Bismillahi-r-rahmani-r-rahim
About Very Important People (supposedly)
-- the devil is making you ‘big’. Those who are ignorant, the devil makes use of their ignorance and then that person is going to be in trouble. Benefit comes from Allah; but, if you are keeping that advice, the devil is saying; “You’re keeping that advice? You are going to be small. This is not for us - we are big, great people. We don’t need any advice.” And then that person is saying; “I am an exception. I don’t need any advice. I am a great person, I know everything. What we need, we know.”
If you are keeping the advice that we are giving you here, the advice of the Prophet, (peace be upon him,) and of the holy people, then your ego is going to be low. Such people keep themselves small, they are ready to take advice. Then Allah is going to open a door for him to take advice. Allah will not leave (him or her) without any gift.
Most 20th century people like themselves. They think they are great… Nobody is accepting any other position than to be Number One. - In every meeting, everywhere they want to be Number One. There are no numbers 2, 3,4, or 5. But in this world, there is not (just) one number. Everyone cannot be number one.
Everybody is going to university to be number one. If they leave after high school they are not going to be number one, that’s why they are going to the university after high school. They finish university but they are not satisfied with it. ‘There are so many people around us who are graduates.’ They are not number one. Afterwards they are going to get an MSc or PhD. There is nothing in their study. The only reason they are doing this is to be Number One.
Religion comes to show man his proper size. People look at what prophets do. They think that prophets are going to put them down. People want to be great, so they reject prophets. And, in religion, there are so many people who are proud because they follow religion! They like themselves; they don’t like others although they are in religion. --- The sufi way (tariqat) takes away the pride of the shariat people so that they can find their true size.
There was a Sheikh in Islam who had the highest position in the religion and in the Ottoman Empire. He came to (one of the) Naqshbandi Sheikhs and was asking what kind of service (he should do). The Naqshbandi Sheikh said to him - “You should clean the toilets at the big mosque. “If you’re saying ‘No!’ – your pride is not yet finished. The way to cure this illness is to clean toilets.
Our aim is to take away empty pride from human beings. This empty pride is destroying them. Pride cuts a person off from other humans. The one who has empty pride must be alone. Number one is the only person.
Everyone wants to be number one. If everyone wants to be number one it is impossible. There are millions of people in the world it is impossible for all of them to be number one. There is going to be a crowd of people. No pride. If you destroy pride, he is not going to have any aim to be number one – then every title suits him.
