for a year or two or more, then we go back and do wrong things. If we repent, does Allāh ﷻ forgive us?” He ﷻ forgives you once and twice. Just as our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said: “You get tired, but Allah ﷻ does not tire. He ﷻ accepts from you if you repent and return to Him ﷻ.” This is the most important thing insha’Allah. Our egos are donkeys. Insha’Allah may Allāh ﷻ forgive us.

Places like this and Tariqah gatherings - Tariqah gatherings are important. The most important thing in Tariqah is not to interfere in people’s business. Especially politics, never interfere. It is not for us. Politics is for the people of

politics. We are the people of Dhikr, the people of Tafakkur (reflecting), the people of worship. This is our duty., “Kullun muyassarun limā khuliqa lah”, “Each person is facilitated for what he was created.” Insha’Allah the people of politics are facilitated for politics, people of work for work., “Kullun muyassarun limā khuliqa lah”, “Each person is facilitated for what he was created.” Insha’Allah we will be in this. That’s important. The people of Tariqah are different. There are all types of people. The door is open to all of them. We don’t have a closed door. The people of groups, the people of politics have certain people entering. Those who are against them do not enter. We AlhamduliLlah, who wants to enter: welcome, who wants to leave and go out: farewell.

This is the Tariqah insha’Allah. The Tariqah of happiness, this is the way of happiness. Insha’Allah He ﷻ will make us steadfast upon it insha’Allah. May Allāh ﷻ increases the people of the Tariqahs. The people of the Tariqahs are benefit for the country, for the people, for the families, for the community. They are a benefit. They want goodness for everyone. In Tariqah, envy is forbidden. You look at others, you can wish you had something, but envy is to want to harm others. This is forbidden in Tariqah, of course, in Shari’ah it is forbidden. But of course, in Shari’ah they give a different religious verdict.

May Allāh ﷻ help you and protect this country, this honorable, blessed country. Our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam blessed it and loved it. So all these hundred million here, all of them, Allāh ﷻ will give them Rizq (sustenance), Allāh ﷻ will protect them insha’Allah. All the people of this country love religion, they love our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. This is what we say, that there are shaytans who want to shake this Iman in this country by saying we are Muslims. AlhamduliLlah they are few. The majority are the people of the Tariqahs, the people of Sufism, lovers of our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. O Allāh ﷻ increase and bless.

Al-Ĥamdu li-Llāh Rabbi l-‘Ālamīn. Al-Fatiha.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 13 January 2024/ 02 Rajab 1445 Cairo, Egypt