The Illness of Love of Leadership

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.

Our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is saying the ego has many illnesses. Most of these illnesses show up in this world. When people make Jihad (fight) against their egos and go against it, they may be saved from many of them. But there is one of them which remains with people until they pass away from this world. What is that? It is “Hubbu r-Ri’asah” - loving to be higher and superior over others, to be a leader. Ri’asah means leadership, all kinds of headship.

People want to be superior over others. Who are afflicted with it will be saved from that only in Akhirah. Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla created everything for people. If you use it on the way of Allah ﷻ, you will be saved from it and you will attain Thawab and rewards in the presence of Allah ﷻ.

Our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam says there is responsibility in everything. All of you are responsible for something. A head of the family is responsible for his family. A village chief is responsible for his village. As you go higher, you have more responsibility. Therefore, people who are possessed by their egos and obey their commands find these things to be difficult. They take on a heavy burden. How can they make that burden lighter? They must obey the orders of Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla, not the orders of their egos.

Our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam says, The good person is the one who controls his ego, who doesn’t obey the orders of his ego but who trains his ego. As we said, there is everything in people. And the ego either increases, or decreases people’s ranks.

Therefore, using the attribute of leadership on the way of Allah ﷻ protects people from the evil of their egos and increases their ranks. The more they serve, the more rewards they get. Whoever accepts this way for service gets his reward afterwards. But who does it for his ego, worldly goods will remain in this world, and he will go to Akhirah with his sins. May Allah ﷻ protect us. Everyone has it, as our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said. May Allah ﷻ protect us from it. People should never obey their egos. They should not go after their egos.

There are many types [of illnesses] of the ego. As we said, there is love of leadership. There is not only one type, it has thousands of types. People think they don’t have it. Everyone has it. Therefore, may Allah ﷻ protect us. May we not sell our Akhirah for Dunya insha’Allah.

Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq. Al-Fatiha.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 28 July 2024/ 22 Muharram 1446 Fajr Prayer, Akbaba Dergah